You’ve heard of living a minimalist lifestyle before, I’m sure. The Japanese are able to do it and they do it fabulously! Minimalism is also becoming more popular these days as evidenced that there are even clothing lines that share this theme. What about minimalist furniture? Do you think this is something that you can try on your home or home-to-be? Here we tell you more about minimalist furniture.
What Minimalism Looks Like
A minimalist room would only contain a few essential pieces of furniture. A living room, for example, might only have a couch, another chair, a coffee table, a simple entertainment stand, a television, and a couple of lamps. It could even contain less, depending on how many people are living with you. A bedroom might have a simple bed, a dresser, and perhaps a night stand or two, and a book shelf, just like the featured image above.
Minimalism, however, does not just involve limiting the number of furniture pieces per room. In a minimalist home, flat surfaces are usually clear. There are not stacks of books, pieces of papers, and other small items displayed. The color of the furniture pieces and the minimal decor also does not differ among each other. Most of the time, they are actually solid and earthy colors that do not stress the eyes.
A home completely clear of things would be a bit boring, right? So instead of having a coffee table completely free of any objects, you could have a simple vase with a few flowers, for example. Or a clear desk might just have a family photo. An otherwise empty wall might have minimal photo frames.
Benefits
Minimalist furniture is less stressful to the eye. Because having to much clutter is a form of visual distraction, having a minimalist style will make your whole home relaxing to look at. The less clutter, the less visual stress we have and hence, your home will be more calming to stay at as well.
A minimalist home is also more appealing. This is because when we take out all the unnecessary stuff, we begin to see the raw beauty of our home. In contrast, if you have a lot of furniture pieces or clutter, it covers up these beautiful spaces.
Having minimal furniture also means easier cleaning. It’s hard to clean the whole house with having a bunch of unnecessary stuff around, right? The more furniture pieces you have, the more you have to keep clean and the more complicated it is to clean in between and under them.
Converting Minimalist Furniture
There are actually no set steps to making your home minimalist. Quality over quantity will be your guide. Instead of having a lot of stuff in your home, a minimalist would choose just a few really good things he loves and uses often. Here are some other tips:
Convert one room at a time. Focus on one room, and let that be your center of calm. Use it to inspire you to simplify the next room, and the next. If you’re moving into a new place, then we suggest careful planning of the whole home first.
The biggest things in any room are the furniture, so you should always begin simplifying a room with them. The fewer pieces, the better. Think of which furniture can be eliminated without sacrificing comfort and livability. Go for a few pieces of plain, simple furniture with solid, subdued colors.
Except for the furniture, your floors should be completely clear as well. Nothing should clutter the floor, nothing should be stacked, and nothing should be stored on the floor. Once you’ve gotten your furniture down to the bare essentials, clear everything else.
Store stuff out of sight in drawers and cabinets. Bookshelves can be used to store books or DVDs or CDs, but shouldn’t have much else except a few simple decorations. If you are clearing flat surfaces and the floor, and storing stuff in cabinets and drawers, you’ll probably want to declutter your storage areas too.
Once you’ve simplified a room, take a moment to look around and enjoy it.
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