Minimalist is a way of life today because you will find its application in a variety of areas like architecture, interior design, art, and fashion. Minimalist interior design is a stylish trend that emanated from the art movement of the 1960s that gave birth to minimalism. The focus of the minimalist design is to break away from the overuse of design elements and focus on keeping things as much simple as possible. But keeping things simple in interior design is not at all simple. There must be a complete balance between design and functionality to render the comforts of good living.
Stay happy by doing more with less
Minimalism opens the doors to finding deeper meaning in our lives by kicking out consumer culture that blows upon our faces. Minimalism inspires us to give up the urge to continue buying things without applying our minds and instead accumulate things that matter in life. Focus on things that make you happy instead of turning your home into a warehouse that brazenly displays your wealth. Walking in the opposite direction of consumerism and materialism, minimalism shows the way to do more with little.
Applying the philosophy of minimalism to interior design will ultimately result in owning less furniture that is more sustainable and eco-friendly while creating decluttered spaces across homes. It will put an end to your desire of chasing trends and trying to catch up with the times and put brakes to your habit of buying articles mindlessly just for the sake of it. In the end, you will have only those articles that you genuinely need, thereby saving cost and time and removing the causes of stress. You will realize the importance of need-based buying of home articles and give up the habit of impulsive buying.
Minimalist design for home interior
To discover what lies under the philosophy of minimalist design, you must have a good understanding of the principles behind it. That should help to apply the concept in your home in your way because your interpretation of minimalism could be different from others. There are no set rules about how minimalist design should look. Your style could be completely different from many others, but it should follow the principles of minimalist design. What these principles are will become clear ongoing through this article.
Create a neutral base
The minimalist design embraces neutrality. You must have the walls painted with a light hue that closely resembles a blank slate which is the ideal starting point of minimalist design. Ivory coloured walls with a neutral floor covering can become the starting point in implementing the minimalist design. Wood flooring or stone tile flooring should work well and use natural materials like seagrass area rugs or sisal. The simplicity you derive from it will place you closest to the blank slate, which is the coveted choice of designers. The neutral backdrop will make it easy to detect the visual clutter. That will enable you to see the things that you precisely need and those that you can do away with.
Keep everything simple
Maintaining simplicity at every level is the spirit behind the minimalist design, and it must reflect in your choice of colours, furniture, layout, and everything that contributes to the interior design. No frills at all in minimalist design and you must keep this in mind always. Solid neutral tones and clean lines form the building blocks of the design that revolves around fusing form and function. Keep in mind that simple does not mean basic, nor does it lead to boredom. Designs can be unique while maintaining simplicity in its form, lines, colours, and patterns.
Let stand out pieces hold the center stage
Often people confuse minimalist design with a plain design which it isn’t. The beauty of the minimalist design is that it is not at all plain despite being simple. The design scheme must include at least one piece of standout furniture, décor, or art that can grab all attention because it is a pre-requisite. Despite using neutral tomes of solid colours, there is no restriction in using patterns but with restraint. However, to apply this principle, it would require some downsizing.
Create visual balance
Maintaining symmetry in design is one of the high points of minimalist design as it helps to create the balance to bring out the best. From the décor to the layout of furniture, maintain symmetry in areas of lighting and colour scheme too. Horizontal and vertical visual balance generates patterns that revolve around a centerline and radial balance radiates outwards from a central point in a circular fashion.
With the desire to have only the best of the best, you can pare down the furniture and other objects that will make the interiors look more spacious and leave enough room for breathing which forms the crux of minimalist design.