What Is a Minimalist Home?

Many people have an impression of a minimalist home as a mostly white, bland space with very little furniture and a not very welcoming feel. But a truly minimal home can also be comfortable and reflect something of the owner's character with carefully selected statement decorations. Minimalist living is not about removing comfort and personality from a space but about injecting a calm, stress-free atmosphere by removing all clutter and storing the majority of necessary items out of sight.

As with all styles of decorating and living, there are different levels of minimalism that work for different people but every minimal home will have some of these common elements:

Clear surfaces - the majority of visible flat surfaces will be clear of any items. There may be a few open bookcases and the kitchen surfaces may contain a few items that are impractical to store away such as the kettle and toaster, but, in general, even the most frequently used items will have an allotted storage space inside a cupboard or drawer.

Simple Furniture - rooms will only contain essential furniture and it will all be of a simple, elegant design, without any fancy decorative touches. Soft furnishings will be in neutral, or pale, muted colours and there will be no patterns in sight.

Simple Window Treatments - a minimal room may have curtains but they will be a plain feature of the room (no tie-backs, pelmets or fancy rails) but more often the windows will be unadorned or have just a simple blind for privacy.

Plain Neutral or Muted Colours - one of the ways of creating the calm atmosphere of a minimalist room is to use neutral and soft, muted colours only. This will not create a bland or cold room if combined with some textural elements in the furniture or flooring. There will be a distinct absence of any patterns however subtle.

Personal Touches - it is important for a home to reflect something of the character of the owner and no one would wish to live in a completely impersonal space so a few carefully chosen items will be on display; maybe an elegant Scandinavian vase on the window ledge or a simply framed family photo on the coffee table.

Decoration - good paintings often play an important part in the design of a minimalist space; they enable colour, texture and vibrancy to be added to a room without encroaching on the physical space. They also reflect the personality of the owner and bring character to the room to prevent it from seeming too bland.

Abundant storage space - this is the most essential element in any minimalist home, without which a minimal lifestyle would be impossible. The storage space should be abundant but also well organised with a defined space for every item that needs to be stored away.

To many of us it may seem like an impossible ideal to live in a minimalist home but it is possible to start to move towards that calmer and more serene way of living by taking one step at a time. Start by de-cluttering and creating plenty of storage cupboards and drawers. Attempt to make the easiest rooms minimal first - those that already have the least amount of furniture and clutter and discard all but the most essential pieces of furniture. Next, redecorate in neutral colours and you are already nearly there.

The act of redecorating a room will involve removing almost everything from the room so it is then simply a matter of resisting the temptation to put everything back again. Review every item again, even if you think you have already discarded everything possible there is always the opportunity to remove even more stuff. Try to ensure that all flat surfaces are completely clear and store away the essential items you have kept in their pre-allocated space in the storage cupboards. It is vital that a minimalist home has plenty of good, well-organised storage space from which items are easily accessible.

Design Styles, Minimalistic Interior Design

In this age of less equals more, minimalism, has found a growing population of admirers. While not everyone is ready to "let go" of their materialistic tendencies and embrace an ideology that promotes space and empty areas as desirable interior design elements, many do. If you're toying with the idea of simplifying your life and your interior design scheme, but aren't ready to sell the Chippendale yet, then design styles featuring minimalistic interior design elements can be added to an existing decor very sparingly (pun intended).

For instance, let's consider an average home that contains: two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, a dining area, a kitchen and maybe a den. In the "average" home that is already decorated in one of the more typical design schools, you'd have well over a hundred items of furniture inside, and usually a lot more. In a minimalist house, on the other hand, you'd have no more than twenty-five and probably less. Since the extremes between how most of us live and the minimalist ideal decor are so very far apart from one another, compromise seems a wise course of action.

In an ideal minimalist home, the living room would have a simple, flat bench, a rug and maybe a lamp. No television set, no coffee table, no chairs and no excessive materialism would be allowed in the space. In a compromised minimalist environment, however, you could winnow out some of the excess furniture and banish the clutter gathering bits. It would not, of course, be purely minimalist but it would be headed in the direction of it.

