The Minimalist Home: Beauty in Simplicity

An uncluttered home with but a few functional furnishings is often referred to as a minimalist space. The removal of unnecessary stuff is necessitated by this theme or, more so, a way of life.

An example of minimalism is exhibited where the kitchen and dining areas contain just the essentials – a dining table (that’s free from clutter), appropriate chairs, counter stools, step stool for children, and appliances such as a coffeemaker and a microwave.

This kind of setting may be easily devoid of fun, life and character if you lose the important elements that would make it stand out. If you’re ready to take the plunge and live with just the bare essentials then, first, learn the benefits of a minimalist setting –

Minimal Stress

Did it ever occur to you that clutter is a kind of visual distraction? Anything that presents in your line of vision can potentially catch your attention so you might as well set up a clutter-free environment.

A home with minimal to zero clutter has a calming effect, thus, you would feel less stress.

Upped Appeal

Just imagine the look of a cluttered home compared to a minimalist space. The homes with just the necessary furniture and nice artwork are the ones that are more appealing. If you want to increase the value of your home – visually at the very least – then have a minimalist theme.

Easier to Maintain

Of course, it is a lot more difficult to clean up if you have more stuff. You need to vacuum and sweep and polish more often. Just imagine how much easier your life would be if you have less furniture and appliances to clean each day.

You don’t have to be an extreme minimalist. You can have a couch, loveseat, coffee table, a TV, and some lamps in a minimalist living room. There could even be less, say, a couch, a chair or two and a coffee table to complete the setup. The bedroom, on the other hand, can have a bed, dresser and a nightstand.

 Rid of Knickknacks

A minimalist home has clean surfaces to boost. Don’t expect to find stacks of books or a collection of knickknacks in such a home. What you’d be able to find are accent decorations such as a simple flower vase. Should you ever find a desk, all you’d see there is a framed family photo and nothing else. A tasteful artwork could also hang on one wall to complete the minimalist look.

Quality Is Emphasized

A minimalist home is all about having just a few good things that you use often and also love. Keep that nice table and other essential furniture pieces such as a sofa, a pair of chairs, and a small cabinet.

Conquer One Room at a Time

It would be difficult to transition from a different theme and immediately embrace minimalism. You can begin with just one room initially then move on to the next, and so forth till you are able to conquer your entire home.

Now, more often than not, the biggest contents of a room are the furniture piece so you should always begin simplifying by checking your current furniture. The fewer large pieces you own, the more potential you have of setting up a minimalist home.

Look Up

Instead of looking for more stuff that would occupy floor space, look upwards. There is plenty of space up there to accommodate additional shelves and hanging racks.

Since you’re clearing away stuff, make sure that the ones you don’t use go inside tall, narrow cabinets and drawers. A bookshelf can double as a DVD rack.

 

Tags: declutter, decluttering, decluttering advice, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, minimalism, minimalist design, minimalist elements, minimalist interior design, minimalist interiors, minimalist lifestyle, minimalist living, minimalist space, tips

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2016 at 3:40 pm and is filed under Interior Design 101, Interior Design Themes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.