Introduction

So I wanted to make a post that was actually relating to minimalism before I go back on my travels! This is a blog about minimalism after-all! And although my love for the minimalistic lifestyle came from my desire to travel, it is also in other aspects of my life which I would like to share!

I don’t know when this will be posted. I leave for Australia tomorrow morning and my biggest toxic trait right now is thinking I can get this whole blog post finished by then (or at least while on the plane idk), but all the pictures you see were took in the early hours of this morning, so it may look a little empty, but that’s because I’m already packed for my trip.

I plan on doing more small renovations at the end of the year, it really takes my mind off being away from my girlfriend and being stuck in cold cold England. So I plan on making another one of these posts during the end quarter of the year! Maybe!

Hallway:

This is probably the one part of my house that hasn’t really changed since I moved in. I added 2 metal hooks on the door. Usually they’re for my coat/jacket and my backpack. Obviously my backpack is packed for Australia right now though!

I did want to stick the hooks on the wall to the left, but I am not allowed to put nails in the walls and the flat paint meant anything with significant weight wouldn’t stay up, the hooks were light, but putting anything on them would bring them right down, which was super annoying!

So instead I have a wooden sign, that reads “the most wonderful thing I decided to do was share my life and heart with you”. It looks a bit bland there right now, I don’t know exactly what I plan on doing with this space yet (or indeed ANY space in my hallway) but it’ll do for now!

The phone-looking thing is the intercom system so that people downstairs can call up to me. Pretty self-explanatory really. Though it’s not the prettiest thing to look at, I don’t really know what to do to combat that yet though.

Underneath that is my heater. The whole apartment is electric only so they’re all electric heaters, which is a lot more eco-friendly then gas central heating that’s in the majority of english homes. It’s again not the most pleasant thing to look at, but I want to get a radiator cover for it eventually either the end of this year or next year I don’t know.

This is the door to my living/kitchen and the door to my bedroom. This is the other side of my hallway, there is a really bare wall on the left which I have a few ideas for but maybe I’m just being ambitious…

There is a plug on the right which I usually only use for an air freshener, I do want to get another radiator cover for that space though, even though there’s no radiator there, I want it to match the other one. Maybe then I can put a small lamp on it which will give me a use for the plugs.

I want to eventually get some things for the doors that say what each room is! But I haven’t yet found ones that I like. You can’t tell but the room is really narrow, but the carpet being stripy makes it look wider then it actually is.

Bathroom:

My bathroom is the room I have spent the most time renovating and decorating. It’s still not complete but I am so proud of it! The door on the right is the cupboard what had the hot water tank, and it is always where I keep my vacuum and flash mop thing.

Next to that is the bathroom cabinet that I built. I bought it flat-packed from Amazon a while ago and it was an absolute dream to put together! Above that is a print I got off of Etsy, thought it matched my aesthetic well!

I have everything on the top mainly for show, I use Who Gives A Crap toilet paper which I buy in bulk once a year and store the rest in the cupboard I mentioned earlier.

I have an Alexa in my bathroom- my aim is to get one for every room in my house (yes, including the hallway), most British bathrooms don’t have plugs in them so having an Alexa in there full-time would be near impossible, but having that electric cupboard in the actual bathroom is handy as I was able to plug it in there and run the wire through the bathroom, hiding is with white electrical tape, as you can see in the right side of the above image.

And for those wondering, I do have fairy lights in my bathroom. They are not battery powered they’re plug-in ones, they are also plugged in the electrical cupboard, they have been fine even in a very steamy room. I can’t tell people do do the same until they have identified if it’s safe in their environment. Don’t want to be sued for anyone getting electric shocks! Im just a very ‘YOLO’ kinda person.

I got the Dove soap and the wooden soap holder for Christmas from my mum, it makes my whole bathroom smell of soap so I don’t ever want to use it! Plus it looks so cute there!

