I think it's important to take inspiration from diverse sources. I look to Sergio Leone movies for fashion inspiration, essays and books by Ernest Thompson Seton for lifestyle inspiration, Travis Parker for inspiration for snowboarding, Jacques Henri Lartigue for photograph inspiration, and well, hippies for hygiene. This may sounds weird considering hippies are often regarded as unclean and gross, but at the heart of their ethos is a multipurpose hygiene product called Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.

Known for their cluttered packaging and all organic and fair trade ingredients, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap boasts 18 uses ranging from shampoo to tooth paste. The multiple applications of Dr. Bronner's makes it perfect for light traveling and minimalism, both motifs that I aspire to. Instead of bringing shampoo, tooth paste, soap, shaving cream, and face wash with me wherever i go, i just bring a bottle of Dr. Bronner's.

Yesterday, I moved into my first apartment on the second floor of a Victorian house. Complete with leather wallpaper, the house was built in the teens as a single-family house and converted into a two-unit house in the late fifties. A built-in cabinet, closet and dresser furnish my 100 square foot room. I picked this room because of my recent interest in efficient spaces and simplistic minimalism. I envision the limited closet and dresser space forcing me to further thin my wardrobe and thus help reform my consumerist urges. (I strive towards minimalism however I still need to find space for my three garbage bags full of shoes).

Growing up, I shared a slightly larger room with my brother up until the age of thirteen. Everything in this room was built in, including the beds (and dressers underneath them).
Last summer I swung by the Ace Hotel in downtown Portland (Oregon). Their minimalist rooms with built-ins furnishings are awesome. During my time at Rogues Gallery, I flipped through many architecture and sailing books looking for rustic rooms for brand inspiration. My recent trip to the Wharton Esherick house over Thanksgiving reiterated affirmed much of my architectural and interior design taste. For example, I am going to put my mattress directly on the floor sans box spring or frame.

Here are some photos from the Ace Hotel in Portland Oregon and other minimalist dwelling that I hope will inspire my new room. Unfortunately, I imagine that these photos will merely expose contradictions between what I do and what I want.