Meet the woman who lives with zero furniture — besides her cat’s bed

Welcome to Extreme Minimalists, which shares the stories of individuals who live on less – from a family of four living in a van to a woman who lives with absolutely zero furniture!

Youheum Son is truly an extreme minimalist. 

Aside from her cat’s bed, a few string lights and flowers, Son’s apartment, which she shares with her minimalist sister, fully emulates her dedication to the minimalist lifestyle. And yes, that includes zero furniture

“My space is filled with more nourishment and the things that nurture me instead of the furniture that gets in the way of me actually moving freely around my space,” she told In The Know. 

Her journey towards a less-is-more lifestyle began after realizing her “shopaholic ways” were toxic. Son began her voyage after reading Marie Kondo’s popular book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” which taught her about “cultivating happiness as opposed to cultivating more possessions.” 

For Son, that even meant using a simple hammock as a bed, eating her meals on the floor and doing her laundry by hand. For entertainment, she has nothing more than a notebook, a few library books and an e-reader.

None of those inconveniences bother Son, though. Instead, she says she’s found a new sense of mindfulness when it comes to her priorities.

“I don’t believe everyone has to eliminate furniture in their life to find happiness or to cultivate mindfulness,” Son said. “My standard of abundance is being focused on what I really, really want.”

If you liked this story, check out In The Know’s article on the man who lives in a 100-square-foot home and grows all of his own food.

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