I’m Devin VonderHaar, creator of The Modern Minimalist. You may know me from my about page, Instagram, Pinterest boards, or The Mindful Minute newsletter. But I want to share a little more about myself to give you a sense of who I am and why I do what I do—really.

Who am I?

A natal chart outlines your zodiac based on your birth date, time, and location. I identify strongly with my natal chart, specifically my sun, moon, and rising signs. These three facets of my personality are deeply intertwined with my work.

• Sun sign

Your sun sign determines your ego, identity, and motivations. I am a Taurus sun. This means I have grounded energy and abundant earth energy, which speaks to my practical nature.

• Rising sign

Your rising sign represents how you face the world and the energy you put into it. I am a Virgo rising. Virgos are organized and meticulous. I experience this in my need for physical structure in my home, my analytical approach to the world, and how I make things make sense in clients’ homes aesthetically and functionally.

• Moon sign

Your moon sign governs your emotions—it reflects who you are when you’re by yourself or are very comfortable. I am a Scorpio moon. Scorpio is a water sign, which means Scorpios relate to emotions, psychology, and spirituality. This is probably why I prefer to skip the small talk and ask deeper questions to get a sense of who you are. This aspect of my personality influences the deep transformations I guide my clients through. It is important to me to discover your heart and soul and see how that can be reflected in your space.

There is no amount of darkness that I am unwilling to explore with my clients to help them get to the other side of the trauma or other difficulties they may need to process. For example, death is something I sometimes explore with my clients. I have worked with a client who lost a parent just one month prior. Going through their loved one’s items together brought up complex, heavy emotions and offered my client a much-needed emotional release.

When unresolved emotions occupy a space, you can feel that energy. People often push things away physically to avoid dealing with them emotionally. But this is only a short-term solution and can lead to disordered cycles of behavior. I firmly believe that it is better to deal with those uncomfortable and difficult emotions sooner rather than later so you can live a better life now.

When we explore these deeper emotions, we often release energy that’s been bottled up. It can be helpful to process those emotions with another person in the moment, then continue the healing process on your own. My truest, most essential self thrives when I get to be that person for someone.

• Your natal chart

Check out Chani Nicholas to see your natal chart and comment on this Instagram post to share your results with me!

A Virgo rising, indeed

I was always fairly orderly, but I became more organized and minimalistic as I designed my dream life and began working with others to help them do the same.

In college, I lived with roommates and began to notice how clutter and messiness contributed to my stress level. When I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, I had a lot more stuff. As my partner Jess, our two dogs, and I prepared to move to Portland, Oregon, I started paring down little by little, and then more rapidly.

The birth of The Modern Minimalist

I came to minimalism out of necessity. When we moved to Portland in 2016, we downsized from a 3-bedroom home to a 1-bedroom apartment.

Shortly after, I discovered the magic of Marie Kondo. My first exposure to the KonMari Method™ was during a working interview for a household manager position, when the current household manager showed me the KonMari folding method. I continued learning from there, ultimately becoming master certified in the KonMari Method™.

In 2019, I became a professional home organizer in Portland and created The Modern Minimalist.

Why KonMari?

The KonMari Method™ is about more than just being tidy and orderly. It is a philosophy on the way you live your life, the intentionality you bring to your surroundings, and how that energy affects you. I care deeply about who you are as a person, what’s in your home, and helping you bring those two things into alignment. Marie Kondo tells us to keep only items that spark joy, a unique concept that lets your truest self guide you to a better life.   

My purpose

My goal is to leave clients feeling calm, aligned, and empowered.

Minimizing and home organizing can help people clarify the things that bring meaning to their lives so they can let go of non-essential items and activities that take up unnecessary space. This inevitably affects their relationships, hobbies, jobs, and other areas of their lives. Going through this process helps them make day-to-day decisions more quickly and effortlessly, gain confidence, and feel empowered. It brings them focus and clarity so they know what is best for them and spend less time weighing options and wondering if they’ve made the right choices.

In just a few hours with a client, I get to see them return to the intuition and knowing we are all in tune with when we are little. They get back to the basics and shed the excess things—both physical and emotional—that they have picked up as adults. In doing so, they rediscover what was always true to them but has gotten lost in the shuffle.

My favorite thing is seeing my clients continue to come alive and make big changes after we are done working together. This brings meaning to my own life and sparks joy and fulfillment in me.

Minimalism and design

I have a very minimalist aesthetic. For me, design and organization are seamlessly connected—I see them at the same time when looking around a home. You can intentionally use storage as part of the design of your space, combining functionality and aesthetics. This and the colors you choose, the light in your home, the type of window coverings you use, the number of plants you have, and a variety of other factors affect the energy of a space and how it feels to be in it.

Design is one of my greatest passions, and I am excited to be starting design school this fall. I can’t wait to learn more about design in a structured way and integrate it into my client work through The Modern Minimalist.

Am I a minimalist in my own home?

I am extremely minimalistic in my Portland home because I am very sensitive to mess, and clutter overwhelms me. It is obvious whether I’ve had a crazy busy week or a calmer week by how different my space looks.

I go through things quickly and declutter seasonally, or sometimes within a season. For ongoing maintenance, I declutter by space, not by category.

One area that I struggle with is getting rid of clothes when I am between sizes or moving into a different size. I recommend keeping clothes that make you feel motivated in a positive way and getting rid of clothes that make you feel bad, guilty, or shameful. If certain clothing items are unlikely to fit you again, like your favorite pair of jeans from high school, I suggest donating them. To learn more about minimizing your wardrobe and how to create a capsule wardrobe, checkout my Creating a Capsule workbook.

What I do for self-care

When you love the work you do, it can be easy to overdo it. I practice self-care by taking indoor cycling classes at BurnCycle, biking, kayaking, floating in sensory deprivation tanks, doing energy work, cupping, working with a medium, going to therapy, and getting facials.

To keep things streamlined, I set calendar reminders to schedule classes and appointments on the first day of each month. I then schedule each activity or ritual for the same day of the week or month and at the same time of day whenever possible.

What’s next for The Modern Minimalist

The Modern Minimalist is always looking to expand in ways that align with our purpose and values.

I am currently working on an online course to help you visualize, minimize, and energize your home. This course will combine the KonMari Method™ with feng shui and minimalist principles for a transformative process that you can do on your own. It will also offer resources and provide a group space for accountability and support, with an option to add on one-on-one sessions with me. This course is a great option for those on a tighter budget and who live outside the Portland metropolitan area.

I am also working on a mini-course on digital decluttering that builds on a workshop I held recently. This mini-course will help you minimize and organize your digital spaces the same way you would with physical spaces. If you are interested in learning more about how to minimize digital clutter, download my free Digital Declutter List.

Get started today

You can learn more about the services I offer here. If you would like to set up a complimentary consultation with me, simply fill out the form on this page.

I also invite you to check out The Modern Minimalist Method workbook, which teaches you how to create an intentional life through visualizing, minimizing, and energizing your space, and includes exercises and resources to guide you.