7 Minimalist Design Tips For Creating Your Dream Home

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Some Key Minimalist Design Tips For Your Space!

When it comes to minimalist design principles, there are lots of places to turn to! Here at Board and Life, we’re definitely trying to have a warm minimalist decor in our flat. We have a simply designed interior with less furniture and “stuff” than many of our friends and family.

That said, if you want to get started understanding minimalism in your life and your home, you should start by reading what is sometimes considered a classic – The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Written by Marie Kondo, this book is fundamental to anyone wanting to make big changes in their way of life. Lisa has been dying to read it as we journey down the road to our own version of minimalism!

So, whether you are just getting into minimalist interior style or looking for general minimalism ideas for the home, here are a few design tips that we have picked up along the way to get you started!

Have A Focal Point

Wood desk and grey chair in room with white floor and white wall minimalism
Focal points can come in all different designs and decors.

Visual balance is important for minimalist homes. This is where having a focal point comes in. By having a focal point, you don’t feel the need to put stuff everywhere. Instead, it is okay to have empty space (which we will talk about further down).

Since our place is quite small and the main room has many different purposes, we are still working on this specific design tip. We will get back to you with how it goes!

Choose a (Neutral) Color Palette

Bedroom with wood desk single bed and white walls minimalist tips
Grey, wood and white – a great combination.

The next tip is to choose one color palette. If you use too many colors that don’t compliment each other it can make your home feel very cluttered. That’s why it is important to keep the color palette quite small and coherent.

Lots of minimalists generally use neutral colors such as white, grey, beige, rose gold, etc. Lisa really likes those colors as well and we used quite a few light wood colors mixed with grey and white in our place. However, if you want to use brighter or bolder colors make sure to use colors that compliment each other and don’t overdo it with these colors.

There are lots of great websites where you can create color palettes such as Coolors.co.

Empty Space Is Okay

Comfy grey chair with pillow next to white wall on white wood floor
Don’t be afraid to have empty space…

Often, people feel the need to have furniture, decorations, or something in every empty corner of their home because otherwise, it feels like they’re wasting space by leaving it empty.

For minimalist design, empty space is NOT bad. In fact, it can make the area appear bigger and also a lot calmer since there aren’t too many items that are overwhelming for the eye.

As mentioned above, it’s better to have a focal point than have things everywhere. This point is also about the space feeling cluttered – which we cover below.

Use Clean Lines

Kids bedroom with wood tones plants and simple decor items
The more clean lines you have the better!

Furniture with clean lines helps to keep the room design simple- an important factor for a minimalist design. This does not mean that you cannot have extravagant pieces in your favorite room. What it does mean is that the majority of your items should have clean, crisp lines if you want to achieve a minimalist design look.

Clean lines make it easier for the eye to take in the room and helps it appear less busy. You can check out a few examples of awesome geometric decor pieces that feature clean lines.

Decorate with Arts and Plants Tastefully

Living room in natural colors with plants and white wall
Smaller plants that are easy to take care of are usually not a bad idea.

Small art pieces and plants make for great simple decoration pieces. You can never go wrong with easy to care for plants like succulents. If you combine these with wood elements, green plants make the home feel more relaxed and tranquil.

Artwork can add a little bit of personality to your home, just try to keep it simple and not overdo it otherwise it might look cluttered. We’ve got a great post on 10 plants that are hard to kill if you want to try them out!

Use Different Textiles

Grey couch with grey blanket in front of white wall with black and white pictures
Use a variety of textiles to achieve a minimalist look – but don’t over do it!

In Scandinavian design, which is what people often refer to when talking about minimalist design, it is common to use a combination of different textiles or fabrics. This is especially true for warmer textiles used in blankets, pillows and (faux) fur rugs. These types of pieces can make a minimal space feel cozier while not being overbearing.

If your color palette is very neutral or of cooler tones then a home without different soft textiles can often appear cold – that’s where textiles can make a difference.

Avoid Clutter

Wood bench with plants and shoes in front of white brick wall with photo minimalist design tips
Sometimes it’s not that easy to avoid clutter…

When you see photos of minimalist homes, do they ever look cluttered? Usually not. This gives them their elegant, clean look. Now, don’t be mistaken – this doesn’t have to mean your room is empty. Emptiness doesn’t mean de-cluttered. You can have a room full of objects and it can still seem “not cluttered”.

Now, it can be a little more difficult to achieve this look in everyday life. There is, however, a way to achieve this. What you can do is go through your home and really de-clutter it. Get rid of things that you really don’t need and use, especially old books, newspapers and small miscellaneous items. By having fewer things, the likelihood that your home looks cluttered is already smaller.

Another way to at least hide clutter is by having functional storage solutions with doors etc. where the items are not visible right away. If you want to learn more about reducing the clutter in your home (and life), check out our post on de-cluttering tips.

And there you have it – 7 of the best tips that we try to follow when it comes to achieving a minimalist decor. We are certainly no experts – but we think we are getting better as we grow and design our place.

Generally, we are getting better at de-cluttering our life and it shows in our home! What do you think? Are you toying with minimalism? Let us know what you think!

As always, Stay Curious,

-B&L

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