Considered widely as one of the greatest architectural innovations of the last century, a minimalistic approach is extremely efficient in making homes look and feel better. The design language isn’t about living with less, but about doing more with less. The statutes of the minimalist house require each room to be free of clutter and everything inside to be useful and organized. While you will be getting rid of a lot of stuff should you choose to adopt the minimalist approach, you will be surprised at how much the remaining furniture and equipment stands out to increase the appeal of your home. However, the redesign project does require a fair bit of consideration, and to help you with that, here are a few important tips for creating the perfect modern minimalist home.
One at a Time
Since you are not moving into a brand new home, in which case things would be much easier, you will need to do one room at a time. Depending on the size of your house or apartment, it can take a long time and a lot of planning and work, so just start with one room and move forward to another once it’s done. Alternatively, you can choose to decorate different rooms in your house in different styles as well; they don’t all have to be minimalist.
Keep the Wires to a Minimum
We cannot live without electronics and I would certainly not recommend it! However, what we can do is we can keep the wires to a minimum by shifting to wireless electronics when possible. The SimpliSafe home security system for example is a contact-free system that hardly has any ugly wires sticking out. It looks fantastic and adds top notch security to your home. Bluetooth speakers, wireless headphones and, last but not least, better cable management are the keys to keeping things free of wire-clutter.
Quality over Quantity
While redesigning, it’s best to get rid of anything that you don’t absolutely need in that room. Once you have stripped the room down to its bare minimum, you can always add more stuff, but while doing so, concentrate on quality over quantity. You can hang just one small painting of your choice and it will still look great as long as it’s a quality piece of art.
Keep Your Surfaces Clean
None of the surfaces in the house should have any clutter on them and that includes the walls and the floors. A bunch of useless stuff accumulated in the corner of the room is the last thing you want in a minimalistic décor, and even the useful stuff should either be neatly organized or tucked away out of sight inside drawers and cupboards.
Keep Your Colors and Designs Clutter-free As Well
While a single, ornate painting or a vase is quite acceptable, loud designs on the curtains or on the walls is a big no-no. Keep the curtains and the bed sheets solid and subtle in color. The same design language also is applicable (even more so) while coloring the walls and the roof.
Contrary to what most people often mistakenly believe, redesigning a house in a minimalist way selected for your interior design doesn’t mean that you will be sacrificing on comfort or luxury. Instead, you will be creating a living space which is modern and simplistic, yet elegant, and in spite of what it may look like, doesn’t really sacrifice on any real luxuries. Besides, minimalist homes are easy to clean and they actually put less latent stress on you than you might realize. People that shift to the simpler décor often notice a change immediately and may never go back to their previous flashy, cluttered lifestyles.
All Photos from Residence in Montréal by Appareil Architecture