Medium is a stripped down and beautiful blogging platform. The editor looks elegant and clutter-free. What troubles me the most is the fact that Medium leaves little or no control for the blogger on their blog. The blogs using Medium ( like bullshitist and the ringer) are elegant-looking blogs.
I am aware of the fact that WordPress has themes that look good but its just that I've invested enough while creating a blog over at Medium. I can in no way invest more on purchasing a theme. Yes, I bought a hosting and domain already knowing that WordPress is the future but I will miss the minimalism,community and elegance.

This is what I plan to achieve: Have a blog with minimal featured images and content to the left with a sidebar to the right. Plus, something that can help the readers know that the blog is a personal curation of all the articles the author has ever written ( even on different blogs)

How do I achieve that "personal curation" touch? Please help a new wordpresser out.