First of all, we need to define what is known as minimalist style . And it is that he minimalism ( minimism) en an artistic trend and current that refers to a maxim from the aspect of interior design , which does not is other than decorate with the least number of elements possible and basic with the goal of winning in functionality, sobriety and space.
The ornamentation (furniture, pictures... etc) is in second visual plan and architectural elements are the protagonists of the decoration minimalist .
This trend is based precisely on that concept. In it fact of taking advantage of all the space in the room and, to Therefore, it cannot be saturated with an excess of elements such as tables, furniture or chairs. There is only room for what I know considered as strictly necessary and basic.
This movement originated in the United States in the decade of the 60s. However, its great boom would come later, in the 70s when he began to merge with what is known as pop art and arrives in Europe from the hand of the main artists of the moment.
Although in the house architecture article minimalists we already saw some examples, now it's our turn see decoration tips and ideas to improve the style.
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Within this style it can be said that there are three pillars fundamentals on which everything will be based. That is to say… How to decorate in a minimalist style?
But at the same time, it is not only about “interior design or pure decoration", is also a philosophy of understanding life in the home unlike other styles of decoration that are they practice in the interior design of homes.
Since the TED talks, with Graham Hill, we shows that living with fewer objects, I could still have some benefits and among them, increase happiness.
1.- Before beginning to decorate, a habitual practice of architecture professionals is first to review of self-knowledge, asking three key points:
Before starting to design the interior of the housing with minimalism . It is very convenient to do a small sketch or diagram of the rooms (If possible with measures) and go looking and adding what really we will need, first the main thing and its disposition (Example; type of floor, bathroom furniture or the sofa in the dining room), and later the less essential elements.
2.- There is a misconception that everything we buy It is usually cheaper than custom made. In Actually, it's not always this way, so before you to start buying minimalist furniture or objects like crazy, ask and a lot, possibly we save some how many euros, whatever the final option we take.
3.- In the event that it is intended to decorate a house , a good idea would be to start from the living room and go out to the rest of the rooms (See article on tips on how to decorate dining rooms). It must be taken into account that the living room is the place where you spend the most time and, therefore, it is about the What more attention should be paid.
4.- In any room, care must be taken for all media eliminate those elements that only serve as ornamentation. Space is vital and must be gained in each corner of it. Sobriety, order and highlight the architectural details are the key tips of a good interior design in the trend of less is more .
5.- In modern minimalist kitchens It must prioritize and merge aesthetics with functionality. Spaces clean of objects, wide, with light colors preferably white and its shades in furniture and cabinets, and no ornamentation. We also advise the following articles:
Good advice for kitchens, in the case of stools or of the chairs in the kitchen it is better to use raw materials in front of the view, such as wood or steel and if possible. without endorsements. They are actually tips that optimize space increasing functionality and purpose, which is cooking.
6.- If we are looking for a minimalist bathroom , we ideal is to have smooth walls without tiles or tiles this way we will avoid distorting the perfection of the facing, in If we cannot, we must use large tiles that joints decrease.
In the case of the floor, avoid using coverings that have together to have a sense of continuity at the same style than the walls although if wood is used – parquet is perfect for the feeling of warmth in bathrooms.
In the minimalist styles the light colors in furniture and materials should be noble, wood, steel or even glass if we talk about the smaller objects such as soap holders or towel holders and always furniture with straight lines.
7.- As for the colors, the minimalist style use monochromatic colors in the interior design of home s, that is, tones that do not differ much from each other.
Otherwise, you may fall into the error of creating a space with many contrasts and therefore very strident, which also would do nothing but give the sensation of being before a very small space and outside the style of color in the minimalist trend .
Where can you see color palettes that combine well?… Well Adobe has a website especially for that where it is also They combine a thousand and one colors, from HERE. You can create palettes, explore the most voted or save them to your account.
8.- To decorate small rooms with colors you have to take a point into account, if the ceilings are low should be painted in light colors, preferably the white, so we will give a feeling of spaciousness in the room.
9.- To decorate the rooms large with high ceilings we must give a more visual coherent to the space so as a trick we will paint the ceiling with two shades darker than the walls. A visual effect that favors the stay perfectly! and how very well explained in the article on tricks for painting walls is a good solution.
10.- How technology is providing us with tools to improve our technical solutions in the color that We can use it in the living room, kitchen, bathroom or the other rooms of the house. We recommend an Itunes APP application Apple named ColorSnap.
Photograph a space and get the colors that appear in the picture, simple as that! You can find the colors that suit you the most. like them if you have seen a space that you really like.
10.- Regarding the furniture in the decoration minimalist contribution should be encouraged furniture with a straight line design, with basic plans and without ornamentation, and with perfectionist and detailed finishes on the basis of simplicity but usefulness to the once .
The materials of the furniture minimalist ; It is recommended that they be made of steel or wood (noble materials) since they convey a sensation of really interesting sobriety. The surfaces of the same They must be smooth and with straight and geometric lines, as has been commented, is that the sensation of space is the predominant.
Leonardo da Vinci already said that… “Simplicity is the maximum sophistication” . And you have to admit that there are pieces of furniture that following the line and after 80 years of their arrival, they have not lost an iota of topicality. A perfect example is the Barcelona chair by the hand of the architect Mies van der Rohe.
12.- Furniture should be used preferably low rise with tones that can be raw or clear . One tip is to use furniture rectangular if the room is small, the perspective of length and width, if the room is long, we must use rather square furniture in this way we will achieve reduce the sensation of depth.
13.- A touch of glass in the room can come in handy since it provides that subtlety of transparency and can be taken with a common thread that connects all the elements of the rooms.
14.- Emphasis must be placed on the fabrics used to upholster a sofa or cushions, a set of chairs or the used in curtains. In this case the fabrics have to have colors of the same style than the rest of the group to provoke a minimalism as a whole . One has to enhance the feeling of tranquility and relaxation, therefore that prints should also be avoided. Actually if I know you can do without curtains, better than better!
We have an extensive article on textiles in the home with many ideas.
15.- As a final note, it must be said that today they are many specialized stores where you can find elements of this style. They are not elements especially expensive, so if we add this fact to that of not having hardly any furniture, one could say without fear of being wrong that we are facing a really economical, modern and avant-garde at the same time.
