Style & Design
How to Design a Minimalist Home That Feels Serene & Warm
Not sure if Marie Kondo is to blame for the rise in minimalist design. But, there’s something about minimalist homes and their soothing color palettes, serene bare walls, and plenty of floor space that’s appealing. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian are fans of the minimalist interior design aesthetic. After all, people left and right say goodbye to their clutter and invest in high-quality pieces that exude nothing else but calmness.
However, the biggest struggle with a minimalist home is making sure it transmits that warm and cozy feeling. Here’s our complete guide on how to design your minimalist home, including a room-by-room breakdown. Shall we?
What is Minimalist Design?
The style of minimalism is characterized by austerity and minimal decoration. Think functional furniture, geometric shapes, and minimal color choices. Minimalist design is the most basic style, looking to be calming and bringing things back to basics. Minimalist interior design is about omitting unnecessary details, focusing on more information, and embracing white space.
Elements that Make a Successful Minimalist Design
The steps to master a minimalist house decor starts with your philosophy, not your furniture. However, certain elements will help you set the style according to the rules of minimalist design. The saying “less is more” really takes a whole new meaning when designing a minimalist home.
Minimalist Design Decor Essentials
Neutral Colors: An essential feature of a minimalist design. Choose a neutral color palette, including whites, creams, and pastel colors. Most minimalist homes feature white walls all over, which happens to correspond with this years’ trends.
Textures: While you won’t be playing with patterns and colors, you can still have fun with textures. Embrace the different textures in your pieces to play with lighting and various surfaces. Pair wood with metals and faux fur with concrete, for example. You can also bring in textures with your decor, like these Cozy Handknit Round Pillows from Pottery Barn that offers a playful texture while keeping in theme with the all-white design.
Flat Surfaces: When it comes to minimalist design, forget about overly complex shapes. Instead, think of flat, sharp, and clean surfaces that reflect the light and make the room feel more spacious. These tables from West Elm embody the principles of minimalism beautifully. Bonus: It comes as a set, so you don’t have to worry about matching your decor.
Open Spaces: A vital element of this interior design style is the open floor plan. Minimalist homes have open spaces that seamlessly blend the rooms and maximize natural light.
Lighting: On that last note, natural light is critical and predominant for minimalist homes. Use lighting to make the space feel warm and cozy. Because you’ll be using mostly neutral colors, lighting can help you play with shades and tones. The Humanscale Nova White wall sconce from Crate & Barrel takes the austerity of minimalism to another level.
The Rules of Minimalist Styling a Home
While everyone’s home is different, you should absolutely infuse your house with your personal style. There are some rules that every minimalist interior should follow.
- Less Is (Definitely) More: The #1 rule of minimalist style is that less is more. Spaces are kept in their simple state, and every piece in the room is chosen with intent.
- Personalize It: To create a warm minimalist space, it needs to reflect your taste and personality. You can achieve this with the interior layout, the choice of furniture, or the decorative accessories you choose.
- Maximize Storage: While you have less to show, that doesn’t mean you don’t have clutter. Instead, a minimalist home is packed with clever storage solutions that make the room appear almost empty.
- Embrace Clean Lines: Clear tops, furniture with clean lines, and bare walls are critical for a minimalist home. Without visible clutter, there’s more space for furniture and decor to breathe.
- Invest in Quality Not Quantity: Less is more, which means you can budget for more expensive pieces that would otherwise not be in the house. Quality will enhance the pared-back aesthetic and minimalist look.
- Create a Neutra Base: Every minimalist house starts with a neutral base that creates a calm environment. The color palette can be built with similar color shades and textures. For example, a natural base using white can accept a mix of grays, tans, yellows, and beiges without overwhelming the space.
- Play With Texture: The absence of color doesn’t have to equal dull spaces. Use texture to add depth with different materials and fabrics that add warmth to the rooms.
Living Room Minimalist Design Ideas
When you’re ready to design your living room, please keep the mantra “less is more” in mind. If a piece of furniture is not functional, it’s not needed. It’s common for minimalist homes to skip rugs, accent chairs, and even end tables.
Furniture is kept to the bare minimum, so are decorative pieces and wall art. Having fewer pieces in your living room allows you to invest in key elements that will make the room pop and still feel warm and comfortable.
Floor Lamp: Skip the side table and highlight a straight floor lamp that provides accent lighting and warmth. The absolutely stunning Henry LED Wall Washer from Pottery Barn is the epitome of minimalism with its barely-there design. This one’s a statement piece we love.
Large Art Pieces: Instead of having a gallery wall or various decorative pieces, choose a large piece that makes a statement. You could go black and white with the art pieces in your space like this piece by artist Práxedes Tercero, or you could use this opportunity to introduce a splash of color into your decor.
Functional Sofa: Think about the purpose of the space. Larger sofas are great for entertaining, while loveseats are better for small spaces. The Gwyneth Boucle Loveseat from CB2 is a gorgeous piece of minimal artistry. Its seamless design and nearly white color make it the ideal addition to your living room. This sofa focuses on soft, non-obtrusive lines and texture to create the minimal sofa of your dreams.
