While minimalism certainly isn't for everyone—some people just need to be surrounded by lots of pictures, tchotchkes, colors, or other stuff—it can make for a particularly peaceful, calming atmosphere in your home. It's a decorating and interior design philosophy that promotes less stress, easier cleaning, and simplicity, and it's an essential component of mid-century modern style.
But minimalism isn't necessarily easy to pull off. In the modern world, we tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. Stuff that ends up in our home. Then, at the other end of the spectrum, you have to be careful about going too minimalist; there's always the risk of depriving your home of comfort and character if there's too little there.
So, here are some tips for creating a minimalist feel successfully in your home.
How to Incorporate Minimalism in Home Décor
- Start by getting rid of any visible clutter. Clutter is the enemy of minimalism. If something doesn't add meaning or value (functional or decorative) to your living space, relocate it to a storage area, discard it, donate it, or otherwise banish it from sight. And remember, clutter isn't just that assortment of items on the table; it's also that piles of stuff in the corner, all those miscellaneous knick-knacks on the shelf, and that untamed mess on the counter.
- Let in as much natural light as possible. Install simple, streamlined light fixtures.
- Stick to a limited color palette. In general, one light, neutral base color and one accent color used sparingly works well for a minimalist room.
- Leave significant spans of empty space on the walls and floors. Offset them with simple, spread-out focal points.
- Limit furniture to what's needed in the room. Include one basic piece of accent furniture in the room, such as an accent chair.
- Keep to clean lines, gentle curves, and flat surfaces with the furnishings and decorative items in the room.
- Vary textures to add character to the room, instead of colors, styles, or other aspects of décor. Playing with hard and soft textures brings some necessary life without being as visually aggressive as other types of variations.
- Fill a space with one large item, rather than multiple smaller items.
- Opt for smooth flooring that reflects light, such as hardwood, polished concrete, white tile, or vinyl planks.
- Put more emphasis on high-quality furniture and decorative items. They'll get more attention and be more responsible for the look and feel of the living space when there's less stuff there. Minimalism is all about quality over quantity.
