The Minimalist Home: Living with Less to Gain More
A minimalist home is about function and flow with a focus on simpler ways of living. The goal? With less stuff around you’re more apt to feel calm and inspired, especially now that we spend more than 90 percent of our time indoors.
Minimalism has a long and established history, and is often seen as living with less. But it’s all about perspective. Minimalist design is about essentialism—what do you most need, use, and love. When you evaluate your space, your furnishings, and your things from this perspective, the outcome is often living with less because not everything is truly essential to the life you desire. Minimalist design focuses on form and function. Key characteristics include:
- Living with less
- Emphasis on functionality
- Clean, uncluttered lines
- Nothing unnecessary or without a purpose or place
- Integration of space and light
Photo by Jess Isaac, Design by Amber Interiors The global pandemic has provided an opportunity to imagine a better way to live, within our homes and beyond. The need for spaces to both work and live creates an opportunity to reevaluate how our homes are set up. You don't have to rid yourself of the majority of your possessions to reap the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle or to bring a minimalist design approach to your space. Here’s how to get started with a minimalist mindset at home.
Consider how you use your home. The first step to maximizing function with a minimalist mindset is to consider how you use your home. Ask yourself these questions:
- Which spaces do you spend the most time in?
- Why do you spend the most time there?
- What do you like best about these spaces?
- What is your home missing?
- How could you better use your home and the spaces within it?
Minimalism isn’t just about living with less. It’s both a mindset and design approach that brings simplicity to your home and life. A minimalist home ensures your furnishings and decor serve you and your family well. This means everything from meeting everyday needs to creating joy and minimizing stress and anxiety.
Feel the light. Natural light is proven to boost our moods and you need little more than doors and windows to bring light into your favorite spaces. Creating cozy, light-filled spaces can help you get more out of your home when you can’t be outside. These spaces are more important than ever because even when the weather is beautiful, people aren’t spending enough time outdoors. To keep things minimalist, consider using window treatments only in spaces where you need privacy or to block light when you need to. Uncluttered windows offer unobstructed views to the outside and, since they frame outdoor views, can even serve as art on their own.
Windows aren’t just about letting light in, but creating an experience within the home. Well-placed windows and doors can offer the feeling of being outdoors even while you’re still inside. Marvin Skycove and the Marvin Awaken Skylight are all about harnessing light and views in new ways. Plus, their sleek designs fit perfectly with many different design styles and the minimalist home.
Clean and clutter free. There is nothing more stressful than disorganization, especially when you’re spending a lot of time inside your home. Clean, uncluttered lines help with relaxation and create space to recharge. But minimalism doesn’t have to mean modern. Instead, it’s a focus on simplicity of design. Whether mixing prints and textures or adding in bold colors, you must first decide on your primary design goal and build from there. Clean lines and uncluttered spaces provide a blank canvas for design details to shine. The result is a space that is simple, yet stunning. It’s a space you want to spend time in, a home that leaves you refreshed day in and day out.
The Modern product line is full of clean and uncluttered lines to maximize natural light and sightlines. The simplicity of modern design offers respite from the race of everyday life and large expanses of glass create connection with the outdoors, increasing overall well-being. This aesthetic can we applied to every facet of life.
This is truly a time when less is more. Whether you choose to ask if something brings you joy or you take a more practical approach, rid your home of what is broken, forgotten, and unnecessary. And prepare to revel in the extra space to think and be.
Approaching Design for a Minimalist Home
Often, design is determined based on what looks nice. But minimalism takes a different approach. Instead, the questions are about function and need. When approaching minimalist design, this is a great place to start. The simplest (and likely, most time consuming) first step is to eliminate clutter. This is a big task, but provides a clean slate to make future design decisions.
Now the fun begins. In addition to function, minimalist design places a strong emphasis on form and material selection. When selecting décor, fixtures, and furnishings, cohesion is the goal. Selections should complement and add to the overall aesthetic, without detracting from the design. Bold colors should be subtly incorporated through the use of accents, like throw pillows and art.
Windows naturally lend themselves toward minimalist design. A mix of materials, including wood, aluminum, and fiberglass, means your windows can blend seamlessly with the material selections throughout your home. Maximizing natural light is also essential for the minimalist home. Floor-to-ceiling windows and large sliding doors offer flexibility of space and function, while also connecting the inside of the home with the great outdoors. Low profile frames maximize expansive views.
Knowing what is most important to you—what brings the most joy and serves you best—will allow you to design your home in a way that is both beautiful and practical. The minimalist home is no longer a modern statement. Spaces that are clean and uncluttered have never been more in demand, because at the end of the day, home is where we spend the most time.