36 ideas for a minimalist style that only people with taste can love

andrewjburing andrewjburing
venticinque, 23bassi studio di architettura 23bassi studio di architettura Minimalist living room
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As any expert knows, the minimalist style is amazing thanks to its ability to create precisely the kind of environment you need, while only using the the necessary elements. As such, this style ends up being a lot of careful decoration, that combines aesthetics with functionality. As we all know, in minimalism, less is more.

However, that being said, the real question arises, and that is: How can you get a minimalist interior? These kinds of homes can be a safe haven for the mind, and a paradise away from the chaos and confusion of the outside world. Therefore, the first rule, when it comes to creating a home in this style, is to keep that sense of order. This is best done through organisation, and making sure that everything has a role and place in the house. Another great step towards a minimalist home is natural lighting. As you'll be working with white a lot, a healthy does of light will do no harm.

If you found some of these tips interesting, and would like to see more, then the article below has 36 more great ideas on how to achieve that perfect minimalist home.

1. The synthesis kitchen

_c a s a |A S_, RO|a_ RO|a_ Minimalist kitchen

Minimalism can work pretty much everywhere, even in the kitchen. And while there are different paths of minimalism, shown here by both the white section and the light wood, the perfect place always manages to strike a balance, and get the best out of both worlds. Never be afraid to mix, even with a style like this. You'll always know if it fits.

2. The perfect minimum life

Not a single thing out of place, or unnecessarily added, this living room goes to show the power of minimalism. It manages to follow the rules of minimalism, even with so many things. This is because each item has a purpose. Without one, it would have to go. If you're looking for a relaxed and orderly lifestyle, this is the perfect place to go. Always make sure to shape the room refelcts what you want, even if it means getting rid of stuff.

3. Impressive stairs

When working with minimalism on this scale, you'll have to make sure that everything is up to task. This includes even the staircase. Don't let yourself end up with second best, and instead go full on, drawing from different sources of inspiration until you get something as amazing as this floating staircase. When dedicating to a style, be ready to make some crazy choices.

4. Hidden kitchen

The trick with minimalism is choosing what to reveal, and what not to. Luckily for this kitchen, the architect saw fit to give you all of that power, building enough cabinets and storage areas to store all that needed to be hidden away. Make sure to always put your best foot forward, and make the immpression that you want.

5. Divide zones

Another great way of maintaining different areas in a minimalist home, is placing a useful barrier in-between the two spaces. By useful barriers, we of course mean shelves. While building walls may take away too much, a small shelf, like the one above, will provide extra storage space and cut off a room neatly. If an item only has a single purpose, chances are you can find it at least one more.

6. Minimal contrast

The minimalist style can get a bit boring sometimes, mainly due to the fact that it's always so white. A handy way of avoiding that is by introducing different shades of white and grey. This way, you can maintain the palette while still offering some variety. When trying to have an interesting style, sometimes you'll have to go slightly outside the box.

7. Smart division

When limited on space, sometimes you're going to have to make sacrifices when it comes to room spacing. As such, you'll have to hide the fact that two separate rooms are actually one. However, as the image above shows, this can be easliy done when planned right. Placing a shelf in just the right place, and making sure that the bed doesn't poke out from the sides, this living room has managed to sneak a bedroom in it.

8. The timeless bathroom

A lot of styles often go out of fashion, prompting the owners to quickly scramble to find some way of salvaging the whole thing. Luckily, this is not the case for minimalist bathrooms, which manage to escape this issue, by using very little to make a lot. By being minimalist, the bathroom reduces the chances of things seeming old, thus escaping the curse of time.

9. An L-shaped kitchen

A smart work space is just as important for a minimalist home, as not having a lot of clutter. Not only does an L-shaped kitchen allow for even more work space, while only slightly intruding into the other rooms, but it also saves you from a lot of walking, letting you remain in a small corner, and getting as much work space, as you would if you were walking up and down. Minimalism always manages to open up new ways of working smart.

10. White walls and a marble floor

If you're looking to spice things up a bit, a marble floor is the way to go. Not only does it give the whole area a new colour to work with, and thus a new energy, but it also gives the room a more regal feel. Nothing will make you feel more important than walking on a marble floor every morning.

11. Open minimalist space

As we've mentioned before, clutter can be a problem when it comes to whatever type of home you have. However, it goes doubly for minimalist homes. Therefore, at any given chance, try to cut down on all the things you own, going down to the bare minimum. A happy minimalist home is a clean one, so become an active part of your home, and give it a regular cleaning.

