Have you ever been in a house without a couch?
I don’t think I have. I’ve thought about my friends’ houses, my relatives’ houses, and my neighbors’ houses. I’ve thought about all the places in which I’ve lived, from childhood until now. I’ve thought about the homes I’ve seen on TV, in movies, and in magazines.
From modest studios to million-dollar McMansions, from inner cities to suburbs to out-in-the-sticks, you’d be hard-pressed to find a living room without a couch.
In considering the subject, I realized that our sofa has always been the key piece of our décor. When we looked for houses or apartments, we’d wonder how the layout would accommodate it. After we moved in, we’d spend time experimenting with its optimum orientation (against the wall? at an angle? facing the window or TV?) In some cases, we even bought a new one because the old one didn’t suit the style or size of our new digs.
So naturally, after we found a flat in the UK, one of the first issues to arise was that of a couch. We’d lived without a single piece of furniture for two weeks (minimalist heaven!), but our backsides were growing a bit numb from sitting on the wood floors.
Personally, I would have purchased a couple of floor cushions and called it a day. No matter how comfortably a room is furnished, I usually end up on the floor anyway. I simply feel more relaxed on the ground—and whether I’m eating, reading, or surfing the net, that’s where you’ll usually find me.
It seemed unfair, however, to deny my husband (and potential guests) more proper seating—and so our hunt for a couch began. We spent a weekend searching online, and visiting furniture stores, to find the perfect sofa for our new flat. We looked at every type imaginable—from futons to loveseats to sectionals—and tried to imagine how they’d look in our open-plan living room.
We had just about settled on one with a mid-century modern design, when my husband suddenly asked, “Do we really need a couch?” (Whoa. Is it any wonder I love him so?)
Do we really need a couch? Hmm. Good question. We took a break from shopping, and talked it over. We didn’t have a TV, so we weren’t sure what our couch would face. Furthermore, we’d always have to sit side-by-side, instead of face-to-face—unless, of course, we bought some additional chairs. The more we thought about it, the less appealing a couch seemed to be. Not to mention that it would likely require more pieces of furniture to balance it out.
We concluded that not only didn’t we need a couch; we didn’t even want one.
But would that be weird? We wondered what our landlord, guests, or family would think when they came to visit, and found an empty space where the sofa should be. But then we reasoned: we were already considered somewhat eccentric for quitting good jobs, getting rid of everything we owned, and moving to a foreign country. Why not go for broke and confirm our (already-suspected) quirkiness? Why not live in a house without a couch?
So instead of arranging delivery on a heavy, expensive sofa (the resale of which we would someday have to orchestrate), we decided on a more lightweight, mobile, and versatile option: we threw two Ikea Poang chairs and a coffee table into our Mini, and were on our way. And thus we completed the task of furnishing our flat.
I’m certainly not suggesting that minimalists can’t have couches. My point, rather, is that we should think about why we own what we do. We should make our possessions fit our lifestyle, instead of the other way around. We shouldn’t feel pressured to own things just because it’s expected, or because everyone else has one. We should feel free to own only those things that meet our needs (no matter how strange that may seem to anyone else!).
In our case, a sofa doesn’t meet our needs at this particular place, and at this particular time, so we’ve simply decided not to own one.
So what items have you decided you don’t need to own? I’d love to hear about them!
I ‘ve never used and needed a washing-up machine.
For more than 20 years I’ve been living without any curtain, nowadays, I use the one which were previously in the flat I rent.
I’ve no cell phone, no GPS, no blackberry , no TV, no DVD …..
The couch in the living room is mainly used as a guest bed, but I definitely need a carpet since I usually sit on the floor.
On the contrary, I sit and work on the couch in my home office !
I agree with the couch thing, since it essentially is focused on the tv. We lived in a tiny cottage style home and we have 2 wing back comfy chairs and another large, oversized chair with hassock. We center them around a huge coffee table. I have a set of old wooden chairs that can be moved about for guests. I just add some pretty pillows to sit on for those with sensitive backsides.
We live without tradional nightstands next to the bed. We have 2 folding wooden chairs. We each have lamp and our phone chargers (which allows us to use the phone as our alarms). Since we don’t have decorate chotskies or doo dads, it works just fine and takes up less space and still looks quirky.
We live without books, except the Bible and current college books. I enjoy going to the library and not having to haul, dust or arrange books.