I have the little black tray to display my dove candle (which also came with the soap), as well as some flannels, my bio-oil and the most important thing; the rubber duck.

I have a small fake plant (I would like the be able to keep a real one but the amount I’m away I wouldn’t be able to keep it alive. The thing in front of it is another candle (surprise surprise).

The cupboard houses my sprays and nail polishes that I got for Christmas (my parents really like to buy me things that I don’t need), as well as all my hair stuff. (Hair dryer, straighteners, clips, hair ties etc). The drawers have my blades for my safety razor, my cloth pads & the other drawer usually has my toiletry bags in them, but again, they’re currently packed.

When I lived with my parents, the thing that got to me the most was the amount of half empty bottles in the bathroom, most which had dust on them. My showers were mainly spent picking up all the bottles I knocked over just trying to reach my soap. I knew when I lived alone I wanted my bathroom to be efficient and stress-free.

I have yet to find an efficient system for my toothpaste and mouthwash, but my hand soap and sanitiser are here, in the picture above. I got some small custom made labels off etsy that are meant for spice jars.

The mirror came with the house, but I do not like it but hey-ho. I put the pictures on the wall ages ago, they were actually the first thing I put up in my bathroom!

Ah, my wonderful quirky wall. These are wall stickers that I got from Etsy, and oh my, it took far more than I thought it would to do the whole wall. There is a really ugly towel heater in that wall and I wanted something to make it not stand out as much until I get a radiator cover for it. Alas, the quirky wall was born.

The shelves are stuck up with command strips (like everything else on the walls in my apartment lol) and the little shelf houses the toilet paper roll that inspired me, the larger shelf has my eco-friendly wild deodorant as well as some flannels, and the middle shelf has another plant, a bar of soap, and most importantly; a rubber duck.

The leafy pictures on the wall were from Asda lol and I put them up to not make the room look so black and white, though that is a themes you will see throughout the whole house, sorry.

Not the best picture, but I got this table for putting my phone, glasses and drink on when I have a bath. I didn’t do any measurements and kind of just winged it, but it’s the perfect height! I have fake leafy vines everywhere in this room, and the table legs were no exception!

On the table I have a little wooden plane with another candle, another fake plant and the most important thing, ANOTHER rubber duck. Quack. There is also a basket that I keep clean towels in to the left of the table, wet ones go one the heater for now.

A very weird angle again, sorry. But this is the things for my showers/baths. At the bottom I have some free samples of face cleanser that I use for decoration lol. I have 2 line drawing pictures on the wall which you can see better in one of the earlier pictures.

I put up the metal shelf with the adhesive hooks it came with- it was also off Amazon. I have a waffle flannel on the bottom self and moisturiser on the top self. Then, I have another one of those wall mounted soap dispensers, which have the same labels on, which house my body wash (white) and shampoo (blue).

Bedroom:

I have a love-hate relationship with this room. I want to love it, I just… don’t. The bedroom edition of my quirky wall has made an appearance. These are slightly different and are more travel inspired as this is the makings of my Australia wall!

The big picture is a black and white picture of Perth that I took on my first day there, and the other two smaller pictures are also mine, I got them of a photo tile app and I plan on adding to my collection as time goes on.

The thing in the right hand side corner is a record player. And next to that is my tv which I have used like, twice. Im not much of a TV watched I guess. Next to that is the heater that doesn’t work, it’s never really worked though, is it isn’t completely dead, it’s falling off the wall- or both.

Both sides of my bed have the same bedside tables. Those, along with the other two drawers in the picture above all have LED lights that can be controlled via Alexa. The turn on every morning and it’s a wonderful techy way to wake up! They also charge your phone wirelessly if you put your phone on the surface. For someone who HATES fiddling with cables, they’re all a godsend.

This is the corner of my room on the left hand side of the first bedroom picture. My newest addition to my room is the wardrobe. Before that, it was a desk- which I did love, and do miss, but I needed the storage space of a wardrobe more and sometimes you have to prioritise the important things.

