The past year and a half have seen us spending a whole lot more time at home. Having endless hours of being cooped up in our homes the past several months, it’s no wonder that lots of us have realized a design facelift may be in order. If you’re one of those people, it may be time to try something new. When we have more furniture and whatnots than we do space, it can give us a more chaotic feeling. Creating a more calming spaces that doesn’t feel cramped or crowded may just be the order of the day. This can be accomplished by creating a more minimalist aesthetic in your home.

Woman holding cardboard donation box full with clothes. Concept of volunteering work, donation and clothes recycling. Helping poor people

What is minimalism?

If you’ve never seen minimalist design, you’ve likely heard of it. Put simply, minimalism is a form of design that has the overall aim of simplicity. If you have a minimalist home, you will find that you may have fewer belongings, resulting in less clutter and more open spaces. Items that you do have will be stored out of sight. There will be little in the home that doesn’t serve a specific function or hold some sort of sentimental value.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to minimalism is that you don’t have to go all in to embrace it. You don’t have to have completely empty rooms with bare basic furniture and no comfort or decoration. It’s a matter of simplifying.

Declutter

The first step that anyone should take on their journey towards minimalism is decluttering. We’re all guilty of holding onto belongings that we neither want nor need. This could be unwanted gifts, magazines you’ve already read, more furniture than is necessary, or too many whatnots.  Decluttering will provide you with a blank canvas to work with. It will free up space in your home and significantly reduce mess. You will have to be relatively ruthless with this process, but once it’s done, you’ll feel freer. The following steps will help you along the way.

  • Define what you actually need – You can start your decluttering process by determining what items you want to keep and what you can part with. Ask yourself – how many times have I used this item in the past 12 months? Does it have great sentimental value? If you’ve only used an item once or twice in 12 months, it’s not something that needs to be kept. If it’s something very sentimental, you can always store it away in a plastic tote with a lid along with other similar items. It will remain safely tucked away for a time when you’d like to revisit it.

 

  • Sell items of value – Don’t simply just throw away unwanted items. This is an opportunity to to make some extra money. You know what that say about “one man’s trash.” Even gently used clothing perfect for a garage sale. Use social media market places to sell everything from furniture to handbags. 

 

  • Donate – If your items aren’t of high value or you’re uncomfortable selling them; you can donate them to a church or other local charity. The items donated can be used as a tax write off; just be sure to get a receipt for the items.

Use neutral color schemes

A neutral color scheme is a signature of minimalist design. This doesn’t mean you can’t add splashes of color with accessories. A neutral pallet also means that you can change the look as often as you’d like by using colorful throw blankets and pillows. Artwork on your walls can also give a great example of your style aesthetic. Remember, you can add drama by just painting one wall a dramatic color as a feature wall. Tie the wall color to the vibrant throws and pillows throughout the room. It’s the best of both worlds

Switch curtains for blinds

Minimalistic design is about reducing unnecessary elements to create more open space and feel. To further this idea, think about replacing any big, bulky curtains with more streamline blinds. I’m not talking about your mother’s Venetian blinds. There are tons of types of roller blinds, pull down shades, and Roman blinds, that fit within the window frame itself. You can even choose natural materials to blend them into your room, such as faux wood blinds. There is virtually no intrusion into your living space with blinds. Many cut out UV rays and help keep your house cooler in the hot months by blocking the hot sun from penetrating the space.

Make use of smart storage solutions

Minimalist homes may look like must have rid themselves of all of their belongings. This is not the case. Getting rid of unnecessary items doesn’t mean you rid yourself of everything. Instead, minimalist homes simply have a variety of clever storage solutions. Consider built in wardrobes with sliding doors, underbed storage, built in bookshelves, and more. Storing items away in an organized and compact manner doesn’t just look great; it also gives you a calmer feeling knowing your things are stored away and easily accessible. You won’t be sifting through endless clutter trying to find the things you want; which drives me batty!

Even if going full-on minimalist doesn’t mesh with your style; implementing some ideas of a minimalistic approach can still make your life better. A less cluttered home is easier to keep clean and that can give you more time to spend on family, hobbies, and relaxation.

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