We also got rid of all our window treatments, except in our sons room. Too much to keep clean and I enjoy the view out our windows.
wow, i’m impressed. i’ve got a long way to go. i’m currently asking myself these exact questions. since we downsized and moved in to this small house, i’ve gotten rid of an amazing amount of stuff. i kept what i truly loved (or thought i loved.) now that we’ve been here almost 2 years now i’m questioning more of my possessions. currently my living room is a mess as i’m painting and trying to figure out exactly how i want the room to function. it’s hard to let go of items that you have had for a long time but no longer suit your needs. it’s a process, i guess.
~janet
maybe i’m missing the point but we definitely needed a couch. my husband and i live in a 500 sq. ft. apartment. No television and one laptop computer without access to the internet, so our electronics usage (in the home) is minimal. For about 5 months, we did without the couch thinking floor cushions and a hand-me-down easy chair would suffice. As it turned out, we spent NO time in our couch-less living room and it was basically a dead space (not good considering how small of an apartment we live in).
We bought a $20 couch of craigslist and have it facing our enormous ikea bookcase. We can hang out in the living room and entertain friends.
We have way too much stuff, but we are minimalist when it comes to window treatments. On the first floor of our house we have a total of 21 windows. (It’s a big old house.) But out of all those windows, we have a window covering for only one window, and then only for the bottom half.
We also probably should get some sort of window coverings for our dining room windows. When the sun sets during the colder months, it pores in through one of the windows and blinds anyone sitting at one end of the table. (Although we seldom have meals in the dining room, I do use my laptop there every day.) So in this case, we’re probably too minimalist.
And, by the way, a couple of months ago my daughter and her boyfriend purchased an Ikea chair identical to your two chairs, but they bought theirs in San Diego. Small world.
I don’t have a couch since I moved out to the Pacific Northwest. I gave away my futon couch back in TN when I realized I would have to get a second storage unit if I didn’t. One is bad enough, and it’s 10×20. I have a nice recliner, and for my one guest I had a folding camp chair. I offered her the recliner, but friend that she is she said it was obviously my space so she used the camp chair the 3 days she visited. I did buy an IKEA dining room table, though. I now sit at it in one of the two wooden folding chairs I got there at the same time. I needed a flat space to use the mouse with the laptop and lap desks weren’t working. I’m still getting rid of things and I definitely don’t want to mindlessly add more in unless I REALLY feel like I need it. Especially since I probably already have whatever it is stored back in TN.
Going couch-less seems a good idea, since I almost always end up on the floor too, especially when there’s a nice warm carpet and a low table for my laptop.
As for things we’ve decided not to own, number one on the list is a car. We always try to live within walking distance of a grocery store and other places we need to go to more than once a week.
Also, we try not to let any knickknacks into our place. Our only souvenirs of our travels are our digital photos, plus some consumables (although before we used to buy postcards too).
We never buy music CDs and DVDs, unless they’re extremely rare and can’t be found in any other format. We download mp3s and videos instead, or borrow CDs and DVDs from the library. We’re trying to do the same with books.
Nice choice Miss Minimalist, I envision those two chairs facing out to enjoy the lovely trees from your window.
I don’t have a bed. By choice. Many friends have a hard time understanding that one. But it is SO nice in my 490sf apt. without one taking up so much space! And, as I tell everyone, if you don’t have aches and pains to start with, sleeping on the floor is completely healthy and good for you! :-)
But, I do have a couch. And it is useful. I’m sitting on it this very moment, haha.
Wow, I just love hearing about the things that everyone does *without*! (Isn’t it refreshing to be able to “brag” about what you DON’T have, rather than what you have?) ;-)
nicole 86, I’m with you on the dishwasher. We left it out when we remodeled the kitchen in our former house. Our flat has one, but we haven’t yet touched it. No cell phone? You’ve got me beat there!
Heather, that sounds like a great furniture arrangement. I’m *very* impressed that you’re able to live without books–it’s something I’ll be working on, and blogging about, in the future!
janet, I think it’s healthy to purge in cycles. You get rid of everything you think you can live without; then the next round, you find a few more things that no longer seem so indispensable; the next round, a few more; and so on…
charmaine, I felt the same way in our former house–the living room wouldn’t work without a couch. But at this particular time, and in this particular place, it simply doesn’t meet our needs.
kris, LOL, I didn’t like the curtains that came with our flat, and thought about taking them down the day we moved in. But the sun pours in our large corner window in the morning–and without them, I wouldn’t even be able to see my laptop! (BTW, that’s good to know we could replace our chairs if we move back to the US!)
Paula, if we return to the US, we’d love to live in the Pacific NW! It sounds like you’re living quite a minimalist lifestyle there; are you storing things in TN because you might return?
Mia, I think that’s wonderful that you don’t own a car! Unfortunately, DH needs one for work right now–but that’s definitely one of our goals for the future. And I agree, digital photos make the best travel souvenirs!
