Need to update your home’s décor, but don’t know what to throw away and what to keep? Aiming to live a modern minimalist lifestyle?
Prepared for you are 11 minimalistic tips to guide you in decorating your modern home. These proven design principles will help you quickly give your house a contemporary feel, appropriate for 21st-century living.
1. Space
Modern homes do not make use of all the space available in a room. In fact, the idea of modernism is quite opposite, where less is more. That’s why modern homes are uncluttered – creating a feeling of openness, even in small homes. Homeowners should be placing their furniture in positions that make them conversation pieces, rather than obstructions to the flow of their living space.
2. Colour
When you’re watching a TV show or a movie, there’s a reason why upscale living spaces seen in those programs feature a lot of white. Nothing sends a more clear message of simplicity than the elegance of white interiors. If you need a splash of real colour though, then gravitate towards lighter shades of your favourite colours, while staying away from heavily saturated colours – going for a more pastel-pigmented aesthetic.
3. Lighting
For conversational groupings, include area lighting. Also, utilize task lighting for activities like reading or using your smartphone or tablet, so as to not hurt your eyesight with your screen’s full brightness against what could otherwise be poor lighting in your room.
A cozy environment can be created with properly spaced table laps that make your modern home feel warm visually. Select lighting fixtures with strong geometric shapes, while avoiding anything that can feel too busy for the minimalistic feel that you are seeking to achieve.
4. Wallcovering
Modern homes typically use paint over wood panels, and the colours used tend to be on the lighter shade to make rooms feel brighter and cheerier. There’s an endless number of shades of white introduced each year. Wallpaper, when used effectively, can also create a sense of modernism with the right design and texture.
5. Furniture
When it comes to furniture, seek out sleek, clean lines, and skip out on furniture that features ornamental touches, such as bowed legs, claw feet, and excessive carving. Remember, less is more. Modern-style furniture should flow seamlessly with the architecture of your home, creating a symbiotic feeling that is simple, yet effective in a sculptural manner.
6. Fabric
Compared to previous generations, modern textile designers now create superior fabrics that are far more durable and sustainable, with materials tending to be more understated in their patterns. Avoid busy patterns, instead opting for a minimal look that meets today’s modern eye.
7. Floor Covering
Rarely do modern homes use wall-to-wall carpeting these days, with area rugs now being the norm. They can serve as room dividers, or a fixture on the floor that centralizes a sitting area or space for activity, while exposed hardwood, tiles, or marble flooring denotes traffic lanes for movement in the home.
8. Window Treatment
Never block the flow of light from your windows. Natural lighting is a natural perk that adds to the atmosphere of your modern home’s interior design. Should the lighting at times be too bright though, then there are great window treatments that you can install, which also adds to the overall design language of your room. Curtains with matte curtain rods, faux wood blinds, wood blinds, vinyl blinds, cordless blinds, vertical blinds, cellular blinds, cellular shades, roller shades, exterior roller shades, sheer shades, cordless shades, premium wood blinds, and sheer curtains are all examples of modern, elegant window treatments you can install to filter natural lighting coming into your home – perfect for setting the mood for different settings and time of day.
9. Plants
Plants can immediately soften and humanize your living space, making it comforting and refreshing. Choose your plants carefully though, so as to not require yourself with an excessive amount of care. Better yet, ask professionals at your nearest nurses for the best hardy indoor plants that are forgiving of neglectful owners. In terms of modern design, remember that less is more, so go for plants that add to the visual interest of your room, with its shape, leaves, and textures accentuating the area, but not taking from it in an overbearing way. There needs to be a fine balance between plants, your living sculptures, and respecting the integrity of the modern architectural build of your house.
10. Art
Art has a way of shaping a room. It can be a centrepiece. For this, choose either bold prints and graphics or subtle modern-style paintings. Canvas art is a go-to when it comes to interior décor on the walls inside of a modern contemporary home, and you can create a custom Collage.com canvas print to match the aesthetic of your home. Art can be extended to practically anything though, even down to your bedspreads and shower curtains. Professional services can print enlargements of your favourite photos and art onto sheets, duvets, pillowcases, and many other household surfaces of your choice.
11. Displays
Homeowners can sometimes make the mistake of trying to fit an entire collection of items into the same room. The result can be overwhelming and tiresome, which can also trigger a sense of uneasiness, especially for guests who are not emotionally attached to the items you are displaying. Living in a modern minimalist home is all about generating peace and serenity.
Being a minimalist takes careful attention, but once you have realized its lifestyle potential and have put it into practice, down to the interior design and décor of your modern home, everything fits and clicks in a harmonious way.
