Your Start-up Minimalist Style Guide – 5 Simple Ways to Get Started
Now that you’ve identified why you want to adapt a minimalist lifestyle and have reviewed the most important concepts when it comes to Kondo-Style minimalism, it’s time to ease into the shift.
Read first: How to get started with Minimalism
It is worth reiterating that the transition process could be overwhelming, even painful at times. So keep this simple style guide handy to help you with those difficult first few months of reimagining your space.
1. Pick a neutral base, then accentuate with texture
Colours play such a big role in creating a minimalist living space. Neutral bases are half the job already, so be prepared to completely paint the walls white, grey, or light brown. Note, though, that totally bare walls might give you the tendency to over-decorate in order to compensate for the barrenness. YR Architecture Design has a simple solution for that: eye-catching patterns like bricks and grains trick the mind into thinking that the space is already filled up.
2. Incorporate storage areas into your design
Minimalists are not monks– they have not renounced all Earthly possessions; they are just highly skilled in the art of organized storage that their living spaces still contain everything they need while looking almost empty!
All it really takes is maximizing the space you already have. If you have block stairs, best believe those steps can double as drawers. You’ve got thick walls? Maybe there’s a way to carve in a shelf for your mugs instead of installing one. Bottomline: be creative and optimize your living space.
3. Invest in multi-purpose things
A stool that doubles as a storage box. A bed that can be folded up into a couch in the morning. Countertops that double as cooling racks. These are just some of the most genius home contraptions that a minimalist can own. Keep in mind that you don’t need to deprive yourself just because you have less things now. It’s all a matter of utilizing every possible role that any one item can play in your life.
4. Hang up what you can
The most underutilized surface in every home is the ceiling. Minimalism is also about balance, so whenever you can, free up floor space by hanging up stuff from the ceiling. If you like plants, get aerial ones instead of allowing large pots to take up precious floor space.
5. Play with shape and form
Symmetry, while easy on the eye, is actually not a minimalist design principle, because it requires you to have at least two of everything. In minimalism, it’s all about contrast and letting a few key features stand out. A golden, abstract-style chandelier in the middle of a grey-and-white living room can make all the difference. Huge monochromatic photo prints can also make your space come alive without breaking any rules of minimalism. A couple of purple velvet pillows to accentuate an all-black couch can also make your heart swoon.
Take unbridled liberty in designing and re-imagining your place. At the end of the day, the goal is to create a living space that is free of clutter, and one that will spark joy, instead of anxiety, every time you coming home.