Zoe, you’re right–that’s exactly how the chairs are facing! :-)
meagan, are you actually sleeping on the floor (no mattress)? Wow. After a week of trying that, DH and I couldn’t get over to Ikea fast enough to get something soft. We don’t have a bed frame, but we do have a mattress (thinner, foam, roll-up kind). I’d love to hear more about your sleeping arrangement!
Interesting to see how many people can get along nicely without a sofa. And, in the case of one poster, without a bed!
Which reminds me of what an interior designer, Bunny Williams, once said were the five pieces of furniture necessary for a studio apartment: something to sleep on, a table, two arm chairs, and an armoire.
To elaborate . . .
The “something to sleep on” could be a conventional bed, a Murphy bed, or a pull-out sofa bed.
The table would be a dining table, not a coffee table. The designer also suggested that the table be round and about 42 or 48 inches in diameter, if I remember correctly. She believed that a round table, with no sharp corners to bump into, works well in a small space. (And I might add that a lower dining table, no more than 29 inches high, works better than a taller table if you want to use your laptop there.) In addition, she recommended that, if possible, the table should be placed in front of a window.
As for the two arm chairs, they should have tall enough seats to be used at the table. (“Dining” chairs, with or without arms, have tall enough seats to be used at a table. “Lounge” chairs are too low.)
And, last on the list, the armoire would hold all electronics plus provide storage space. (She probably was assuming that the apartment dweller would have a television among other electronics. And when she was making these suggestions, there were no flat-screen TVs, only bulky cathode-ray models, which many people wanted to hide.)
Obviously it’s possible to lead a happy minimalist life without these five pieces of furniture. But I do find her list to be thought-provoking.
kris, I think we’re on the same wavelength! I just finished up a post for tomorrow–describing exactly what *we’ve* found to be the essential pieces of furniture. :-)
Thanks so much for elaborating on this; I think it’ll make a great point of comparison, and hope it leads to some good discussion.
Hi again! Thanks for the follow-up comments. Yup–just on the floor. On a sheet in summer, on a down comforter in winter. I do have basic carpeting, so it’s not like totally hard ground. :-)
I have things stored 2500 miles away because I really don’t know what I’ll do, and it’s too expensive to bring them out here. When I left I only thought I’d be gone a year, now I don’t know. I also don’t know how to get the rest here (at least the things I still want) without it costing more than I have. My original relocation money didn’t quite cover what I brought with me originally. I fly Southwest when I go back and bring two large suitcases and fly home what will fit in those as a start. This is why I really smiled at your angst about your small storage unit. :)
Wow, meagan, that’s really impressive–and very Zen. :-)
Paula, I completely understand your situation. We also have no idea how long we’ll stay here, and are reluctant to ship over the items we have in storage. On the bright side, I *love* not knowing where we’ll be this time next year!
My husband and I went without a couch for about a month after a roommate moved out and took hers. However, I really like having a couch. We might not have a t.v., but it’s still nice for cuddling when we’re watching stuff online. Plus I like to read on the couch with my legs up.
Hi Meg! I completely understand. The fact that you lived without one for awhile–and didn’t particularly enjoy it–simply means it’s one of your “must-haves.” I think minimalism is all about nailing down those things that are important to us (as well as the things we can do without).
I’ve been trying to convince Mr. Savvy to get rid of our couch for the better part of a year now. He keeps telling new people we meet about how quirky I am, and then uses this story to demonstrate exactly how.
We do without a car for each of us, which means we have one car. We have one cell phone between us, and no curtains either. We also don’t have cable (I’m still working on getting rid of the TV) — which none of our friends can believe. I never thought it was strange until our friends started harping on us about it.
SavvyChristine, our friends thought it was weird that we didn’t have cable, too. Since we’re in the UK now, they don’t know that we gave up our TV–but I don’t think they’d be that surprised.
Up until we moved here, we still had a couch and TV. It’s a lot easier to not buy something in the first place, than it is to get rid of it!
I can understand many aspects of minimalist living (though I myself am not living in that fashion at this point). However… I don’t understand why some of you don’t have/want curtains or blinds. They’re obviously not necessary on every window… but I find mine pretty darn functional. Can someone clue me into the logic behind this?
Hi Matt! It’s just a matter of having them where they’re functional (like when privacy or light filtering is needed), rather than simply for the sake of decoration.
Absolutely Fantastic….
This is just the article I needed to make my decision… I have two futon sofas and to be honest they are only there for guests. I usually sit on the floor to eat, read and chill out.. However I have resisted to getting rid of them (freecycle) for being thought of as too weird….
