In the 1970's a major western states contractor showed up at a summer BBQ wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words: The Man Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins.

Then came the glutinous '80s. The hair was big, the shoulder pads were big, corner offices were big and credit cards came into vogue allowing people to buy anything they wanted when they wanted without having to have the cash on hand. Fast forward 45 years. The amount of stuff people have collected has grown disproportionately greater than their ability to care about any of it.

• Fifty percent of [self-storage] renters are now simply storing what won't fit in their homes. Even though the size of the average American house had almost doubled in the previous 50 years, to 2,300 square feet.
• A full 15 percent of customers told the self-storage association they were storing items that they "no longer need or want."
• Between 1970 and 2008, real disposable personal income per capita doubled, and by 2008 we were spending nearly all of it — all but 2.7 percent — each year. Meanwhile, the price of much of what we were buying plunged.

The heaps and piles of junk played a role in the latent fascination with minimalism. According to Feng shui, empty the junk drawer in your life and make room for good blessings to find their way into your life.

The minimalist residences at ELEVEN Reservoir View feature interiors of 600 square feet. The exterior living space is double that. But the sensibility of the sleek open floorplan with monochromatic earth tones and thoughtfully chosen fixtures is remarkable. See for yourself. Contact us for a showing.