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.