There was a time when, as early humans, we had no homes. We travelled with large mammals and big cats, essentially moving with the food chain. We had camps, later with fire, but no permanent homes.
Keep a stack of multi-purpose tenugui towels on hand, and you’ll always be prepared for anything
Early Shelters
The oldest known shelters were made from mammoth bones, wood, or animal hides, dating back ~40,000–20,000 years ago. Ever since, we have improved our homes.
But with home came home-keeping. Over time, home-keeping has grown more complex. Think of all the machines we use, interior trends, environmental concerns, and the desire to remove harmful substances. Yet, as we increasingly work outside our homes, our homes demand more and more of our attention.
Simplification
How can we return to a simpler, less time-consuming way of managing our homes? The most effective step is decluttering. Some people find that a terrible idea, so for declutter-dislikers, we have another idea.
At Handmade Luxury Home, we’ve decluttered and highly recommend it. That said, we can’t return to prehistoric times. We have homes, families, and possessions we value for sentimental and practical reasons. So, what’s the next best thing to prehistoric minimalism?
The answer?
'Owning fewer possessions and owning multi-purpose products. Should you dislike decluttering so much, skip two paragraphs and continue reading because we have ideas'
Start by organizing Marie Kondo-style: group similar items together—tools with tools, kitchenware in the kitchen, sweaters in one place, trousers in another, books on shelves. This makes decluttering easier.
Next, declutter. Use rules like: “Discard anything unused in the past year.” Of 5% decluttering per month, for half a year, which means you aim for 30% reduction. Donate to charity or offer items for free on giveaway platforms (and meet kind people along the way).
After decluttering, look for single-use items that could be replaced with multi-functional alternatives. For example:
- Trade a woolen blanket, tablecloth, and wall tapestry for one quilt. As Marga, a quilt lover and maker, notes: “At the end of its long, loved life, it could even serve as a play blanket for a family dog.” (Though she specializes in repairing and upgrading quilts, so this may never happen.)
- Chopsticks are a multi-purpose tool. Common in Asia, they may surprise those used to spoons and forks. While I never mastered them, I used them often in the kitchen—and later, to support young plant stalks.
Other multi-functional items include:
A Dutch oven: for bread, pasta, cakes, sauces, and more.
Mason jars: for liquids, storage, vases, sprouting plants, etc.
Castile soap: for body, home, cleaning, hair, pet, balcony.
Wooden stool: for sitting, as a step, or a plant stand.
Sarong: as a backpack, throw, tapestry, towel, cover-up, hat, or room blind. (I once arrived in Asia with my suitcase en route to Africa. A kind colleague gave me a sarong, which I used as clothing, a scarf, a top, and a shawl until my luggage arrived.)
Handheld Broom & Dustpan Set with Long Handle: it sweeps floors, porches, garages, and even cobwebs from ceilings. Dustpan often has a built-in scraper for stubborn dirt. Faster than using a traditional broom and dustpan separately. This product is a silent avenger against dust bunnies (and your sanity), because....let us be honest, who likes a noisy vacuum cleaner?
Tenugui towel: kitchen and body towel, gift wrap, decoration, headscarf, or table runner.
One-cup warmer: keeps drinks warm, protects against flies, and prevents spills.
Art cards: use them for correspondence, as gifts, notebook embellishments, or small framed decor.
Writer and minimalist Fumio Sasaki, in his journey into extreme minimalism, writes about using one washing liquid (likely Castile soap) and a few of tenugui towels for himself and his studio. It’s enough (as long as you wash at the right temperatures).
The right towel, the right soap, the right quilt, or the perfect one-cup warmer—these choices not only reduce clutter but also simplify life.
And isn't that part of hygge (Danish) or gezelligheid (Dutch)? Multi-functional tools help us manage our homes without losing warmth or comfort.
They help us to do less home keeping in less time due to owning less. The time saved on home keeping can be used for joy, socializing, gardening, and the things you like.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Marga van der Vet
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