I only knew one thing: I wanted a “minimalist” garage. My vision was of clean lines and virtually no storage. I wanted to reframe the entire idea of a typical garage.
Over the years, our garage was the most unmanaged space in our home. It’s where everything landed without a care or a plan. Cleaning out the garage had become how we would spend many, many weekends.
But after the mudslide (see story here) the garage became even more stressful for me. It bore the brunt of the displaced contents of my home and turned into the landing place for sorting, cleaning, and purging. And, cleaning it felt never-ending. I was sick of it. I wanted and needed a drastic change.
My Big Idea
But, nothing changed for years. The job was just too cumbersome. Then, I had an idea. I had a big birthday coming up, so I thought, why not! I let everyone know that I wanted a “minimalist garage” for my birthday!
I figured that was one way to get it because absolutely NO-ONE (husband and kids) was on board with me. They thought it was a crazy idea. And . . . they didn’t think that a “minimalist” garage was possible . . . or a good birthday gift. “You want us to paint the garage for your birthday?”
Yes, I do!
Didi
But, ultimately, they started to accept my vision. There was one big problem though. A LOT of the stuff in the garage wasn’t mine! At least half of it belonged to my husband. I had to come up with a plan. Where could I move his stuff? How could I get him excited and onboard?
The “He Shed”
Well, I DID IT! I came up with an idea and it worked! We built a “HE” Shed!
So, we had a Tuff Shed built with the idea that it would be my husband’s new shop, garage, man-cave, He shed. We moved the workbench, his tools, and all of the “garage-type” items. With the help of my son, we fixed it up and decorated it with his mementos. Guess what? It’s a big hit! He feels special that he has his own workspace that’s just for him!
My Minimalist Garage
So, I finally got my minimalist garage. And the best part is that now when I walk into my garage, I feel happy, peaceful, and proud. I love being out there now, working out with the garage door open, and enjoying the fresh air. And to top it off . . . I even like cleaning it. I WANT to keep it nice. It’s my gift to myself.
Now, I know this isn’t an option for everybody but the biggest obstacle is really your thinking. Change how you look at things and reframe them.
You might already have some existing spaces that you can transform. Do you have a shed that can be turned into a man cave or hold lawn and garden equipment, and bikes?
Just think creatively. Everything doesn’t have to be as intended. Live outside of the box.
Where to start
Here are some questions to ask yourself if you’d like to tackle this project yourself.
- Start with the end in mind – What is your vision?
- What do you want to do in the garage? What function will it have?
- What MUST stay in the garage?
- What can you move elsewhere?
- Can you create new spaces for items like gardening supplies and tools?
- Can you donate the stuff that doesn’t work in your life anymore?
Typical Garage Storage Items
Car – I got a new car for my big birthday and It gave me more incentive to create a clean space to store it. Now, I know my car will last so much longer being parked in the garage every day.
Car cleaning supplies – We moved car washing supplies to the “He shed”.
Exercise equipment – We wanted to keep our weight training machine and decided to move the other exercise bikes to the garage as well. So now, one side of the garage is dedicated to working out.
Workshop – I put two tables (both folding & removable) on the left side of the garage. One table is a landing space. The other table is for small tasks.
Bikes – We are storing a couple of bikes in the garage. It doesn’t bother me because the garage isn’t filled with a bunch of other junk.
Lawn and garden – Our lawn and garden supplies are stored in a partially covered area of our backyard.
Outdoor toys – We store these in the backyard.
Hobby items – If your hobby is important to you, then it might be a zone that you create in your new garage. My hobby is art, so I have a lot of art supplies. I keep them stored in a room designated for creativity.
Washer/dryer – I have a separate laundry room, but we do have a water softener in the garage. I’m looking to change that to a different, much smaller type of softener.
Old files – I have two file cabinets that are sitting between the two tables. They hold a lifetime of memories of my kids and I can’t go through that until I have plenty of time. So, for now, the file cabinets remain.
Household goods – I store everything in the house. My goal was to eliminate storage from the garage.
Holiday decor – Our holiday decor is stored in the attic.
Power tools – All of the tools went into the man cave.
Workbenches – The workbench went into the man cave.
Starting with the end in mind is a great idea, but sometimes we don’t know what we want to use the space for. I knew what I didn’t want: typical garage storage. But I really still don’t know what I DO want, besides the workout area. So I opted for a few removable folding tables that we already owned. I’m taking my time to figure out how I actually want to use the space.
I have been considering a nice garage system of cabinets, but then I’d fall back into storing a bunch of stuff. I’d prefer to have the flexibility for future ideas.
We also painted the walls, installed a new door, and replaced all of the light fixtures. The next step is to replace the window, because it is damaged, decide on flooring (or epoxy), and replace the water softener. Once that is done, my minimalist garage will be complete.
Accomplishing my goal of creating a minimalist garage has helped me feel a great sense of pride in creating a life that is more joyful, peaceful, and simple. I hope that it will give you some inspiration for your minimalist journey.
