All homes inevitably fill up with the detritus of life and sometimes the pile up of T.V remotes, keys and wires for various gadgets can make your home look cluttered and even add to feelings of stress. Giving your home a spring clean and aiming for minimalist clean lines and clear surfaces makes for a calm, tranquil living space that you will really enjoy coming home to.
- Stripping back to the bare essentials can be achieved through clever use of multi-purpose furniture, hidden storage spaces and bright, light colors.
- Adopting a ‘less is more approach’ to interior design can also make small rooms appear more spacious.
Why not give your home a new lease of life by adopting a more minimalist approach? Here are some tips and tricks to help you adapt your space.
Use multipurpose furniture
Using multipurpose furniture makes the most of the space available and is a simple way to avoid filling your house up with unnecessary items. You can find:
- Side tables which also act as magazine racks
- Dining tables which open up into pool tables
- Nesting tables which can act as stools
- Kitchen taps which pour boiling water (meaning you can dispense with the kettle)
- Wall panels which can be pulled down and transformed into beds
Conceal modern gadgetry
In this age of technology the proliferation of gadgets means that plenty of plug sockets and wires are now essential in any home. To maintain a minimalist aesthetic, one particularly stylish feature to incorporate into your kitchen is the concealed plug socket- charging stations which pop up from a seemingly flawless granite top surface.
Limit the clutter by using disguised storage spaces
Carefully storing away the wires, remotes, televisions, DVD players and games consoles when they are not being used is a simple way to de-clutter. For a seemingly technology free zone once you’ve turned off the TV, invest in a storage cabinet which is in keeping with the decor of the room. When you want to completely ‘switch off’ simply close the doors so that it looks like a cabinet- guests will never know.
The importance of good lighting
Any rooms which don’t have large windows or aren’t south facing will need to be lit well to appear larger and more inviting. One large central light will give off harsh, unflattering light so be sure to place lamps- or spotlights for the truly minimalist- in nooks and crannies or anywhere that is left in shadow.
Use of mirrors
Placing a large mirror on a wall opposite a window is one of the simplest ways to achieve a lighter, much larger looking space. Unlike other wall decoration such a paintings, which can make a room look smaller if they are excessively large, there is no limit to how big your mirror should be. In fact, the bigger the better!
A light, bright color scheme
Dark colours can work well in smaller spaces if chosen carefully but it is easy for them to be oppressive and create the illusion of an even smaller room. To maximize your space and stick to an unfussy, minimalist decor, opt for light colours, such as whites, beiges and pastels, and accent these with pops of either vivid or dark color.
Avoid a dark floor color
One sure-fire way to highlight how small a room is would be to choose a dark floor colour. To open up the space, opt for neutral colours which won’t draw the eye to the exact size of the floor but will rather lift the eye up to the rest of the room.
Adopting a minimalist approach to your living space will give the illusion of more spacious rooms, will de-clutter your life and leave you to enjoy a tranquil and beautiful home.
About Me
Hey there! My name is Loren, I am an interior designer and home décor obsessive. I work at Sofasofa who sell sofa beds (find them here), footstools and other nice things. I love spending time at home and I like reading and painting (not at the same time!) Thanks for reading my guest post…