I have slowly purged all my things over the past decade..TV, Car, stero, bed etc…To be honest am at my happiest when I can carry my life in a suitcase..I do sleep on a futon mattress for some comfort!
I think its fair to say that we all have different needs and priorities, however I love your comment about “We should make our possessions fit our lifestyle, instead of the other way around”
Its great to know that lots of people are thinking the same!!
Keep up the good work!!
Greetings from London
Ana :)
Hi Ana! I’m glad you’re inspired to “release” the sofas — it’s so liberating to let go of unnecessary stuff (not to mention all the wonderful empty space it creates in your flat!). Great to hear from a kindred soul. :-)
Hey, minimalists! In answer to the question, “have you ever been in a house without a couch,” the answer is yes…sort of. We’ve got a stack of futon mattresses and pillows on one side of our living room that serves as a couch when necessary, and then, voila! We have a house party or other guests, and suddenly we can blanket the floor with comfy sleeping arrangements. My desk is an old kitchen table acquired at a thrift store, so if we have lots of company, we clear it off and pull it out into the middle of the room — people perch on an assortment of stools and desk chairs gathered from throughout the place or borrowed from neighbors — and otherwise we eat at the little breakfast bar/butcher block in our kitchen.
That sounds like a great system, Erin — I love the idea of making a “couch” from futon mattresses and pillows. :-)
I feel really left out at the moment. I have 6 couches in my house.
Hi Busy Mommy! I guess the question is: are they all being put to good use?
LOL! We are a family of 7, and we have family and friends over quite often, so yes, indeed, they are being put to good use! By the way, I really enjoy your blog…keep up the good work! ;)
Wow, Busy Mommy, a family of 7! I think that entitles you to some furniture. :-)
I have a futon, which I crash on for reading and which becomes the guest bed when someone’s over, which is fairly often. Generally when I have guests I end up on the desk chair and they sit on the futon.
Hi Fox — I’ve always loved the versatility of a futon!
Hi! I have two ‘chair-and-a-halfs’. They allow two to cuddle in, or one to stretch out a bit in. Better still, they contain hide-away single beds within them. Instead of a coffee table, I’ve opted for two small lightweight glass/metal barrel shaped tables that can be moved around for different uses. My teenage sons sleep on futons in their rooms, which makes for nice entertaining (and far neater teenage rooms than most!) when their friends are over. We find that almost everything in our home has dual-purposes, and we love it! We are just about to move into a much nicer place here in NY. It is only 700 sf for the three of us, as opposed to the 1200 sf we are in now, but we were finding this bigger flat to be nothing but wasted space and too expensive to heat and cool! We feel the smaller 700 sf will be more ‘right size’ for us. The rent is the same, but the flat is SO much nicer, in a better location, and better amenities….a real win from our perspective!
Those Ikea Poang chairs are really comfortable, I have one, but I also have a couch and a love seat…
A whisk. I can just use a fork.
I live without a couch and a TV… have been for years. also I do have the ikea poang chairs and seems to work just fine. I have plenty of space in my small apartment enjoy a slightly less cluttered life.
Honestly, the only time I ever use the couch is when we’re watching a movie… and I’d be perfectly happy on one of those body pillows (had one as a kid, absolutely loved it), but I could never convince my hubby to replace our leather couch with a $40 body pillow… maybe when we move (since the couch isn’t really ours).
I much prefer sitting in my glider (because of my bad back) or pulling my “baking stool” in from the kitchen (which also exists because of my back – I can’t always stand at the counter for long periods of time). Both of them swivel. So I can sit wherever I want and face whoever I want. I used to be perfectly happy on the floor, but it’s getting hard for me to get back up again… it’s still the most comfortable place, in my opinion, but taking 5 minutes to respond when my baby’s getting into something isn’t usually an option.
I have to disagree with you, because we are a family of 4-5 and nearly everyone uses his/her own laptop at time, so we’ve got two sofas and two chaira around a table, and there the whole family sits with the laptops…And also, when i read a book, I’ve got the habit to walk around, then sit on a sofa, then i somehow turn around and find myself reading head down+legs up sitting on my back on the sofa…
the habits are actually so strong, i cannot imagine living without a sofa which i cannot turn around on.
I spent 3 weeks in Belize a couple of years ago and found that hammocks were the relaxation device of choice for many people down there. In fact, there were very few couches to be found except among the expats. Plus a hammock has the added benefit of being ultra portable and easily stowed.