Design ideas incorporating minimalistic interior design elements can be added to existing homes and incorporated into emerging decors with ease. In fact, the biggest problem with this school of decorating is working too hard at it.

Minimalist Architecture For New Home Designs

If you are looking for modern house designs especially designed for style and functionality, then choosing Minimalist house designs and plans is right for you. It makes use of clean, geometric lines to create a sleek look. This is great for house design with limited area space. You will be able to make full use of all the space. It is simple, stylish and effective. To achieve a full minimalist effect, most houses use multiple function elements. The heater, for example, could be directly installed in the floors or walls.

Lighting is also very important when it comes to minimalist architecture. It makes use of only high quality lights, because the idea is to create a simple effect. Also, the colours black and white are very common. They are usually the basic colour of minimalist design houses. Sometimes, dark wood is also used for the floors. The roofs are usually flat, unlike regular houses. This is to further create a simple effect. It pays attention to the cleanliness of the joints of the walls as well. This is another reason why minimalist design makes use of flat roofs.

Pops of colour brighten the minimalist designed house. Bright colours like red, yellow and orange provide an interesting and aesthetically pleasing contrast to the overall design of the house. They usually take the form of vases, artworks, or simple pieces of display furniture.

If you want to know more about the latest in home design, it would be best to consult new home builders. They can design homes for you in any style you want. They can easily make use of the minimalist design. You can look at their various house designs and plans to see which one works for you. You can also look at a few house design and plan, for some inspiration. You can easily get your dream minimalist house and land package with the help of a good, reliable home builder.

Minimalist Interior Design For the Modern Home

A minimalist interior design scheme doesn't need to be stark and cold!

Modern minimalist designs are not the old, harsh decor of years ago. The new look for minimalist interior design is a softer look, more personal and easier to live with. Yes, you can have a real life, or even kids, and go for a minimalist look in your home!

It is true that you do really need to be a certain kind of person to get on well with a minimalist scheme - messy people need not apply! But seriously ... if you find it easy to stay neat and tidy, are very organised and hate clutter in any form, this is very likely a look that will work for you.

I love the look of a minimalist interior design scheme. But I have come to realise it just isn't for me! If you do struggle to keep on top of mess or clutter, if you like your knick-knacks and collections, or just enjoy being surrounded by all your favourite possessions, this probably isn't a look you can live comfortably with...

Keeping your house 'spick and span' and clutter free can be hard work, there's no two ways about it. But your reward will be worth it! A minimalist interior design scheme is a very simple, relaxing style, which will bring an air of real tranquillity to your home - but it has a great, cutting-edge, contemporary feel too!

Walls and Color

Of course, white has got to be the ultimate color for any self-respecting minimalist scheme.

But, you can opt for a softer look, by choosing warm neutrals and colors from nature. Try stone, beige, taupe, brown and even green. Your base colors should be 'pale and interesting' - but go for a splash of a bolder color for accents.

Your accents can be as little or as much as you like. Try a vase, or cushions for quite a subtle introduction to color, or a whole wall or sofa, for a bigger statement!

Only choose one color, or color group, for your accent color. Bright red is a good choice, or any other bright color. As an alternative, just choose a darker natural tone - a deep green or brown will always work well.

Furniture

Choose something simple and classy for your minimalist interior design look.

Plain, modern-looking furniture is ideal - in natural wood (especially dark wood), dark leather, white or bright colors, or chrome, glass, mirror and stainless steel.

Low level furniture will help with the modern look and minimalist feel in your room, as it is much less bulky!

Floors and Windows

Less is more with a minimalist style. Choose plain, wooden floors for a simple effect. But don't forget to add a rug, for live-ability and style.

Try to keep your window treatments simple too. Bare windows, shutters and blinds will give a very minimal look, but you might feel happier softening up the look a touch. Choose simple, neutral curtains or white floaty voiles, for an easy look.

Accessories

Naturally, accessories are not a major part of a modern minimalist look. But don't just sweep the shelves bare...! By all means clear out the clutter, and have a god sort out, but remember that your minimalist interior design look does need a few, well-chosen, carefully positioned accessories, to complete the look, and make your house into a home.