Minimalist Dining Room Design Ideas
Ideally, your dining room area and kitchen space should be the most functional space of your house. However, these areas are often cluttered with unnecessary pieces of furniture. To keep a minimalist dining space, you have to focus on functional pieces.
A dining table, chairs, and maybe a cabinet will help you keep things to the minimum. Most minimalist homes share the dining room space with the kitchen. This means no small appliances cluttering the countertops.
Shelves: Consider ditching the concept of over-the-counter cabinets. Minimalists kitchens often have shelves that serve to showcase valuable and personal pieces. On that note, floating shelves are a minimalist’s dream come true. They are fuss-free and simple, giving your space a clean design. Try these from Pottery Barn.
Simple Dining Table: A statement piece for a minimalist home is simple, sleek, and functional. A dining table set follows simple lines and almost geometrical shapes. A minimal take on the modern farmhouse table, the Anton Solid Wood Dining Table from West Elm is one you’ll love.
Sleek Lighting: Forget about an elaborate dining room chandelier. Minimalist lighting often follows elegant and simple lines. The Clive Bronze Chandelier from Crate & Barrel brings the elegant chandelier down to its sleekest, most minimal design. Use warm, tubular bulbs to complete the look.
Bedroom Minimalist Design Ideas
Perhaps the space that needs to reflect more serenity and peace of your entire home. A minimalist bedroom is soothing, clutter-free, and a place where you can go for relaxation. While Marie Kondo isn’t the foundation of minimalism, you will need her skills to achieve a minimalist bedroom.
It’s all about having secret storage space, a monochromatic color palette, and the connection of the different elements. Minimalist bedroom ideas often combine elements like wood and concrete with plants and greenery for a warmer look and feel.
Hidden Storage: Keep your bedroom clutter-free with secret or hidden storage solutions. Turn to nightstands, footrests, and closet space to keep everything stored. The Braham Queen Upholstered Platform Bed from Wayfair is sure to suit all your needs while keeping with the theme of your decor.
Platform Bed: The most iconic piece of a minimalist bedroom is the bed. Many choose to skip the bed frame together, but having a sleep platform bed can center the room without needing to add rugs or other elements. The Salina Upholstered Platform Bed from Wayfair can do the trick! It's a low headboard that adds in interest with tufting. The simple but impactful design will be the natural focal point of any room.
Greenery: Because minimalist bedrooms can often look lifeless, one piece of greenery is necessary to bring it back to life. Add only one large plant by a corner or next to the bed for a touch of color and lightness.
Tips for Having a Minimalist Space
Now that you see that a minimalistic house isn’t about getting rid of clutter, you might still have difficulty adapting the style. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
1. Make It Personal
Think about how you live, how you move around your space, and where you spend most of the time. Use this insight to make adjustments to help you achieve a minimal style that’s personal and adapts to your lifestyle.
2. Be Inspired
Don’t just assume that a white bedroom is equal to minimalist living. Instead, look for inspiration in textures, color palettes, styles of furniture, and other details that will help you understand the overall feel of the home to give you a better starting point.
3. Take It One Room at a Time
It can be an overwhelming experience to redesign your entire house at once. Instead, start by tackling one room at a time. Decluttering each room individually will give you more time to assess what you need and what you don’t. Start with the room that you use the most and move from there.
4. Streamline Your Furniture
Furniture usually takes up more space than all the clutter we have. So, start editing your furniture pieces. Are there items that don’t serve a purpose? Do you have a credenza or a coffee table that simply gathers dust? Let go of furniture pieces that are only gathering space instead of being functional.
5. Find a Place for Everything
In a minimalist home, everything has a space and a purpose. Ask yourself whether you genuinely need an item or if it’s there to fill up some space. Remember, quality over quantity. Find a place and a purpose for everything in your house, and you’ll see how easy it’s to streamline your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you decorate a minimalist house?
A minimalist house starts with a restrained color palette, usually light colors like white or other neutrals.
What is a minimalist design style?
Minimalist interior design is similar to modern interior design. It’s characterized by using the base essentials to create a simple and uncluttered space. It uses simplicity, clean lines, and a monochromatic color palette with accents in the accessories and the different textures.
What are the principles of minimalist design?
Traditionally, the principles of minimalist design involved a muter color palette with lots of textures. The use of materials was limited to glass, canvas, pottery, cloth, and timber to play with textures. Overall, this design aesthetic is about form and function to ensure you have a functional home.
Need Help Designing a Minimalist Home?
While the concept of less is more might seem simple, it’s quite complex to achieve minimalist house decor. The core of minimalist decor doesn’t lie in having fewer things. It lies in creating the perfect synergy with what you have. If starting this project on your own feels intimidating, don’t worry, our designers are here to help. Learn about our different pricing options and start designing your minimalist home with one of our talented interior designers.Design Your Room & Visualize The 3D Renderings With Spacejoy Interior Decorator App
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