…”It’s really that phrase, about transforming the quality of life, that sums up Crowell’s minimalist philosophy. It’s her staunch belief that everyone can benefit from “freedom from stuff,” whether you’re paring down your house to the bare essentials, repurposing a bedroom in an empty nest or just trying to streamline your wardrobe.

“It’s freedom,” Crowell said. “Not in the Constitution sense, but in the freedom to decide who you are and who you’re with, how you spend your time and your money, and what you invest yourself in.

“We are more than the things that we own.”