My wardrobe has three drawers which I found perfect for all my socks and underwear. I like to label drawers (well, I like to label everything which becomes apparent as we proceed), people say it looks messy, but as someone who has bad mental health and bad memory, it’s a lifesaver on my bad days.

On the side of my wardrobe is where I put my hats. Most of them are packed, or currently on my head, but I thought that was the perfect place to put them when I’m actually at home lol. I keep my travel backpack (which isn’t coming with me on my travels this time as I’m taking a suitcase) on top of my wardrobe. My gym bag, and any other bags usually store neatly inside that when not in use.

The last string of vines were used here, thought it brought some much needed greenery to a very dull room. the quotes were custom made from Etsy. The first one is a quote I have held close to me for many years. When I was at the lowest of lows, I dreamt of the day when I could live alone, when I could hold a picture of me and my girlfriend in my hand, and know that I really did prey for it all. Because I did, every single daunting day.

The second one is a quote from a song by a very young Australian artist called Flowerkid. Again, they are lyrics that I hold very near and dear to my heart. I knew they deserved a place on my wall.

The blandest wall in the room. I have no clue what I actually want to do with this wall yet, I’m scared of sticking anything to the wall incase it falls off and hits me in the face as I sleep- though, I really don’t want to leave is blank.

Each bedside table has a plant and a lamp, the lamp on the closest side in the picture is voice activated through Alexa, which lives on my beside table. I eventually want all the lights voice activated. I want those Philips hue spotlights for all the ceilings too. How riveting.

I really should never think of a career in photography- not after some of the angles of these pictures! I just wanted a close up of my drawers and the labels on them. Before my wardrobe I had different labels on them, but after that I was able to spread of my clothes more and even had a sore drawer for my spare set of bedding!

This is the part of my bedroom I dislike the most. I don’t hate it per say, but it’s just very… meh. I do have more shoes, but again, they’re packed lol. But all my shoes are of the monochrome colour verity… as expected.

On the back of the door I have my full length mirror which is so old! It was actually one of the first things I moved up to my new apartment after getting the keys, I have fond memories of sitting in a then-empty bedroom sticking many company strips on the back of it so it wouldn’t fall of the door!

Then we have… the shelves. The shelves that I have no clue what to put on them. And it may be an unpopular opinion, but they’re too colourful. Well, the things on the shelves that is. The thing scribbled out is a picture of my girlfriend- as much as I would love to show her off to the world, I will forever respect her privacy. Her face shall only be where she wants her face to be.

Everything else on the shelf is anything to do with Australia, as well as anything else colourful that matches the vibe haha. I don’t plan on keeping that stuff there, but until I have something more matching of my aesthetic to take it’s place, it can all stay. I would really like a laundry hamper for that corner. Or a plant. I’m not sure yet.

Living room/Kitchen:

Excuse that the curtains are closed, I am not a hermit- these pictures were taken at about 3am. Though, this is my living room. And the kitchen behind it. This sofa is the worst sofa in the world but I chose it last year, while I was in agony with a tooth infection. One day I will get a new one, but that day will not be today or tomorrow or probably even this year.

In the left corner there is the footstool that the sofa came with. Though it also doubles up as a, what I call the ‘microwave step’. You’ll understand in a minute. I have a big checkered blanket on there, and a small knitted koala blanket that I got from Australia in there too.

The frames on the wall are writing certificates from the times I was published in anthologies and I don’t think I have turned that tv in since I got it. Again, I’m not much of a TV watcher.

That lamp is moved about more then I care to admit. Though, I feel happy about it being there. Another bare wall behind the TV though. Which I have no clue what to do with. I hate the plain white walls, they look so… clinical. The tv unit is from the same brand as the units on my bedroom, is had the LED lights but doesn’t have wireless charging.

