The Minimalists' Guide to Interior Design
As an increasingly popular choice, minimalism has been working its way into our homes and workspaces since the 1990s. Here's everything you need to know about this interior design style.
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As a popular style of interior design and even a way of living, minimalism has been the go-to choice of many people for decades. Today, a significant number of people prefer minimalism to other styles due to the characteristic clean, simple, and functional environments. This choice isn't limited to homes, either. Plenty of businesses have adopted the style and more will continue to do so.
If you're new to minimalism, it's not uncommon to mistake the design for reductionism. However, this isn't the main objective of minimalism - it's a style for a reason.
The ultimate goal is to adorn your living or workspace only with objects of a particular value or use. This aspect of minimalism makes the space functional, tidy, and aesthetically pleasing. When it comes to that last part, minimalist interior design relies on specific elements and choices to create a specific impression.
After all, if you just rid the space of all unnecessary objects, you might end up with something that looks not much more than an empty warehouse. That's where the interior design elements come in to add a sense of style.
In this article, we'll discuss the vital elements of minimalism and show you everything you need to know to create a beautiful minimalist environment.
The Key Elements of Minimalism
The minimalist design conveys a sense of spaciousness, quality, and order. Its main focus is elegant and modest beauty, which the style achieves through the use of colors, textures, shapes, and space.
The primary principle of minimalism is simplicity. The design favors simple shapes and shuns complex elements, including unnecessary objects or materials.
When it comes to colors, more neutral options like grey or beige are the preferred choice, while brighter colors should be avoided. Keeping the space more monochromatic supports the core minimalist ideas of simplicity and modesty.
Minimalist designs are always rich with open spaces filled with light, particularly from natural sources. Lighting is a crucial element of this style since it can make the difference between a cold and unappealing space and one that's inviting and warm.
However, having open space doesn't mean it must be devoid of all impractical objects. The focus certainly is on keeping only the essentials in, but ornaments can be essential in terms of beauty. That being said, any decorative accessories should be of quality and purposefully placed. The one thing that should be avoided is cluttering and overly detailed elements.
Textures and materials should be used strategically in a minimalist space. Since the primary purpose of minimalism is simplicity, all of the materials should reflect that. The strategic aspect comes in placing certain shapes and textures so that they draw attention while maintaining the calm atmosphere of the interior.
To that end, a minimalist design will make use of various materials, combining them for an interesting yet unobtrusive aesthetic impression. One dominant piece of art and furniture will serve the same purpose, accentuating the space. Since the goal of these pieces is to draw attention and break the monotony, they can feature bolder colors or textures.
Finally, the element that will bring all others together is clear lines. Even the piece of furniture that stands out visually should be in line with the surrounding design. That’s so its brighter colors can be emphasized without disrupting the overall minimalistic feel.
Now that we've gained clarity on the essential elements of minimalism, let's look at some practical tips for minimalist interior design.
Five Tips for Creating a Minimalistic Space
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1. Declutter Your Space
The key to achieving an open space is to get rid of every object that doesn't serve a purpose, be it in a practical or decorative sense.
The first step in that regard should be to take note of every object and decide whether it's necessary. Once you discard the unnecessary possessions, it would be best to see how the remaining objects fit into the space. The objective here is to leave the interior with no waste whatsoever and only keep things that are practical, visually attractive, or both.
All of this refers only to the visible objects, though. When talking about decluttering, the main focus should be on tables, shelves, and other surfaces where objects are on display. There, sticking to essentials should be paramount, but you won't need to throw away other, non-essential items.
A minimalist interior design will rely heavily on cleverly placed storage space to take less presentable possessions out of sight. For this reason, the space should abound in storage that fits in with the rest of the design seamlessly.
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2. Include Textiles
A minimalistic space should be orderly and clean. However, when designing such an interior, you should beware not to make it seem sterile or cold. Textiles can go a long way in ensuring that the minimalist setting looks lively with a sense of personality.
Use rugs, drapery, or cushions to make a room or office more comfortable and warm. The materials used can vary and include textiles like cotton or linen, although the color palette should remain consistent with the minimalist style. Of course, in line with what we've discussed earlier, these materials will have to be strategically placed so that they don't disrupt the design.
3. Make Sure Every Item Has a Place
Once you carefully select objects that will stay in, you should ensure that their placement is deliberate and purposeful.
In other words, the design should incorporate a dedicated place for every item, whether it's a piece of furniture, a decorative lamp, or your book collection. This principle presents an additional challenge in minimalistic interior design because all of the objects need to find their place while being functional and in line with the aesthetic impression.
Once you find the right place for an item, it should remain there, or else it might disrupt the overall form of the space. If you can't find a suitable place for an object, perhaps it would be best to consider replacing the item or removing it altogether.
4. Go with Accent Decor
Decorative elements are welcome in minimalist design, but they should never seem like clutter or be overwhelming. As previously mentioned, you can use a standout piece of furniture or a work of art to this end.
These accents will be visually interesting if they're emphasized by a clean, neutral background. For example, a bright and lively sofa shouldn't be surrounded by other pieces of furniture - instead, it should stand alone with a backdrop of calm colors.
You can achieve the same effect by placing color accents or attention-grabbing accessories in select locations. In a predominantly white kitchen, a red cupboard in the central spot will present an exciting detail and create an impression of more space.
Accentuating specific items will make the space more interesting and inviting. At the same time, it will bring the chosen artwork or another decorative object into focus. This style of decoration perfectly embodies the essence of the minimalist way of thinking: quality over quantity.
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5. Ensure Plenty of Light
If the space receives plenty of natural light, its walls should be dominated by expansive windows. It’d be best to leave the windows completely bare for the maximum amount of sunlight. However, if bare windows feel too obtrusive to privacy, thin bright curtains will cover the view sufficiently while allowing enough light to come through.
In spaces that must rely on artificial light, the best option is to go with warm and decorative lights. In this case, lighting can become a part of the decor, as designer lights can fulfill both aesthetic and functional purposes.
Without proper lighting, any minimalist interior design might come off as barren and lifeless. Keeping up with the theme of clarity and simpleness, a minimalistic space should be well-lit without being overly bright.
Creating the Ideal Minimalist Space
If done right, minimalism can provide every work or living space with a sense of elegance, beauty, and functionality. This style requires careful planning and attention to detail, which can make it somewhat costly. However, the results are impressive.
More than a popular design fashion, minimalism is an excellent way to transform every room or office into a serene, clean environment where people will enjoy spending their time. The style more than deserves its place as one of the most prevalent design solutions of today.
