Minimalism is hard to nail. In an industry where we’re constantly buying things to clutter our home, realising less is sometimes more is a difficult pill to swallow. Minimalism, though, is an excellent avenue for decluttering your home, leading to less cleaning, less stress and a warmer domestic atmosphere.
Scandinavia and Japanese architects and interior designers are well ahead of the curve when it comes to minimalist design, but it’s easy to borrow some of the core ideals and aspects of the philosophy. Leonardo da Vinci once said that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” and he was a pretty smart guy by all accounts.
Multi-Purpose Furniture
Minimalism means being space efficient, but how is it possible to get all of your furniture needs with so little to work with? The answer is multi-purpose furniture, as it can satisfy several needs at once. There is specially-made multi-purpose furniture, but things like stools can serve as seats and bedside tables.
Multi-purpose furniture tends to revolve around shelves put into the bottom of beds or sofas, but this can look a little cluttered for a minimalist look. Typically, you’ll ant furniture that neatly folds its shelves, storage or secondary use away.
Some minimalist homes function on so little furniture as they consistently revolve around a few different pieces. The answer to finding furniture brevity, and therefore minimalism, relies upon using a few pieces for multiple purposes.
Underfloor Heating
Let’s face it: radiators can look ugly. There’s ways to make radiators look less obstructive, but overall, for the most minimal heating options, the answer has to be underfloor heating. Underfloor heating offers adequate warming properties without taking up wall space, which can be used for hangers and other space-efficient furniture.
Underfloor heating is superior for heating wooden or marble floors which, thankfully, fits like a glove around the minimalist aesthetic. Other benefits include being able to walk barefoot around your house in winter, which is always a massive plus.
Low Platform Beds
Beds can take up a load of space, but using a platform bed can give your bedroom a minimal, Asian-inspired look. A platform bed looks really minimal and space-efficient, while offering enough room underneath for some storage.
Really low platform beds look the best for the minimalist aesthetic, though, as they’re so close to the ground. This allows you to be flexible about where you place your bed, opening up options to place it in the centre of the room. Having a low bed makes the room feel larger and less claustrophobic by making your ceilings appear higher.
Quality Over Quantity
Minimalism’s reliance on a few key pieces per room means you should invest in quality over quantity. The whole philosophy, even outside of design, focuses on this ideal: that we should have a few items of good quality as opposed to a numerous items of middling quality.
By focusing your room around a few central pieces, it can help bring out the personality in each piece. Instead of your favourite pieces of furniture being lost in everything else, put them as the centrepiece by removing the clutter.
Don’t Forget About Cups, Cutlery and Small Things!
When you strip everything back, it allows the smaller parts of your home to shine. When you dedicate to the minimalist aesthetic, everything becomes precious. Space-efficiency can stretch to your cutlery and cups, too. Things like stackable mugs can save on loads of space.
Ensure your cups, mugs and cutlery match the rest of the room; if you have a tonally consistent room, don’t ruin it with a bright pink holiday mug from Magaluf. While minimalism doesn’t leave much room for ornaments and pictures, having a few around can make a room pop, too. Plants are amazing in a minimalist room, too.
Let The Light In
Natural light is your friend when it comes to minimalism. Light source such as lamps can clutter a space, but overall, if you’ve gone for lighter, consistent tones, then natural light will let it pop best.
Plus, if you’re going to approach it from the Zen side of things, all you really need is natural light, eh?
Overall, opting for minimalism is a big step. It involves giving or throwing away a bunch of things we think we’re attached to, but in the end, it helps make your home stress-free and cleaner.
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