Minimalism is the process of eliminating clutter. The decorative accessories are thrown out. Only the key pieces are salvaged. Everything is stripped to the bare essentials: colours, materials, and furniture. This gives greater depth to the decor, which is, to be frank, quite refreshing.
Minimalism is at the centre of the contemporary style, but it can also be expressed through other styles, like the rustic, lounge, industrial (loft, among others) decors or the shaker design, which is probably the barest look of all.
The simplicity of minimalism resides more in the shape and number of pieces than in the style itself. Sometimes, a room is so bare that only one expression comes to mind to describe it: it is naked.
The monochrome design is one of the secrets of minimalism. Usually, the colours are neutral. More often than not, everything is white, from the ceilings to the floors, as is the furniture. If not, you will find two colours, seldom three. Oftentimes, it’s the same colour that fades out into different shades. Featured somewhere: a concrete floor painted in turquoise with a sofa of the same colour.
What is great about the monochrome design is that a touch of vibrant colour randomly placed somewhere never goes unnoticed. For example, the fruit platter on the kitchen table; the bold red cushions on the sofa; the blue carpet on the floor in the living room; the orange bedspread in the bedroom; the yellow folding screen; and, the green plant with peculiar branches in the bathroom. Oh, and the footstool has the shape of a polished pebble. Please avoid clutter.
The floor is almost bare because the furniture is reduced to a minimum. Even the furniture itself is unadorned. Low tables, often without legs. Simple tubes are used as stools and are placed along a long kitchen island. The furniture is usually made of natural materials and pairs well with the light wooden floors. Trinkets are rare and the walls are bare. What about wallpaper, you say? Let us bet that it has a neutral colour with tone-on-tone designs.
Little details increase the depth of the minimalist decor. Streamlined woodwork, flat cabinet doors, small kitchen island, no headboard or a simple wood panel for the bed head.
Unique materials are used for the floors and walls. And the same look is repeated in every room. Untreated light hardwood and concrete floors are usually the materials of choice.
How about the curtains? A simple white veil will do. The lamps are usually tubular, although the minimalist style prefers recessed lighting to promote nakedness. Embellishments are forbidden. The elimination of clutter is done with style. It is worthy of pure Japanese designs.
This style emerges from a set of often clean geometric lines. The atmosphere is soft, the air flows, and the sun blasts through the large window.
Do not believe that fantasy does not belong in a minimalist decor. On the contrary! The only key piece, like a free-standing lamp or a chandelier, for example, stands out even more since it is not dissimulated by an overwhelming decor of various colours, shapes, and materials.
The minimalist decor offers three practical benefits: it requires little maintenance, it mostly uses safe and ecological materials, such as wood for example, and it is inexpensive.
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