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Build.com for Pros: Minimalist Design

Help your clients incorporate minimalist interior design into their home with these tips and organization ideas.

Yvonne Harbison
Yvonne Harbison
kitchen with compact appliance. White cabinets, modern table and chairs.

There can be a serenity and visual appeal to minimalist design. This home style minimizes items to create a clutter-free home that's both functional and fashionable. Minimalist design can be used in everything from efficient tiny homes to large estates.

Benefits of Minimalist Design

Minimalist interior design provides a clean, streamlined look that maximizes functionality in a room while utilizing the fewest items possible. This simple interior design approach offers a host of benefits, including:

  • Easier to Invest in Key Pieces: Because you're keeping furnishing to a minimum, a minimalist design approach allows you to use your budget to invest in better quality items from the start. When you purchase top-quality items,  they'll last for much longer.
  • Allows for Easy Cleaning: When you don't have a lot of decorative trinkets decorating your space it's much easier to keep the home looking clean and tidy. After a few minutes of light straightening you'll be ready to vacuum, mop, and dust. Even sanitizing countertops and surfaces is easier when you don't have a lot of decorative things to move out of the way.
  • Provides a Restful Retreat: Minimalist design has a way of making any space feeling more relaxing and tranquil. Because of this, it can be a great choice for anyone who needs a stress-free oasis.

Look for Multi-Functional Items

When it comes to minimalist design, the key is to make every major piece of furniture in the home serve as many functions as possible. Fortunately, with a growing trend toward minimalist home design, there are many products on the market designed for versatility. With a few simple interior design tips, it's easy to make the most of any room in the home.

Ottoman with concealed storage. Upholstered queen bed frame with drawers.

Look for Integrated Storage Solutions: Maintaining a clutter-free home requires thoughtful storage solutions. Look for bed frames, sectionals, and other home furnishings designed to maximize storage.

White fabric couch with pull-out bed. Fireplace and accent table.

Sofa Beds & Futons: Any living area doubles as a comfortable and inviting guest space when you select a sofa that transitions to a pull-out or fold-down bed.

Modern wood lift top coffee table with gold accents. computer, coffee cup.

Lift-Top Coffee Tables: Sofa beds aren't the only way to make a living area dual-purpose. Position a lift-top coffee table in front of the sofa. These coffee tables offer a top that lift up and out to make it a desk or table when needed. This lift-top feature often allows for integrated storage, as well.

Compact wall oven. Touchless faucet in ombre rose gold finish.

Utilize Technology: Some of the more technologically advanced items provide a more minimalist approach to design. A touchless kitchen faucet, smart thermostat, and compact appliances area all modern choices that fit in with minimalist interior design.

Keep Colors Neutral

Minimalist design is intended to be clean and serene. Make all the colors in your home soft and neutral to make it a timeless choice for your space. Light gray, white, beige, and pastel tones will help the space seem more relaxing and keep even the smallest rooms looking spacious and bright.

Bedroom with cream walls, colorful throw pillows.

 If you want to infuse a little color, do it in a small and easy-to change way. Place a vivid accent pillow or throw blanket on the sofa, style a table with a colorful vase, or opt for bright placemats in a dining room. Keep the larger, more expensive items neutral and it's easy to change up the accent colors with the season or as your tastes change.

Keep the Floor Clear

As you start to begin positioning your new furnishings and accessories, work to keep the floors clear. This will help to maximize the available walking space and make rooms appear more expansive.

Modern white wall mounted floating bathroom vanity. Wall sconce with shade.

For the larger pieces of furniture, consider floating options. A floating entertainment center or bathroom vanity keeps the floor space below clear while providing the storage you need. Instead of adding a floor lamp, hang wall sconces.

Hide the Everyday Essentials

One of the key elements of successful minimalist design is providing the best storage solutions for the everyday items in every home. Using closet organizers for belts, purses, shoes, and clothing essentials is a great way to maximize available closet space while making the items you need within easy reach.

Pull out cabinet organizer, kitchen utensils. Wardrobe tube with light.

The kitchen is the heart of the home but it has a lot of items that can make minimalism tricky to balance. Use cabinet organizers to help keep items such as pots and pans, utensils, and spices organized while taking up minimal space. Utilize space under the wall cabinets, such as hanging cup holders, or under-cabinet appliances.

Maximalist Design

If you're a bit of a collector and minimalist design doesn't appeal to you, consider turning to maximalist design instead. Maximalist design doesn't mean that you just load up the space with items that don't coordinate with one another.

Bathroom with lilli pad floral wallpaper. Gold accented furniture.

Maximalist design is an intentional approach to bringing layers of style to a space with various colors, patterns, and textures. This style can range from glamorous to bohemian in style and often incorporates an artistic quality. It's ideal for the avid traveler that likes to collect home decor items on their journeys.

Keep Your Showcase Collections

Minimalism doesn't mean that homeowners can't showcase the items they love the most. There are ways to keep valuable collections in a minimalist design. With the right home organizers in place, it's easy to make large collections look like one uniform item by keeping them arranged in a logical way.

Wood shelving unit, glass front doors. Open book shelf with bottom cabinet.

Books are a common collection. Instead of purging an expansive book collection, consider storing them in a bookshelf with closed doors for a clean look, or arranging them on an open bookshelf according to their color. 

The minimalist interior design style provides a thoughtful and controlled approach to decorating any room in the home. Even though you're using fewer items to decorate the space, this simple interior design method has a way of making the most out of the space available.

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