Wouldn’t it be nice if our homes were a place of relaxation and peace? But they can sometimes be anything than that. They can be full of clutter, hard to tidy and clean, and then we can get caught up in that trap of consumerism. That means we are never satisfied with what we have, no matter how good it is. But there is a way out of this cycle of stress, and its to apply some minimalist principles to your home. Read on to find out more.
Mindset
Now, before you start chucking the things out willy-nilly, you need to get your mindset right. Minimalism is a way of seeing the world that combines elegance and beauty, with direct functionality. Basically, everything must not only be simple but also have a purpose.
This can be hard to wrap your brain around to start with. As we are so bombarded with images of what we should buy every day. But minimalism isn’t just a way of decorating. It’s more like a way of seeing the world, or a habit if you will. Which means you will get better at it, as time goes on.
Property
Now that you have started to get into the minimalist mindset, the next thing that you need to consider is not what is in you home, but the home itself. While it is, of course, possible to live minimally in a wide range of priorities, of different styles and from different periods. There is no doubt that some properties are better suited to this style from the outset.
In particular modern buildings in urban areas lend themselves toward the minimal style like the ones available at this new property launch. This is because minimalist modern decor creates a sense of light and space, so is a fantastic option for city apartments.
However don’t be afraid to experiment with a modern, minimalist look in any type of property, old or new. As it can vastly enhance your lifestyle.
Minimalist decoration
To decorate your home in a minimalist style, you first of all need to consider clean lines in your interior decor. Think low, long items of furniture, unbroken worksurfaces, and minimal ornamentation. As well as geometric shapes such as squares and rectangles, which can work well in this sort of space.
You also need to think about a color scheme. Which in a traditional minimal space would be mostly bright white with some accents of darker colors like gray, teak, or black. However, you really only have to keep this color scheme in spirit, rather than to the letter. As brighter and softer tones can be juxtaposed with whites and used to great effect without losing the essence of what you are trying to create.
Bedroom
Using what we have learned above, you can now go on to tackle some of the rooms in your home. A good place to start is the bedroom. As it is arguably the most important room in the house. It is after all where you sleep and rest to be recharged for the next day.
Staying true to that fact most, if not all the furniture in the room has to have a functional purpose, and the most functional item in any bedroom is definitely the bed.
While it may be fun to have a large four poster bed, decorated in a rococo style with cherubs and gold leaf. This is exactly the sort of furniture that you should stay away from in minimal decor.
Instead, consider a what is know as floating bed. No, it’s not a waterbed! Although feel free to go for it if that is your thing! A floating bed is one that is constructed close to the ground, with a low profile in the room. So it almost seems to be floating there.
These beds are usually made from wood in a very straightforward and geometric style, without any additional ornamentation or decoration. In fact, the only hint of decoration is usually the dovetailing at the corners of the bed, where the wood fits together.
They are designed so that the mattresses seems to float inside them, rather than it being the bed that seems to hold the mattress up which creates an illusion of space.
To keep this spacious Zen feeling, you will need to ensure that you dress the bed correctly as well.
For a minimalist style bed, white, good quality, sheets, pillowcase and duvet covers are a must. But don’t feel you have to embrace a completely austere look. A bed runner and a few geometric scatter cushions in the same tones can add color and dimension to your minimalist bedroom while retaining its calm character.
Kitchen
Getting a minimalist kitchen might sound like a serious challenge, but not only will it be a calmer and more organized place in which to prepare your meals. It’s likely to be a lot more hygienic as well!
This is because it’s so easy for the kitchen, in particular, to become overrun with half open and half used up items. That removing everything to give the cupboards and surfaces a throughout clean, can be tricky.
However, by adopting a minimalist approach, you will find it easier to throw away items that you are never going to use and that are just attracting pests, or gathering greasy dust in the corners.
You can also use a very minimalist organization technique and store ingredients in glass containers, which not only look fantastic but are super practical. As they are airtight and you can see what’s inside them and how much you have left, instantly.
In terms of kitchen design, minimalism works especially well in this room, because it is easy to get fitted cupboard doors, chairs and work surfaces in plain white gray and black. They also all tend to come in pre-cut square or rectangle shapes which mean that most of the work is done for you from a design perspective.
All you really need to do is ensure that your organization is strong enough behind the closed doors of the cupboards. So that the mess doesn’t spill out and ruin the line of your kitchen, in day to day use.
Living Room
Of course, no home decor guide would be complete with dealing with the living room. This is perhaps the room that can most benefit from a minimalist approach. But is also the room that many people are most reluctant to give the minimalist treatment.
Why is this? Well in part it is because people think that living rooms should be, above all else, cozy and comfortable. But sometimes the minimalist look is seen as cold and clean.
However, this does not have to be the case. It is quite possible to introduce a warmer color alongside the blacks, white and greats, such as a mustard yellow or terra cotta. Done in the right way it means you can easily achieve a minimalist living room that is comfortable and cozy. As well as retaining that essence of Zen that is so calming.
The right way, of course, is to reduce the item of furniture you have in the room down to just the ones you need. Consider modular versions of things like sofas and shelving to help you do this. As you can then move them around to give you different permutations, depending on your needs. Most of all, though, the furniture you do include should be linear and sleek. As this will help to create the maximum amount of space and light in the room.
