The minimalism style emerged in Europe about 70 years ago and became a new turn of the design art evolution. Picturesque and idyllic motifs in design were in time replaced by practical solutions and then transformed into laconicism, simplicity and precision of forms.
From the name alone, it is probably clear how the interior of an apartment in this style should look like. Although people often get the concept of minimalism wrong, believing that having a minimum of furniture in an apartment is already minimalism. But this is not the case. And if it’s classic furniture? What if it’s a vintage carved grandma’s dresser? Just one in the room.
It doesn’t matter how much furniture you put in your room, because what defines minimalism as an interior style is the following:
– It is the predominance of function over aesthetics and decorativeness.
– It is laconicism and rigor, simplicity of forms, clarity of lines.
– It is high cost and only the best quality (after all, the simpler the object is visually, the better all the flaws are visible on it).
– There are pure colors (in minimalism, you rarely find pink or some whitewashed tones).
– Everything has its place. This means that in a minimalistic interior you will not find a random vase or unnecessary figurine on the shelf.
About comfort
Minimalism is a very vibrant direction of interior design, distinguished by a rejection of the traditional principles and a creation of clear geometric shapes via high-qality materials and a light palette. It is a style, where each item has a definite purpose and function. For example, minimalism doesn’t like curtains. Although this condition is quite difficult to fulfill, because the curtains provide comfort and the ability to isolate yourself from prying eyes. And therefore – let there be curtains. But the curtains are straight, laconic, without prints. Prints are also extremely rare in minimalism because this style loves large, plain, smooth surfaces. Perhaps the print will appear on pillows (after all, everyone wants to feel comfortable, even in a minimalist interior) or on a picture/poster. Minimalism prefers large bright canvases, preferably without frames, abstract, avant-garde, graphic. Here you will not see Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces.
About quality
Minimalism means only the best materials of the highest quality. Chipboard has no place in a minimalistic interior. There is no place for metal powder coating as a substitute for real brass. Everything is only the real and the best. Minimalism loves bright lighting. Therefore, this style is definitely not suitable for lovers of comfort and subdued light.
Minimalism is more often chosen by business people who love order, organization and clarity. In modern living quarters – houses or apartments – austerity of forms, precision and practicality are often welcomed. And minimalism as a creative direction easily meets these criteria.
In the usual sense, an apartment with a minimalistic design is distinguished by a few characteristic features:
– availability of free space in all functional areas;
– strict practicality of all the furniture;
– tactile texture of finishing materials;
– aesthetics of interior elements.
In general terms, the minimalist style is known for the vast spaces of premises without an abundance of furniture and other decorative or even functional elements. Though it does not make any sense to compare this style with abstinence – for all other things, minimalism is not an enemy to personal comfort, warmness and even charm. However, this direction is based on a perfect blend of style and balance.
Segmentation of spatial zones is one of the main features of this type of design, often – even the absence of interior partitions. Minimalism most often does not imply the “rooms” in the traditional sense; zonal finishes or different furniture items are used as dividers. Innovative designers uninstall internal partitions and replace doors with arches, expand windows. Sliding partitions, made of glass, are becoming more and more used as dividers.
About design elements
Walls: wallpaper or paint of one light color, textured plaster.
The ceiling: plain light shades, any material, no ornament.
Floor: any kind of material except stone.
Like with any design style, furniture is the key element here, the core of the ensemble. It is highly recommended to choose furniture made of natural materials with leather, chrome, glass details of the highest quality. So you would not make a mistake by visiting nyfurnitureoutlets.com to get top-class furniture for your home. The main focus in the minimalist living room is on upholstered furniture. Upholstery should be of a solid color with contrasting bright details. It is better to buy a sofa and an armchair of a rectangular or cubic shape, with rigid armrests.
Everything is done in strict geometric configurations – straight lines and angles, perpendiculars, parallels, squares, parallelepipeds – this is how the minimalist style manifests itself. All equipment is maximally mounted in furniture. Transformers are welcome. As for the decor items, all this should be present in minimal quantities: a painting, a vase or a sculpture, one thing will be enough. Any room in the style of minimalism should not look overloaded with furniture, things and decor. But let’s look at each room separately.
Living room
It is better to start the layout of the living room in the style of minimalism with the demolition of the internal partitions. Most often, to expand the room area, it is combined with a kitchen or a hallway. Only light colors are used to decorate the room, ideally white. Walls can be covered with wallpaper, Venetian plaster or liquid wallpaper. Laminate or parquet with a simple pattern will look good on the floor. In total, no more than five shades can be present in the interior – for example, beige, cyclamen, purple or peach. It is very important to focus on contrast. It can be achieved with decorative items. Choose straight lines for your furniture items.
Kitchen
A minimalist kitchen will be an excellent option for lovers of perfect order and cleanliness. For those who like to leave a mountain of dishes on the table or shelves with decorative items, this type of interior will not work. A minimalist kitchen fits very well in a studio apartment, where the dining area should not distract attention. A kitchen in this style has a maximum of open spaces and built-in appliances. Only large forms and flat surfaces remain in sight, all small objects are removed.
Bedroom
A minimalist bedroom is a maximum of space, an abundance of light and air. Everything is organized so that there are no unnecessary items in sight. A carefully thought-out hidden storage system in the form of built-in wardrobes and podiums with drawers can be installed. When you are decorating the walls, floor and ceiling, you can choose the usual minimalist color shades: white combined with beige, gray, lilac. You can remove white, and create a combination of two neutral tones (wenge-gray, brown-beige, etc.), which are used to decorate the main surfaces. The third, bright color can be introduced as an accent, they are distinguished by small interior details.