12. Wooden living room

One of the ways of making a minimalist home interesting is by switching up the colour, as seen here by the black accents. However, there is a far more interesting way, and that is changing up the material. This way, you can maintain the same shade a colour, while potentially getting a different feel and added depth to the room. Never be afraid of going outside of the set rules, and trying something different.

13. Large mirrors

Minimalism is popular with smaller homes, mainly cause it saves up on space, and make any area seem bigger. Another great of expanding rooms is via mirrors. Suddenly, you'll feel like the usable space has doubled and if you've go the mirror near a light source, that very same sunlight will travel further, reaching those hard to get places. Even if you don't have a small home, mirror are great, as they give you a new appriciation for the space you live in.

14. Loft in minimalist

Don't think that minimalism has to be used only in large spaces like houses. In fact, thanks to the fact that it saves on space, minimalism is perfect for small areas, massively expanding your usable space leading to great things in small places. So whenever possible, try to save on space by fully commuting to the minimalist style, and enjoy the space of house in a smaller loft.

15. Small kitchen and balcony combo

No matter their size, balconies are super important. They allow you to expand outside the four walls of your house, while still keeping the relaxation and cosiness of your own home. A minimalist style is perfect for such places, primarily because you'll want all that space to relax. 

As an entrance to the balcony, the kitchen is smaller in order to accommodate the balcony. However, if you were looking at the picture, you wouldn't think the kitchen small. This is thanks to the minimalist style, on full display here, you are given as much space as you need to have a relaxing.

16. Lighting up

While minimalism is often portrayed using crisp white, grey, and black shades, there is no reason why you can't brighten up the room with some colours. The type of yellow used in the living room, is the perfect example of the shade that you should use, something that is bright, but not overly pastel, so that it doesn't clash with the rest of the tone of the home. Just because something is minimalist doesn't mean that it has to be monotone, and you can definitely express cheery colours, like yellow, in this style.

17. Straight lines

A useful trick that can enhance your minimalist style are geometrical shapes. In the bathroom above, we can see one such shape, the straight, vertical rectangle. This adds an extra layer of order to your home, even if you may not be aware of it at first. The best ideas often go unseen, invisible, yet ever-present and helping make your day slightly better. Try to have as many of these hidden tricks as possible, and you'll see your mood improve greatly.

18. An open space

Bedrooms are often in smaller, self-contained areas, mainly due to the fact that you want to feel a sense of security. This is reasonable, as the bedroom is meant to be a space of protection, where you can let your guard down and be at your most vulnerable. However, an argument can be made for having an open bedroom. It removes the confining feeling of having a smaller one, and lets your mind travel to further places in your expanded safe zone. Some conventions are meant to be broken, so try something new and see if it works for you.

19. Shower in tempered glass

Glass is minimalism's best friend. It is ever present and can be used for many things, among them barriers. But it is also invisible, unless you look really closely, thus saving you a lot of space. As such, it goes without saying that most minimalist bathrooms should have glass showers. They don't disrupt the style, letting the wood panels run wild, while still protecting the rest of the room from all that water. No matter if you need a barrier or just something to plug a hole, glass will no doubt be your best friend in that regard.

20. A solution for the studio

Just like with the loft, minimalism once again proves to be perfect for small spaces. Packing a whole house worth of stuff into a single room, the minimalist style open this whole place up, giving you new dimensions to work with. What's more, it proves to be even more efficient, as it combines a bed, a staircase, and a cabinet all into one bloc. Don't underestimate the power of a smart style, and try out minimalism for your small areas.

21. Minimal yet large cooking

While we've been praising minimalism for just how amazing it is when it comes to small spaces, we mustn't forget just how good it looks in large spaces. With so much room at your disposal, you can easliy fit the whole family, grandparents and all, and still have space to move around. Big or small, minimalism is there to give you as much space as possible.

22. Nearly all white

Having touched on colour before, we didn't mention properly the power that white can have on other colours. As everything disappears into the background, all that has a different colour instantly springs to the the front, making it's presence known, and prominently so. If you need something to stick out, placing it in a white environment will definitely draw eyes.

23. Bathroom in beige and brown

Speaking of colour, another useful shade that mixes well with white is beige. While potentially not as prominent as grey and black, the shades that usually accompany minimalist white, beige actually does a really good job. It manages to stand out, while also matching the light tone of the white. If you're looking for two complimentary colours, you can't go wrong with white and beige.

24. Linear kitchen

Sometimes, it's good to have your cards laid out on the table for you, and nowhere is this more apparent then with this kitchen. The architects planned it out as such, that everything is presented in a linear line, thus letting you split up the cooking process by giving each section a specific role in the preparation of the meal. Sometimes, having things laid out for you like this are just the way to go.

