A Minimalist’s Guide to Interior Home Decor

The cornerstone of minimalism is simplicity. The design trend capitalizes on stripping away what you don’t need, and what adds little value, so that you can focus on function and experience.

It’s no wonder the trend has caught on like wildfire and continues to inspire countless homeowners and interior design specialists every year.

But you don’t need the help of a professional to pull off a minimalist interior in your home. You can do it all yourself with a few basic tips.

From minimalist wall lighting to furniture that focuses on function over form, here are some top tips for creating the perfect minimalist space.

Declutter

First things first, too much movement and volume are the enemies of minimalism. You cannot create a zen, minimalist environment with too much “stuff” in the way.

Take a look at a specific room - say, your living room. Are the end tables and coffee tables covered with magazines, remotes, charging cables, and other personal effects?

Are there tons of pictureframes in the wall unit? Do you have shelves littered with books, house plants, and other personal items?

These either need to be removed from the setting or reduced in number so that the few that remain produce a greater effect on entrants. You can also take this opportunity to redistribute personal items and decor around the other rooms in your home.

As for true clutter - magazines, books, coasters, charging cords, and the like - these should be stored somewhere neatly or out of sight so that they don’t detract from the overall aesthetic.

Color Palette Makeover

While you can theoretically create a minimal haven using any color palette, cool neutrals (and to a lesser extent, warm neutrals) are strongly preferred.

Think white, slate gray, light blues, and light earth tones that lean toward off-whites. This does not only include paint but also the color of your flooring, the upholstery, your furniture and light fixtures, and of course, shades and blinds. Materials like marble, light granite, and woods like white oak, beech, bamboo and unstained maple are all right at home in most minimalist settings.

Often, you can lighten up a space and make it feel larger just by repainting the walls in one of these colors - just remember, if you redo the paint but not the window coverings, furniture, and flooring, you might create a sense of imbalance.

Prioritize Natural Light

Lighting, both for ambiance and task purposes, is central to the spirit of any setting. In the case of minimalism, you should prioritize natural light as much as possible.

The layout of your home’s interior as well as the placement and size of windows will influence your ability to do this; however, during daylight hours, you can leave southeast and southwest-facing windows and glass doors uncovered to let more natural light in.

Another trick is to see where the natural light enters a room through a window and rearrange your furniture and decor to correspond with those areas. It will make the space feel brighter (even though it won’t actually be) and it will add focal lighting.

Install Minimalist Wall Lights

Where possible, utilize minimalist wall lights instead of table and floor lamps. While there are many fine instances of minimal table and floor lamps, utilizing wall lights, like wall sconces, in addition to pendant lights, keeps the space freer and clearer of movement and “clutter” while still providing ambient lighting.

Shop our broad collection of energy-efficient, dimmable and color-controllable (where applicable) minimalist wall lights to get some ideas for inspiration.

Create a Focus on Open Areas with Simple Furniture from Appropriate Schools of Design

Sometimes, all you need to do to create a minimalist interior is remove the clutter that’s competing for your attention and rearrange the furniture.

An open-concept design lends itself naturally to minimalism because there will be so much open space, but even if you have a closed-off, traditionally quartered colonial interior you can “cheat” the impression of open space by rearranging furniture and other large objects in the room.

Keeping furniture (like seating and wall units) against the walls and in corners, and caddy-cornering tables where applicable, will leave the larger, middle portions of the room open - which won’t actually make the room bigger, but it will feel like it is.

Minimalist Decor

As a general rule, less is more with minimalist decor, though you probably didn’t need to hear that from us.

Take a look at what’s in your home currently in terms of wall art, table and shelf curios and sculpture. Consider removing some of it (re: declutter) or simply replacing it with basic, abstract pieces that naturally lend themselves to the minimalist aesthetic.

The Takeaway: Focus on Function

All in all, when you’re trying to create a less overwhelming sense of place in the name of minimalism, remember that the whole trend is about form, not function.

Space in your home is precious and should only be filled up if what you’re adding to the setting offers value and has a specific use. Ideally, whatever’s in the space should have more than one purpose. Focus on the function of furniture and fixtures, like lighting, rather than what they look like.

Once you develop this eye for scrutiny, completing a minimalist design will become like second nature.

Don’t Overwhelm Yourself

At the end of the day, it’s best to start small. Don’t overhaul your entire house. Pick one small room and start there. See how it comes out, and then apply what you learned to the other rooms in your house.

Ultimately, this should be an easy makeover because minimalism is effectively the only school of design in which there’s an emphasis on less of everything rather than more of it. Either way, put some of these tips into practice today and see what works well for you and your home.