I keep the cupboards in the unit very organised, and it’s where a lot of my clutter goes. I have a bed that lifts up, but I hate lighting it up so i hardly have anything under it. Thus, the tv unit is the next best place.

The first cupboard (the left hand side). It is labeled, complete with arrows. Board games on the bottom shelf and a box to store cables and gaming stuff on the top. Though, again, most of the wires and controllers are packed. I play my ring fit switch game a lot and sad I couldn’t fit it in my bag to take with me! So it will live in the basket until I return!

This is the middle cupboard. The top shelf has the tv remotes and my Apple TV box, and the bottom shelf is where my switch lives. But, you guessed it, that, along with its dock, are coming with me. Mainly for the plane, as it’s so boring, but also to chill with as it’s a comfort thing to me. Being in a strange place for so long can sometimes make me anxious!

The right hand side cupboard- the bottom shelf is for a box I painted to house my colouring books and pens, and the top shelf is my equivalent of a junk drawer. It’s for all the little bits and bobs that didn’t really have a home. Rolled of tape, glue, screwdrivers etc.

Ignore the black where the the right of this picture. That was a heater I used while I was cleaning. This is a table I built, it has a google home on it at the moment which I do not like. Alexa is much better. The wifi hub is in the drawer, nice and hidden away.

The cactus is called Callum, he was named after the drug dealer from coronation street bc he was murdered around the time I got him and younger me thought it was HILARIOUS that his murder in the show buried him under concrete. Legit had that plant for longer then I’ve even known my girlfriend.

Speaking of her, I keep a photo of us here, so her face has been blurred again. Underneath the table is the box I painted of all my Australian memories and photos as well as memories between me and my girlfriend. Movie tickets etc. I wanted it on display and didn’t have anywhere else to put it.

Ah my kitchen. I am somewhat fond of this room. Is is so so small though. None of the counters were wide enough for even the smallest microwave, nor would the hollow drywall be able to hold a wall bracket for it- hence why it has been shunned to the top of the fridge.

I am pretty small, so standing on my sofa’s footstool is the only way I can reheat my left over pizza lol. Although I love the little nook at the end as it’s a perfect space for a bin, I’ll always make me ponder why they didn’t just extend the counter space.

Didn’t know whether to do a fridge tour lol but as it is empty other than 2 empty glass milk bottles (I opt for glass because of the environment), so I will do that another day. So here are my labelled kitchen drawers. The top drawer is cutlery, the second one down is utensils. Then cloths is in the middle, followed by sweets and snacks.

I don’t eat many sweets at all, so the draw hardly ever had anything in it. I’m still getting through all my Christmas sweets. Let’s just say, the sweet tooth i once had as a child is now pretty much none-existent.

This is my cutlery drawer. It isn’t perfect as the divider doesn’t have enough compartments but it was the only one that would fit in those tiny drawers. Yes I am area one of the knives is bigger than the other, my mistake had annoyed me since the day I bought them.

All my cutlery was bought individually from John Lewis. They were designed by… I don’t know some chef or something. They feel so nice to hold though. Yet, I live on primary noodles and I usually opt for chopsticks.

The colourful things are called mootops (I think that’s the brand) and they’re reusable caps for the milk bottles. I use the green one when I get green capped milk, blue when I get whole milk, and pink when I use the bottles for OJ or something. Really easy and sterile to use. And no plastic!!!

This drawer makes anyone who sees it laugh. My utensil drawer. It use to be a mess and it really bothered me. Nothing matches and I had no efficient way of storing all the oddly shared items! So for now, some invisible barriers made from black electrical tape will suffice.

I hate cling film. But my mum bought it for me without my permission lol so I might as well use it up so it doesn’t go to waste. I would like to make some beeswax wraps one day though. They seem like a fun craft to do and the end product is a reusable version of plastic wrap/cling film!