25. The tub

While showers are great, a lovely soak in a bath is everything you need to relax your nerves after a stressful day at work. This tub is great, as it comes with it's own little area, where you can place various items so that all your soaps and shampoos. What's more, it perfectly fits the minimalist style as it only really uses two colour, white and dark brown, and tries to minimise the space used as much as possible. If you're looking for a compact soak, this is the tub for you.

26. Minimal budget

Once more we return to the idea of minimalism as a way of saving money. This continues to be a key part of minimalism, as shown in the image above. While being very simple, the shelving not being very decorative, the amount of stuff that you can place on it is astounding, saving both space and your wallet. If you need to save some cash, minimalism is perfect for you.

27. High ceilings

While we've seen minimalism expand horizontally, freeing up plenty of space, it's uncommon to see this style being used to expand upwards. However, that hasn't stopped some architects, as they try to use the freeing powers of minimalism to somehow open up new spaces going up. While not entirely unheard of, this is definetly something to keep your eye on.

28. Contrasting bathroom

Having explored how an all white room can expand upon colours placed inside, and give them that great pop, in the bathroom above, we can see how equally powerful the reverse can be. While the grey marble style dominates the overall feel of the room, the white pops out, something that doesn't often happen. If you're looking for a new way of presenting white, contrasting it might be the way to go.

29. The minimal way to divide the kitchen

Frosted glass will soon become your best friend when dealing with a minimalist home. It manages to balance the great things about glass, being both thin and allowing light to travel through, while also providing the privacy you may expect from a wall. If you're looking for the best of both those worlds, frosted glass will be your friend.

30. The room with a shower

Sometimes, to properly get a leg up on everyone else, you have to go as innovative as possible, and that may mean mixing and remixing the way you build your rooms. The image above is a great example of just how that may pan out. While having a bathroom in your bedroom may be odd at first, it actually makes a lot of sense, as it allows you to get an early morning shower right from the word go. 

What's more, even though the two space differ in such a way, thanks to colour, they still manage to fit together, due to the fact that both follow the rules of minimalism. If you're trying to be new, don't be afraid of what people might say. Certain things may not seem obvious until you've tried them.

31. The room with a bath

Following the same principle idea as the room above, this bedroom goes one step beyond, and aims straight for the luxurious option of placing a bath right next to your bed. Enjoy as you untie knots of stress in your new bath, and then go straight to sleep in your luxurious bed. As an added bonus, the bed tries to evoke the feeling of a clam spa, thanks to all the pebble imagery. If you plan on going a bit wild with your design choices, you might as well go all the way.

32. The long counter

Just like with the horizontal kitchen above, the best thing about having a long counter, is just how much added space you have for cooking. However, cooking isn't the only thing that you can do on this counter. Unlike the horizontal kitchen area, you can employ this counter as a work station for things that aren't cooking. If your kids need help with their homework, the counter is the perfect place for them to do it on as you prepare dinner. Great design choices are often obvious, but never really used.

33. The space saving solution for the corridor

If you truly want to be free from the clutter, this hallway is perfect for you. Along with keeping up the minimalist style, it provides plenty of storage space, saving you from having to find places to cram all your stuff in. What's more, the minimal design is so on-point, that the closets disappear the moment you don't need them.

34. Saving more space

Another way of playing around with the design of the house, is by turning your stairs into a wardrobe. This way, you can store all your clothes in an easy to get to environment, without having to worry about them lying on the floor. And, they'll all be on hand when you head out. When trying to save on space, re-purposing other items is the way to go.

35. Modern terrace

Minimalism doesn't have to extend only to the inside of your home. As shown by the picture above, minimalist sensibilities can work perfectly, even in the great outdoors. Sitting in these couches that look like blobs, you can enjoy all the great calming sounds of the outdoors straight from the comfort of your terrace. Even though it may not be under a single roof, the terrace is still part of your home, and should be given the same style treatment as everything else.

36. Minimal terrace with wood panelling

An alternative to the terrace style of above, this one adds a few more things to the mix, while still maintaining the minimalist style. The chairs aren't grandiosely over-designed, and the table is glass, so that it can blend in with the environment when not needed. What's more, the border has been transformed into more seating space, showing how minimalism can play around with a set style to make something usable. If you've got a terrace, you owe it to yourself to make it great.

If you like what you've seen thus far, but would like to see how it all works in a home that people live in, this article will answer all the questions you have about that.

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