Cotto D’Este Buxy collection
We love the look of minimal design! When it’s done in a thoughtful way; highlighting key elements and considering design principles—we love it even more. The challenge in minimal design is avoiding a boring or “unfinished” look. If you’re trying to achieve the minimalist look in your home, consider these tips and ideas from us.
Consider your materials:
Since your furniture and accessories will be few, the hard materials you select in your home will have opportunity to truly stand out. An interesting stone around the fireplace can become a stunning focal point, or the grain in your porcelain wood-look tile floor will have more visual impact when the other textures and colors in your home are more subdued.
Due to a vast array of colors, styles and textures, porcelain tile has a greater ability to fit into a minimalist design than any other flooring or wall surface. Conestoga Tile has a wide selection of products for this look and we are happy to help with your minimalist look.
Enduring Design Principles:
No matter your decorating style, design principles are always applicable. Knowing them, and knowing when you’re breaking them, can give your decorating voice more vitality. Here are a few to have a good grasp on:
Balance: Do you like a balanced look or not? If so, consider the visual weight of every element you include in a room. The visual weight is heavier if an item is darker—it doesn’t have to be large. Try to create balance among your items. Or, if you love an asymmetrical look, have fun disrupting the balance on purpose!
Scale: If your home is small, include smaller furnishings. If your home is large with high ceilings, include bigger furniture to match the scale of the home. Use your instincts here too. Rules can be broken, but it helps if you know you’re breaking them.
Focal Point: When you walk into a room, what is your eye drawn to first? If you have an interesting architectural detail, that would be a natural focal point. Or you can create your own focal point with art, an interesting piece of furniture, lighting or an area rug. Just remember to consider the focal point so elements are not fighting each other for attention.
What to do with Color:
Usually minimalist design includes monochromatic color schemes, or a scheme of only a couple colors with black and white. No matter what colors you choose, be sure to remember to vary the tones of what you include. Include some lights and darks of the colors you love.
For example, in the bedroom above, only three colors are used. The look is minimal, yet not boring, and not unfinished looking. They’ve included different tones of grey, texture variations with the drapes and rug, pattern in the bedding and shape variation in the furnishings. So even though the room is simple, the variations included create visual interest for a complete look.
As you’re creating your minimalist look, editing out items, and hunting for new items to highlight, we’re certain you’ll ultimately enjoy the simplicity and style of your new look.