I have a can over and a bottle opener, and the black thing is the handle to my pans. I use the Tefal ones that have the detachable handle so you only need one handle for all pans. It’s meant to save space lol. I hate the little grabbers I have, they’re very small and very cheap, but again, I wasn’t the one who got them!

Is one picture could correctly describe my two contracting personalities coexisting with each other, it’s this one. This is the small cupboard on the left hand side of my oven. The top shelf is all the standard crockery- plates both big and small, pasta bowls, cereal bowls, mugs, tiny bowls, and a single shot glass.

The bottom shelf however, geez. Why I have 6 drinking glasses when I only have 2 of everything else is still a mystery to me. The weird spoon shaped thing is a set of plastic cutlery which I never like to use as plastic is icky. I usually opt for my bamboo cutlery but, it’s packed.

Don’t ask about the colourful plastic plates, I don’t even know myself. I don’t know where they came from or if I’ve ever used them. I think I recall getting all the plastic stuff you see in that picture last summer when I was planning a picnic- until I realised all my people (my best friend and my girlfriend) live 9,000+ miles away so it would just be me and many colourful plates. Didn’t sound like a fun time at all.

I use the transparent bowls to store paint in when I make a large batch of a specific colour, the lid stops it from drying out, and I use the other bowls under them for jellies when I make them. So at least I found a practical use for all my impulse purchases.

This cupboard used to look a lot better before I found a hobby in baking and wanted to buy every baking ingredient out there. This is all my ‘pantry’ type of food. I got the labels from a store I live on top of called TK Maxx. The small jars in the right are actually from Australia.

The grey and white ceramic oil/vinegar bottles are from primark and I thought they were the most aesthetically pleasing thing that store has ever sold. I also have kitchen scales towards the back on the right hand side.

I hate this cupboard. But it’s organised and that’s all that I really care about these days. The top one is where I keep bags. Mainly bin bags but also brown paper bags (which are actually also from australia) if I want to take some lunch out with me.

The bottoms shelf is all cleaning supplies. Most things I keep in glass spray bottles. I get a lot of my cleaning things from Bower, which send you cleaning supplies in packaging that you send back to them once you’ve filled up your reusable bottles. The laundry pods are something my mum, bless her heart, keeps buying for me. It annoys me but I am grateful for her thoughts.

The best thing in my kitchen. My utensil rack from my favourite brand ever: Joseph Joseph. The chopping boards are the same brand too and as you can tell, they match. Not only does having them on the wall look good (at least to me) but it saves so much space and it’s so handy when cooking! The utensils are right next to the oven to just grab and it’s the best ever!

The chopping boards are new, but I can see myself finding these very useful when I’m back home. They also do a knife set which I really want, idk where I’d put them yet. They’re meant to go on the inside of the cupboard but I like the quirky look of them on display!

Conclusion:

I have never written an entire blog post so fast in my life. Usually something of this length with pictures would take me a week or even longer. But when my adrenaline gets going I can work at weirdly fast speeds.

Just proves I can actually do it and I need to stop slacking. Though, right now I really need to sleep. I’ll be on the plane in literally 12 hours and I’m oh so very scared. Weirdly, I feel more anxious overall this time around and I don’t know quite why that is. Maybe it’s because last time I brain washed myself to not be anxious, this time I haven’t been so hard on myself in that regard.

Anyway, I hope people enjoyed nosing at my home. I’ll miss it a tiny bit. But, believe me when I say it’ll be the only thing from England I’ll miss. I wish I could just pick it up and plonk it down in Perth. hehe plonk is a funny world. Plonk.

Any posts I’ll be making for the next 2+ months will be australia related. I plan on documenting each day again, I just don’t quite know the best way to go about that yet as I’m staying for so long. It’ll probably be a week by week thing, maybe with other stuff sprinkled in as to not spam peoples feeds with my trip. I’m not sure yet. We will see.

Bon Voyage to me and I’ll see y’all in the land down under! 🇦🇺