One large, very striking picture, painting or wall hanging will make a better statement than several smaller ones. Choose something you really love, and are proud to display as large as life in your home.

This picture will probably set the choice of accent color for the rest of your accessories - cushions, vases, candlesticks and lamps.

Limit yourself to only 1 or 2 accessories on each display surface. If you have special treasures you can put these into storage for a while, and display them in rotation.

Of course, managing your storage will be another big part of making a minimalist interior design scheme successful in your home, so think very carefully about what you need in your room, where you need it and how you will use it, before you invest in your storage solutions.

Maintaining a successful minimalist interior design scheme will take a little more work on your part. But the results are very satisfying - a beautiful, clean and tidy room, with a tranquil, soothing air - exactly the kind of room you want to relax into when you come home after a hard day...!

Victorian-Style Home Design Ideas

These days, most people believe that 'simple is better'. You may notice that most houses built today have minimalist style. As a result, we often find that one house is not so different from the other. If you are the type of person with quite an eccentric taste, you might not like the idea of minimalism. You will likely to expect something different, especially when you are designing your house. Instead of following the trend of using modern, minimalistic home design ideas, you probably would like to give Victorian style a try. Because of its complexity, people tend to avoid designing their house in this manner. Therefore, you can be confident that your house will be unique and one of a kind.

This unique home design idea emphasizes on the use of beautiful and sophisticated decorative pieces as well as furniture pieces. Just as the name suggests, this style is inspired by the architectural style commonly utilized during the era of Queen Victoria of England. The houses and buildings built during that period were elegant and luxurious, due to the choice of furniture and colors. The one thing that you have to keep in mind is that building a Victorian-style house might cost you a large sum of money. Even so, the result will not disappoint you. If, however, you are running on a limited budget, you can just take some important aspects of this style to decorate your house. Nowadays, there are also lots of second-hand Victorian-inspired furniture pieces that you can find with relatively cheap price and good quality.

The walls of a Victorian-style house need to be painted in bold colors. Try using dark yet lively colors such as ruby or sapphire. You can also use wallpapers with floral motifs. Choose wallpapers with smaller patterns if your house is small, so that it won't appear smaller than it really is. Opt for wood flooring and cover with luxurious carpet. For the curtains, use materials such as velvet or brocade for that Victorian look. And to decorate, you can put antique figurines, candles, flowers, or oriental dolls in a display cupboard or on a table.

Remember that Victorian style is all about uniqueness and being different. This home design idea is not just for anyone. You need to be artistic and creative when it comes to decorating your house and the house that you have always dreamed of is yours.

Wrought Iron Patio Furniture Sets For Minimalist Home Design

These days, people are now concerned with space. As much as possible, they would like to spend lesser space particularly in their home area. This is why minimalist home design has been one of the top design choices of people with the help wrought iron patio furniture sets.

The concept of minimalist came from the term minimal or minimum. In home design, people would like to remove unnecessary elements to give an effect of lightness and cleanliness in homes. And aside from Zen inspired furniture, wrought iron patio furniture sets has the ability to bring this minimalist feel on your home.

Why does this type of furniture has this capability? First of all, they are made from thin pieces of iron material. This means that this furniture will offer you mere frames. Thus, it will give the minimalist feel in your home. This type of furniture also comes in different types that will be useful on your patio area.

The first type of furniture that you will get is the seating options for your patio. There are seats where you can have your coffee and with coffee tables that can be good places where you can hangout with your guests. Since they look like frames, you will not really feel that the furniture are there in your home.

You will find different inclusions in getting wrought iron patio furniture sets like a magazine rack. Again these, magazine racks made from this material looks very simple but can still be a good item to keep your magazines at your covered patio. These frames will be good pieces of furniture to attract the attention of your guests who will visit your home.

Finally, you will find some wrought iron patio furniture sets that include garden racks. These are perfect for you if you want to have an item where you can keep your beautiful flowers in small pots like bonsais. You will find them as good display items that will make your home looking beautiful than what it used to be.

