One of the best ways to find peace and calm within yourself is to lean toward a more minimalist living space. When you successfully declutter the excess around you, it is easier to find solace, rejuvenation, and breathing room. But at the same time, it can be hard to find the balance between less stuff and bare rooms that are boring.
Here are some tips and tricks for home decor that work well in a minimalist home:
1. Declutter and organize
First and foremost step to take when it comes to minimalist decor is to start decluttering. One of the main goals of minimalist home decor is to create the sense of expansive space in which you can move about and breathe more effortlessly. This often means cutting down on the unnecessary stuff that you keep in your home. Start decluttering and organizing more. Try placing each piece in their “proper minimalistic place” in order to at least create the illusion of space.
2. Use a warm, but simple color scheme
A lot of minimalists have a tendency to go the way of using white, white, and more white! For some, this works, but white can also leave a stark feeling to a room. By incorporating a small palette of neutral or pastel colors into your decorating theme, you can soften the atmosphere greatly. Avoid bright or jarring colors or deep, dark colors that feel oppressive.
3. Integrate natural materials
A simple vase with some fresh cut flowers on the windowsill, a beautiful piece of driftwood on the mantle, or a tall basket with cattails or peacock feathers in a bare corner can beautify a simple room without overwhelming it. It doesn’t take much to brighten an area when what you use is an extension of nature.
4. Lighting is key
Learn the ins and outs of your home, especially where the light comes in and from which openings. Learn to use that knowledge to highlight the select pieces in and around the home while also allowing the light to highlight the spaces in between each piece. Brighten up your room with wall lamps, candles and thin linen window treatments to really let the light in. Generally when it comes to the interior of a minimalist home, the more light the better.
5. Break out the books
After you’ve downsized your book collection, display the few favorites you have left. Whether they are beautiful old copies that can be displayed on a shelf in an interesting arrangement, or they represent you well and give some personality to your end tables, carefully chosen books make fun decor that is also inviting to look at.
6. Incorporate useful items into your decor
Make your stuff do double duty. Avoid useless objects that sit and collect dust. Display the pretty pitcher or handmade towels that you use in the kitchen. Not only will they be in easy reach, but they will brighten your space with items that you use and love. Simple things like clocks and fans can also be used to beautify the room while also filling a need.
7. Make your home decor speak of you
Do you have a hobby you enjoy? Hang your guitar nearby, keep your yarn out in a pretty basket, designate a permanent spot for your chess board, or display your well-loved fishing rod. These items don’t need to be seen as clutter. If you use them regularly, than you can keep them handy instead of storing them behind closed doors. Plus you have the bonus of making your area feel special.
8. Hang family photos and inspirational quotes
Personalize your home with a few well-placed pictures and sayings that make you smile and remind you of the love and beauty that you have in your life. These reminders may be all you need to make your house feel like a home. It’s important to emphasize that a minimalist home doesn’t have to be a sterile and empty place.
9. Know the limits
Decor can be tricky business…how do you know what is enough without being too much? When you utilize the Rule of 3, you limit yourself to a pleasing number of items in an arrangement, or colors within a room. This also works with pops of color within a room. There is something about odd numbers that our brains like, and the number three is great because it’s also not overwhelming.
10. Ask yourself “Does this make me happy?”
No matter what you’ve been told about decor, this is the most important question to answer when deciding what to do with your space. All other advice pales in comparison. If you don’t like the look of any certain thing “decor” wise, than it has no purpose being there. It is better to have nothing than to put something up that doesn’t resonate with you. If you love the look and feel of a room, you will want to be in it, and THAT is the whole point of decorating to begin with.
11. Don’t overdo it!
If you are new to the minimalist lifestyle, it is easy to try to fill your empty spaces. But remember that empty space is JUST as important in home decor as all the “things” that you put. So whatever you do, guard against the temptation to cover your walls or shelves with stuff. This is a perfect example of “a little dab will do you!”
Conclusion
There are many benefits to living a more minimalist life, both from a lifestyle perspective and from an environmental and societal perspective. The consumerism in the western world is not sustainable, most of us know this, yet few of us take the necessary steps, however small, in the right direction. These steps which inevitably entail a more minimalist approach to everyday living, home, work and beyond.
Hopefully these tips have inspired you to live more simply and create a home that speaks to you, while creating a calming and inviting atmosphere!
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