Ever feel like your living space is just packed full of things? Feel claustrophobic? Hitting things when you move around your home? if so, then perhaps it’s time to change things up a bit. Let’s start with the theme of the place you spend most of your time in, your entire house. Begone are the days where you bump into things or you look at your living room and it’s just one big mess, your stress levels could even go up, as people who live in cluttered environments are likely to have high levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Firstly, to achieve a minimalism stand in the middle of your living space and just take a look around you. If it was anything like me, you’d instantly see a multitude of eye sores. Bills, letters, empty glasses, magazines, sunglasses and just a plethora of random objects. If you truly achieve minimalism, then these needs to be cleared or relocated ASAP. But where do I start? Well, ask yourself these simple questions and it’ll feel like a whole new room. What can be eliminated, what can be stored out of sight, and what items aren’t essential; then organize according to priority. Be consistent with this process and come back to each room every few months with a fresh set of eyes. You’ll find there’s more you can simplify each time. To make sure your surfaces stay clear, give everything a special spot and stick to it.
Now the next step is the create a new neutral. And the absolute one key factor to this, is to stick to a base colour and base theme. Preferably a light colour. Why? Because it’s refreshing, it’s light on the eyes, and it connotes purity and cleanliness. Absolutely perfect and absolute class. However, if you’d like to add in a splash of colour, by all means. Do not hesitate to get creative. But if you’d like to introduce some colour, be sure to stick to solid pigments that are easy on the eyes and patterns that blend in easily. Suddenly splashing as violent a colour as red would just create too sharp a contrast, and would be harsh on the eyes. With minimalism, it is key to be low key. Remember, less is more.
Now, it may come as a challenge and as a concern when you’re working with so little and as little as possible. This makes the decision process trickier than usual as each choice is crucial and creates a big impact, space is limited after all. Therefore, it is imperative to live by the creed of “quality over quantity”. Impulse buys on trendy items that you’ll tire of quickly doesn’t work with minimalist design. Choose well-made pieces that are built to last, will withstand daily use, and look better as a result.