So if you are all about space and would like to apply the beauty of minimalist home design, you just need to get these wrought iron patio furniture sets for your home and get its modern and minimalist feel right on your patio. This will definitely improve the overall look of your home and make it more functional in terms of getting the space that you want.

Minimalist Home Interior

Minimalist home design, with very little and simple furniture, has impressed many people. Many a time the way we value our home, the way we furnish and decorate a home with carefully selected decoration, reflects the character of the owner. Though it looks simple, minimalist home design can also be comfortable, it is not about removing personality and comfort from your home, however, minimalist home design presents a stress-free environment by storing the majority of necessary items out of sight and removing all clutter, arranging the pieces of furniture and offer them a simplistic aspect, making them both spectacular and functional. Minimalist home interior enhances your overall home appearance without wasting so much money and space.

If you are kind of person with a minimalist sense of style, you can have a serene and organized living room, for example. You can make things a lot simpler, if you can decorate your home with minimalist viewpoint and you will feel much more comfortable and peaceful with your environment. Why minimalism has become so successful and very popular because it removes all the unnecessary elements.

In order to create a simple model, you can use technology; you can create a high quality and an innovative model on the computer. You can create a beauty design by using basic shape and combining different color and textures when drawing, so that you can create neat and clean product.

The advantages of minimalism

• More elegance and attractive. Your simple and elegant pieces of furniture are only surrounded by clear uncluttered space. Rooms will only contain essential furniture.
• Easier to clean. Since your floors are free from clutter, it is much easier to Hoover and dust. You don't have to move so many object before you can clean them.
• More stress-free life. Removing all clutter and neatly storing the majority of necessary items out of sight, in their own allotted space, will make them easy to find when needed. No more rushing time.

Minimalism is great for home with limited area space, where you can make full use of all the space; especially it is designed for functionality and style. You can consult your designer or home builder about the latest design. You can add your own concept, or maybe you can ask the opinion of your family member to add personal touch. Or you can combine the different concepts to see which one works for you.

Minimalist Home Designs

Minimalist home designs are often chosen by house owners these days to refurbish or build their properties, because their simple and seamless style makes their abode more comfortable and relaxing. Minimalist design is influenced by the Japanese art elements of clean lines and open spaces. It doesn't support elaborate features, clutter, and unnecessary items that take up space.

If you'd like to apply this principle on your own house's architecture, you have to focus on being simple and keeping things at their most natural state. You should choose a flatter roof and more open spaces. Try avoiding a roof structure that has a steep pitch. For your interior house design, if you need to have a private space, try avoiding permanent walls and use a shoji or a sliding door, instead. In this way, you can still have an open space when you don't need an enclosed area.

Flooring should go with the simple and natural theme. Wood is often the choice for this style. You can still have stone tiles, but refrain from the shiny types. Muted stone tiles in earth colors would be best.

Wood beams, walls, and countertops should be left in their barest look. If the item is of wood material, the most you should do is have it stained to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. Stone countertops should just be polished also to bring out the grains and specks of the material. Metal items should also just be polished and not painted.

Minimalist home designs should have an overall look that's spotless and effortless. When choosing paint for the walls, you can still veer away from white, though. But you have to stay with the neutral shades like beige. The strongest color you can pick is a pale shade of terra cotta. The guideline in selecting colors for this type of design is to remain creating the feel of open spaces. Colors that make an area feel enclosed should be avoided. The idea is for your home to be in harmony with nature. You can add mirror doors for a modern twist, if you wish.

Windows are also crucial in creating open spaces in minimalist house designs. Large sliding windows are ideal. If you need to use blinds, select those made of bamboo or wood or those that are of neutral color. If you prefer to use curtains, don't use ones with floral or ornate prints. Choose those with sheer materials, preferably of white, beige, sand, and other neutral hues.

These are just some ideas to help you have your own home in the minimalist look that you want. You can add in your own concepts to add personal touches. Simply keep in mind about open spaces and being one with nature and you won't go wrong.