Have you ever wondered why a house is called a home or a haven? It is because it gives a secure and safe feeling and most importantly it is supposed to calm us. After a long tiring day, all you want is to enter a home that gives you peace of mind and de stress you. There are many factors that can affect our moods and emotions, one of them is our home interior. Research shows, that the state of the house can make you feel either healthy or sick. It is often said that a decluttered space equals to a decluttered mind. This is why many people nowadays opt for minimalist interior design.
What is minimalist interior design
Minimalist interior design reduces the use of many design elements including ornamentation, heavy furniture and decorative accessories. Leaving behind a crisp, clutter free, subtle décor that infuses visual calmness into a space. It emphasizes on the idea that ‘less is more’. Therefore, the focus is more on neutral tones, basic textures and light furniture to bring a toned down look. Let us look at a few tips and tricks that can help master the art of minimalist interior spaces.
Color palette
Since colours are known to have a psychological impact on humans. The minimalist approach to colours in interior design is to keep it subtle and light. Therefore, many designers opt for soft monochromatic tones as the base, with a splash of bold if required as an accent colour. Neutral tones bring in a warm earthy feel and they make a room look spacious and bright. The best colour tones to work with in minimalist spaces are white, browns, beige, cream and grey.
Materials, patterns and textures
Materials and textures have a great impact on the minimalist interior design style that is used in a space. When it comes to minimalism, patterns are rarely used. If there is ever a need for adding patterns, then it has to be something subtle and minimal. When it comes to materials, then traditional materials such as wood, stone, concrete and marble are combined with industrial materials such as steel, glass and chrome.
With lack of patterns and a neutral color palette, textures can play a vital role to add visual interest in a space or it would just look bland. Textures can be added in form of wood, stone or even natural woolen materials used in rugs or soft textile materials used in upholstery and curtains.
Clean lines and form
Symmetrical forms and simple clean lines are two of the most important aspects of minimalist interior design. Research states that a creating a ‘balance’ makes us feel happy and content. And in a minimal space, symmetrical forms help us achieve a visual balance. Form and functionality is the focus here, therefore the furniture should be straight-forward, functional with clean lines, without any decorative elements and ornamentations.
Open plan layout and lighting
The minimalist interior design approach uses very less architectural elements. Spacious and airy rooms with bare essentials is favored here. Therefore, open plan layouts that gives a feeling of vastness are widely used by designers.
Natural lighting is a necessity in minimal spaces. The amount of natural light that enters a room plays a key role in creating such airy spaces. and where artificial light is required, lighting fixtures should be simple, sleek and in geometric form minus heavy detailing.
If you want a calm, happy and a clutter-free home then follow these basic tips to create a beautiful minimalist home in no time. For extra inspiration, have a look at this minimalist project by Salanora.
