Contemporary Living – Keeping It Minimal

Today’s modern living combines practical design and living philosophies. Minimalism – which embraces the idea that ‘Less is More.’ It is an art of spacing along with a design of sophistication.

Let’s look at these interesting lifestyle and design choices in modern living:

Embracing Minimalism

Minimalism is a design philosophy built around the principle of clutter-free living. Countries like Japan are at the forefront of the minimalist movement when it comes to home design. Ridding oneself of the excess elements in your home helps create a Zen like atmosphere in your living space.

A home that is clutter-free gives rise to a free and unencumbered mind. In the world of design, there is a school of thought known as ‘Reductivism.’ It encourages empty spaces while designing homes. Also, minimalism follows the concept of ‘Less is More.’ This doesn’t necessarily mean that such homes would look ordinary. In fact, on the contrary, there are many unique ways of embracing the core values of minimalism while expressing your own personality in your home.

Here are some of the primary tenets of Minimalism:

1)      It is recommended to use fewer color combinations as it balances out a room’s décor scheme. Too many colorful elements could create confusion in a person’s mind.  Monochromatic hues set a great example for designing homes as they help patterns to ‘pop’ or stand out.

2)      Apart from the color aspect, adding a mixture of textures could give your living space that stylish look. A stone washed wall, a table with a teakwood finish or a woven table cloth, all (or one) can form a focal point in a room. If you are looking for specific materials, wood, glass, ceramic and fabric should be given focus to while designing your home.

3)      The shapes of your furniture also have a major impact on the overall look of a room. Furniture like a sofa or table could set the personality for a room. A sofa/table could have round or sharper ends, be circular or square and more. Classic, traditional or urban are few of the different décor styles you could choose from for your home.

4)      When choosing fabric and linen to soften a space, the first rule is – keep it simple. It’s better to avoid a carpet with too much design on it and instead opt for something basic. This way, fabrics serve as design accents rather than the focal points in your décor scheme. For example, in a bedroom, a solid colored bed sheet and contrasting pillows could make for a classy combination.

5)      We recommend making the most of available natural light. Remember, natural light is something the human eye is used to, it would brighten up your space in the most natural way possible. Lighting enhances your design but the real skill lies in knowing which parts of a room to focus light on and which parts should be left in shadow. Find lights of the appropriate shape and size to achieve the look you want. They would highlight particular aspects of the home and give it a specific look.

We hope you’ve been inspired by the minimalist philosophy to experiment with it in your own home (and life). As contradictory as it may seem, there are many different ways of applying the minimalist aesthetic to your home and they are definitely worth exploring. We at House of Hiranandani wish you a well organised and clutter-free life.