A Guide to Minimalist Furniture
Interior design trends are constantly changing and adapting, so it can be hard to keep up.
However, one trend that is popular at the moment and shows no signs of going away is the trend of minimalist furniture. Minimalistic furniture that is then paired with a minimalist design in your home is a great way to enhance your property’s aesthetic while still remaining stylish.
While the name alone may seem self-explanatory, there’s a lot more to it than simply purging yourself of your belongings and replacing everything with basic appearing items.
Whether you think you have a good handle on the trend or have never heard of it before, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to minimalist furniture that will help you give your interior design a boost as well as provide you and your home with a range of other benefits.
What is minimalist furniture?
Before we go into detail on how you can utilise minimalist furniture, let’s properly define the term.
Minimalist furniture refers to furniture and accessories that focus on practicality and functionality. You’re not going to see any bold patterns or popping colours. Instead, there’s a greater emphasis on flat, smooth surfaces that create clean lines. In the right place, these types of furniture can still create bold, striking impacts on people, just without the need for patterns and decorations that are full of detail.
Typically, minimalist furniture goes hand in hand with a minimalist interior design. This type of design involves using the bare minimum in terms of furniture in order to create a functional, uncluttered space.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at both minimalist furniture and minimalist designs to demonstrate how they can enhance your home’s aesthetic.
The benefits of minimalist furniture
A home that incorporates minimalist furniture and a minimalist design brings with it a whole host of benefits. These can include:
Less stress
The modern world already places a lot of stress on people. So why would you want to add more? A cluttered, messy space provides a lot of visual distractions for those living in it – and it can be overwhelming. A cluttered house can result in a cluttered mind, so replacing it with furniture and accessories that remove this added irritant can be better for your stress levels.
More visually appealing
Ultimately, the entire purpose of interior design is to enhance the visual appeal of a property. And this is something minimalist furniture is excellent at. A few simple pieces of furniture in your house will make it look far superior to properties that are crammed full of stuff. This is an added benefit if you are considering selling your property, as a minimalist design is far more attractive when it comes to photographing the space.
Quicker to clean and tidy
We’ve already touched on how minimalist furniture and designs can minimise stress. Another factor to consider is how much faster these kinds of properties are to clean and tidy. Sweeping or vacuuming is far more difficult when your space is cluttered, and a minimalist design with minimalist furniture makes your household chores much simpler to navigate.
A guide to minimalist furniture
Now we’ve explained what minimalist furniture is and its benefits, let’s look at how to utilise it. Our guide below will focus on each room of the house to make it easier to understand how you can take a minimalist approach to your home.
Bedrooms
A typical minimalist bedroom is likely to feature just a bed, nightstand and dresser for your clothes. Storage is hugely important for a bedroom so beds that come with drawers are a huge plus.
No clothing, shoes or items that add any sense of clutter to the room should be visible if you’re taking a pure minimalist approach to the bedroom. If you want bedroom lamps, these should be small in size and placed neatly on the nightstands.
Living room and dining room
A key factor when organising living rooms and dining rooms in a minimalist fashion is seating. You only need enough for chairs for the number of people living in your home. Don’t worry about the size of your sofa. It’s ok for it to be large but don’t go overboard with the cushions.
Kitchen
Minimalist kitchens always look clean and tidy with no objects on the counters. Invest in good kitchen storage and put things away after they’ve been used. Utilise your cupboards to maintain a tidy look, and hide away any unsightly wires from your kitchen appliances.
Bathrooms
Lighting is a fundamental part of a minimalist design for bathrooms. It can help create the illusion of more space which will greatly enhance the room’s appearance. Large bathroom mirrors can do this, too. Other than soap, a hand towel and perhaps a tooth brush in a stand, no objects should be on show. Pack away all bath towels in cupboards.
Tips for buying minimalist furniture
If you’re considering making the plunge and taking a minimalist approach to your interior design, we’ve got a few tips on the best ways to buy your minimalistic furniture.
Before you start we’d recommend tidying away all objects you deem unnecessary. We’re not telling you to throw out your stuff, but keeping belongings away to create space is the best way to ensure your new minimalist furniture is going to fulfil its potential.
Some of the key things to consider when buying minimalist furniture include:
Quality over quantity
As the name suggests, less is more when it comes to minimalist furniture. You don’t want to overwhelm the room with stuff. However, people often mistake minimalist for cheap or basic. You don’t want furniture that is disposable, you want things that will last. This is even more important if you’re intending your minimalist approach to be a long term design trend. With this in mind, always go for quality furniture options even if you have to spend that little bit more. It’ll be worth it in the end.
Select pieces that stand out
The whole point of the minimalist furniture is that it does the talking for you. You don’t want large quantities of it cluttering a room, but one outstanding statement piece to draw the eye and offer that ‘wow factor’ is something you should certainly make a priority.
Prioritise storage
As referenced earlier, storage is vital for a minimalist design. If your home doesn’t have ample storage space, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to truly achieve a minimalist look. With this in mind, select minimalist furniture options that can also double as storage units. For instance, fitted wardrobes or beds with additional storage in place.
Maintain your personal style
Last but by no means least, minimalism doesn’t mean you have to compromise your personal style. Select pieces that you feel best represent your personality and reflect a home you want to live in. Minimalist doesn’t mean devoid of character, and it’s important you live in a place that reflects who you are.
