It is my pleasure to introduce you to Kendra, who has kindly offered to share some images of her practical and heartwarming home with us.
Kendra Broekhuis lives with her family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is a stay-at-home mom to two of her children by day, and a writer by night. Her first book, Here Goes Nothing: An Introvert’s Reckless Attempt to Love Her Neighbor, was released in February 2017. Her love language is Dove Chocolate.
You can connect with Kendra through her website: kendrabroekhuis.com, on Facebook, on Instagram: @kendrabroekhuis and on Amazon.
What square footage do you have in your home?
Our home is 1,675 square feet.
How many people live in your home?
Four–my husband and I have a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.
What was your motivation for embracing simplicity in your life?
Many things have contributed to my desire for embracing simplicity. My husband and I lived overseas in Guatemala for the first three years of our marriage. Many people around us lived with very little, and that really shaped our view of possessions and deciphering between our wants and needs. When we moved back to the United States, we lived in two different apartments before moving into our house. I didn’t want our already small spaces to be overcome with stuff, so I tried to declutter much of what we owned and kept in storage during our time away.
One of the main reasons why I desire to remain clutter-free is so that we can have a space that is open and welcoming to people, rather than crammed with stuff. My husband and I are passionate about getting to know our neighbors and using our home to practice hospitality. We have loved the way the space in our home–including our large table and lots of chairs–can be used to have friends over for dinner and neighbor kids over for popsicles.
While I’m not an expert in decorating, I wanted our spaces to feel warm and welcoming without being overly cluttered with knick-knacks. I tried to focus mostly on wall colors, curtains, and frames to add flavor to our home without cluttering our home. I also like using open shelving in areas like our living room and bedrooms so that I can’t just pile up stuff we don’t use inside of cupboards or closets. Open shelving is my minimalist accountability partner.
How has minimizing your possessions made your life better?
I believe there is a correlation between the amount of stuff we have and the amount of time we spend taking care of our stuff. Minimizing our possessions has decreased the amount of time I spend cleaning our house, which means having more time to spend with my family, friends, and neighbors. As an author, spending less time cleaning also means I get to use my down time (a.k.a. my kids’ nap-time) to do what I enjoy, which is to write. Our home still gets messy because people live and spend time in it, yet it’s easy to maintain and to keep tidy.
I also struggled through a season of postpartum depression after my son was born. I was easily overwhelmed by what used to be ordinary tasks – washing dishes, doing laundry, tidying our home–and while decluttering didn’t take away my depression, it certainly helped me feel less overwhelmed by the daily chores I do as a stay-at-home mom.
What was your biggest challenge in the middle of decluttering?
My biggest challenge in decluttering is deciphering what to do with gifts or giveaways we have been given but don’t necessarily use. I think a common misconception is that if someone else is trying to give us something for free, then we will automatically want to keep it. But to keep our lives simple, we work hard to not only declutter, but to keep an eye on what we bring into our home as well.
Did you involve your family or were you on your own?
Whenever I go declutter toys or books, I try to explain to our three-year-old the reasons why we are getting rid of them. We are trying to instill in her at a young age that while it is good to enjoy the things we have been given, we are not meant to hold too tightly onto things we don’t need or never use. We hope that by keeping our own possessions simple and by being willing to share what we have, that we will model generosity to our children.
While my husband hasn’t been intensely involved in the decluttering process, he also hasn’t been one to hoard things or be overly attached to his stuff. This helps me feel free to keep our home organized and clutter-free without stepping on his toes.
What unexpected reactions did you get from friends or family?
In our house, we converted the (extremely large) master closet into a bedroom for our son. Many people–including the city inspector–thought we were crazy to get rid of storage space, but now we have an extra bedroom that we can use to host out-of-town family, local friends, and anyone else who might need a place to stay. We love it!
Ready to create your own minimalist space?
Grab our free 30-day decluttering challenge to get the ball rolling!
Hi – Enjoyed the pics! But am curious as to where you put the clothes/items that normally would go into the master closet?
Thank you for taking a look – and that’s a great question. In our master bedroom, there is a corner nook where we hung two bars for hangers. Each bar is about 2.5 feet wide, and was sufficient for our hanging clothes. We fold as much as we can, but still have plenty of items we need to hang up.
Thanks for sharing! Your home looks very serene and welcoming!
Thank you so much – that means a lot! 🙂
Love love love your adorable kitchen and super homey and inviting living room seating! I WANT that loveseat, sofa and chair! Reminds me of carefree childhood summers at my grandparents’ cabin so much that I can almost smell the oatmeal cookies….
So funny you should mention that – the furniture in our living room was handed down from my grandparents! We spent so many Christmases on it, and I love having it with me now. It’s as comfortable and nostalgic as it looks! 🙂
This was truly helpful and inspiring. I still haven’t given up. Thank you!!!!!
It’s worth the fight. Keep up the good work, little by little! 🙂
Hi! Love it all! Just wondering, what is the saying above the kitchen window? I like to see what verses and quotes inspire others!
It says, “In Christ alone my hope is found.” It was a housewarming gift from my mom, and I love it!
Best, best song ever. As a RC who took a Worship in the Arts in Seminary last quarter, this song impacted me more than any other I listened to during those ten weeks. (And BTW, I’m the mom of Maddie who IM’d you). Lovely sentiment; I would love to find a plaque like that.
I love this: Open shelving is my minimalist accountability partner.
So true.
I also loved that you turned your closet into a bedroom. We have been looking at house plans and the closets are huge! I thought about turning it into an office for my husband to work from.
I say go for it! It’s nice to have a house that functions to our actual needs compared to what we are told we “need.” Good luck with the planning! 🙂
THIS is the exact motivation I needed! Thank you for sharing. This is my husband’s heart – to have an open home and practice hospitality– and I haven’t truly shared his vision until now. Now I have hope and the goal of being the family that reaches out. So thankful for this post. I had forgotten that hospitality was a ministry.
Love your home! Simple but cozy. I think what I’m missing in our home is colour.. our living/dining room feels a little stark. Maybe a new paint colour & colourful curtains will add just the right amount of life into the room.
How did you go about decluttering the kids toy room? I am still struggling on that. Not sure what to donate but I am sure that is definitely needs to be declutter.