Is “the less stuff the better” your decorating mantra? If you enjoy an uncluttered home and sleek lines, minimalist design may be the ideal option for your interior home remodeling project. Before you begin your home renovation, keep these things in mind.
Keep It Simple
Simplicity is the key to minimalist design. You won’t find elaborate moldings, bright paint or over-the-top light fixtures in the rooms. Instead, the design focuses on efficient floor plans, plenty of natural light and minimal artwork or decorative touches.
The rooms often feature a single piece of art or one particularly dramatic accent piece, such as a large vase, rather than walls covered with paintings or shelves full of knick knacks. In addition to reducing cleaning and dusting time, embracing a minimalist design can have beneficial effect on your stress level.
When you’re not visually overwhelmed by all of the contrasting elements in a room, it’s easier to relax. Eliminating things you don’t need also allows you to focus on the things that truly matter, such as family time, fitness and your hobbies.
Simple doesn’t mean that you have to skimp on quality. In fact, minimalist design is all about superior craftsmanship and luxurious finishes. Although you may be able to hide flaws in other homes with knick knacks and art, every imperfection is on view in a minimalist home. Remodeling contractors make perfection a priority during a minimalist renovation and take pains to ensure that seams are perfect and finishes unblemished.
Minimalist homes may not be flashy, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring. Architectural interest is added with high-end wood finishes or walls constructed with natural stone.
Focus on Your Lifestyle
Before you begin calling contractors, it’s important to think about what a minimalist lifestyle and home really means to you. What do you want to keep, and what possessions can you discard? Although you can certainly pare down your belongings, getting rid of everything is impossible for most people.
Fortunately, your design-build team can offer innovative storage solutions that don’t detract from the clean lines of your home. In the kitchen, pots and pans can be concealed behind flat cabinet doors that open simply by pressing on them slightly. Closets can also be designed to blend in seamlessly with walls, providing ample storage space without detracting from your home’s minimalist design.
Decide What to Omit and Include
As minimalism is all about living as simply as possible, you’ll probably want to forego more elaborate additions to your home, such as indoor pools, huge game rooms, sports courts or hidden rooms. Think about the way you currently use the rooms in your home. For example, if you hardly ever use the jumbo screen in your basement entertainment area, eliminating screens or reducing their size probably won’t affect your enjoyment of your home.
If you take minimalist design too far, your home can become cold and austere. Fortunately, that problem is easy to remedy simply by adding one “cheat” feature. Your cheat feature could be a soaking tub with jets, a room just for your wine collection or a four-poster bed in the master bedroom suite.
Are you ready for a minimalist renovation? The design-build team at Master Remodelers can help you create a space that fulfills your desire for simplicity yet still includes the comforts you crave. Contact us to begin the first steps in the renovation process.
Design Shack: What is Minimalist Design
Freshome: 25 Examples of Minimalism in Interior Design