We lived in Central Asia for 5 years and during that time went without a couch (as many do in that part of the world.) We had “Eastern couches,” big, body length pillows that people sit or sleep on. It was so nice to be able to fold and stack them up in the corner when they were not in use, leaving all that floor space for the kids to play in. This post really makes me miss those days! Now we have a couch and love seat, working on hubby to get rid of the love seat b/c it does seem superflous. The couch gets a lot of use from our many guests though so it’s not going anywhere. :) The thing that I’ve gotten comments about not owning is a dryer. Honestly though, we live in Texas, in summer (3/4 of the year around here!) the clothes dry faster outside than they would in a dryer! Enjoying your blog!!
We have lived in this house for 44 years–our first sofa was here for about three years. We had it only because back then “everyone must have a sofa”. It was a cheap sofa and I was happy to see it go. Our second sofa came about ten years later. I never did understand why my husband bought it. Fortunately, our elder daughter got married about 3-4 years later and put the sofa in her basement. Some people probably think it’s odd that we don’t have a sofa. It would be amazing if that’s all they thought was odd. We have had delivery persons ask if we are moving in or moving out.
I have a couch and an armchair that I only bought because you ‘have to have’ these things. Right now, I’m in the middle of my couch with my legs on the ottoman, in the perfect postion for a chaise lounge/fainting couch. When I got rid of the previous TWO ugly couches and ugly loveseat, I put an antique chair, a mod ottoman, and a reading lamp in the center of my living room, and I LOVED it. Open space all around, a place to read, and little to clean. Unfortunately, my BF and best friend nagged me continually. My friend made the comment that my living room “would probably still look like that six months from now”. I didn’t take this as a compliment at the time (I do now), so I caved and bought the first acceptable offering on craigslist. (And helped the family I bought if from emigrate to Australia!) But they are brown, and boring, and heavy, and not comfortable. I think they are going right back on craigslist very soon!
Moral of the story: Do what makes YOU happy, whether it’s six couches or zero!
Well – I live in one of those newer houses with a family room and a livingroom. Needless to say the livingroom is not used.
During one of my many minimalist sprees I got rid of all the furniture (via Craigslist) and loved the emptiness in the room. I enjoyed the light shining in and the floor clear. Our kids could play there and have open space to practice summersaults and play imaginary games.
Then the comments from visitors like “are you moving” made me cave and I furnished the room again from items on Craigslist. And now I don’t like it – I want the emptiness back!! My kids miss their play area. So I will be posting the couch on Craigslist this week….and will be happy to see it go.
Great blog – very inspiring!
you know, i’ve been thinking about building a daybed for our lounge (currently empty save books and DS’s toys and instruments) for guests and for our son when he chooses to sleep on his own (he’s two now, and we cosleep in our big bed), and for a place to hang out when i need a cushy spot and don’t want to be on the bed anymore. . .
but now i’m thinking about futons! just without frames. and he could sleep on it later on too, when he’s older. and guests could as well. hmm. but there’s no “away” space, so it’s probably not much different, if at all different, from just putting in a nice daybed.
and besides, i’m absolutely psyched to begin building my own furniture. hmm.
Have lived without a couch quite happily for more than 10 years. Such bliss!
I only have a plastic chair to lounge in, which is quite uncomfortable after a while so ensures I don’t waste too much time in front of that telly (no, that hasn’t gone yet).
I’m doing the “successive purge cycles” thing and enjoying it. But I wouldn’t want to miss my couch (an Ikea Ektorp 3-sitter [gasp!]). I love sitting sideways on it with my feet up, having breakfast or coffee and enjoying my dog’s company. And I love sitting on it with my man. Sometimes we just sit next to each other, reading; sometimes I sit sideways and have my legs over his lap.
I would just miss the togetherness that’s possible with a couch. :-) It just wouldn’t feel the same with only chairs in the room (though I admit, the couch is a big, un-flexible thing).
I guess it’s all about making decisions based on what you really want!
We gave away our couch, too! But we don’t even have chairs and tables. We sit on the floor with an improvised coffee table (so far it has been two boxes of soymilk). We take off our shoes at the door and vacuum frequently, so our floor is clean. Although it feels strange to have our guests sit on the floor, no one seems to mind so far. It’s like you said, “Why not go for broke and confirm our (already-suspected) quirkiness? ” I really enjoy almost no furniture in our apartment, especially since we’re moving soon!
i have spent several years without a couch. it surprises me that you are questioning the couch :o) i don´t _need_ a couch, i never questioned that… i spend my time with guests around the table, facing each other, and we eat, drink and talk.
but i have a couch now and i am sure- this will be one of the three last things i have: a bed, a table and a couch. the couch became my luxury, my island, my very private piece of furniture… maybe i am getting old but i like to sit on it, legs up, reading, talking to my bf, listening to music. ooooh, no way… don´t question my couch :)