How to use Minimalism in your Interior Design

In our environmentally challenging times, the ideas of eco living and “Less is More” are becoming increasingly popular.  Gone are the days of fussy nooks and crannies filled with ornaments and fine lace doilies.  Modern design involves bright open spaces with simple elegant furniture.  But how do we have a minimalist house without losing coziness and a sense of home?

Love It or Let It Go

Surely we all want a home to which we look forward to returning after a long day.  But there’s no “relaxing and putting your feet up” if you feel like you’re drowning under piles of paper, overflowing cupboards and miles and miles of kids’ toys.  The first step to minimalism is the purge.  Decluttering your home can seem like an insurmountable feat but doing one small area at time is the answer.  There are endless resources on the web to inspire decluttering.  Have a look at Sloely.com or Organisemyhouse.com to get started.

Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful – William Morris

The next step towards a minimalist home is to only buy items that you either really need (really, really need!) or really love.  There’s no more “I might use that sometime” or “that might look nice in the corner next to the window”.  Nope.  You love it, need it for survival, or it stays on the shelf.  The benefit to this way of thinking is that you are choosing quality over quantity.  Buy high quality pieces that you really love rather than lots of items that might end up in the cupboard or worse, as land fill.

Enjoy your space

Keep plenty of space around your furniture and on your walls.  Not emptiness which might leave the room a little cold and unwelcoming but space to allow flow and movement through the room.  Space around art pieces to allow each one to be appreciated in its own right.  Space around windows to allow light to burst in, not squeeze through heavy curtains or blinds.  Space is achieved easily when clutter is eliminated so make sure to invest in clever, stylish storage options.

Stay Neutral

Neutral colours and natural materials help keep the sense of space in the room as they complement each other rather than competing for your eye.  They also give you the feeling of being closer to nature…who doesn’t want that?  Choose colours such as white, black, grey, beige, cream, taupe, rust and red-browns, grey-blues.  Complement these with natural materials like wood, concrete and stone, and fabrics from natural fibres like linen and hemp.  A mix of textures in your soft furnishings and on your walls and windows keep the space more interesting and also more cozy.

Simple, not Perfect

Perhaps the most important lesson from minimalism is to keep things simple and natural.  Your room doesn’t have to be perfectly laid out with nothing out of place and every part matching.  In its essence, minimalism is about scaling back your life and the places in which you live.  Its about having time to breathe and taking things slowly.  Finding peace and quiet is not something many of us do anymore.  Minimalism is about appreciating the simpler things.  If you’re stressing out about how your minimalist room looks and you’re spending hours searching shops for exactly the right piece of furniture, then you might be missing the point.  Go easy on yourself.  Enjoy it.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Simplicity is the essence of happiness – Cedric Bledsoe

Click any of the links above to find out more about the inspiring minimalist rooms.  For minimalist art prints, click HERE to shop our latest collection (including the gorgeous poodle above!)