(5 minute read)
Are you a minimalist wannabe but can’t quite figure out how to do it? I was there too. But, one day recently, I learned how to use interior design to make my home actually LOOK more minimalist! These six simple interior designing tips helped me to FEEL more successful with minimalism. Today is your lucky day! I’m laying it all out for you in this post below!
The Struggle Towards Minimalism
I had been trying to be a minimalist for so long by getting rid of stuff, cleaning this out, and organizing that! I asked myself questions like: Does this spark joy? Do I love it? Do I use it? Would I buy this again?
But, after losing my home overnight (due to a mudslide) I finally figured out why I struggled so much. While I was living in a rental house without most of our worldly possessions, I discovered that my struggles weren’t from having too much stuff. It was definitely because of the ‘Five ‘Active’ Daily Causes of Clutter’ and The Clutter Cycle! I wrote an entire article all about it! You can find it by clicking on the purple box below.
I figured that part out, but now, OMG! I’m sooo excited!
I FINALLY figured out how to ‘FEEL’ like a MINIMALIST success!!!
You won’t believe it, but it ALL has to do with decorating, Interior design, AND . . . ONE AMAZING RULE!
I Took A Skillshare Interior Design Course
This short ‘minimalist’ interior decorating course on Skillshare taught me some simple ideas to achieve a minimalist style at home.
I want to shout out credit to Erika Dawn Interiors, from Skillshare. Skillshare is an amazing (online) place where you pay a low monthly fee (about $10) or one annual fee, (about $100) and get thousands of classes on thousands of subjects. No affiliates here, just love it!
Anyway, It was just what I needed! Simple guidelines! For the full course, check out Skillshare.
Keep Some Space that’s NOT Minimalist
To top it off, the guidelines also gave me “permission” to keep some space that isn’t “minimalist.” For instance, I can designate a room or two that would be “old school” me!
You won’t believe how that freed my soul to be the “old” me in some spaces, who maybe loves to keep books, CDs, or movie collections.
Changing my mindset by having some space that is designated minimalist and some space that isn’t , really helped me to feel better because I stopped judging myself for not accomplishing minimalist style in every room of my home.
Now, I know this sounds silly, but we all do a head trip on ourselves when we don’t accomplish our goals or live our values.
Giving ourselves some space to be imperfect is a way to have the best of both worlds.
Trust me, I know that whatever I’m thinking is also how I’m feeling. That’s why I used to feel like a “minimalist failure.”
But with lots of perserverence and some basic decorating tools, I’m feeling much more successful.
Practice, Not Perfection
However, I’m not saying this is perfect either. Things still get out of control, meaning, there is still stuff everywhere almost every single day! That’s because I’m messy, by nature.
But . . . having simple guidelines when I clean up helps me quickly return to that ‘minimalist’ aesthetic that I so desire.
For me, I decided to have my main living space exist within the parameters of my ‘minimalist’ design.
And I decided to keep a couple of rooms that don’t meet the guidelines. But, since that was a conscious decision, it doesn’t bother me anymore.
I recommend that you just start with ONE ROOM!
The best news is, I’ll list these simple guidelines that you can follow TODAY!
Happy decorating, MINIMALIST STYLE!
6 Top Minimalist Design Hacks
- Before you start, decide what main activities you will be doing in each room.
Will you be watching TV, playing games, or eating in your living room?
When you take these things into consideration, then you can be sure that the room will work for you, your hobbies, and whatever you like to do every day in that space.
Below, I link another one of my minimalist room design articles that has a free pre-planning “room guide” to help you go step-by-step in each room. It will walk you through your intention for the room and how you want to use a specific space. You can get it by clicking the link below:
RELATED ARTICLE: Minimalism and margin: creating Space for Your life today in 7 Simple Steps
1. FURNITURE
- Move furniture around to suit your needs.
I moved my furniture from around my house to suit the guidelines listed, and I am actually much more satisfied with my own stuff now!
Check out the furniture guidelines listed below for each room of the house. But just use them as a general rule or idea. Nothing is set in stone and everything is simply a suggestion.
living room
You can choose from a variety of pieces but keep in mind how many people need to sit together on a daily basis. Choose from:
1 sofa, 1 loveseat, and 1 coffee table, or
1 sofa, two chairs, and 1 coffee table, or
2 loveseats and 1 coffee table
You get the idea. If you have the space, you can add a bookshelf or a console or your other favorite piece.
dining room
1 dining room table with chairs, and 1 buffet or console
bedroom
1 bed, 2 night stands, 1 dresser, and 1 chair or bench
entry way
1 console and 1 chair or bench
office
1 desk, 1 bookcase or credenza, and 1 extra chair for guests
2. DECOR – Flat Surface Rule
***GAME CHANGER!***
This TOP minimalist decor tip is the easiest to achieve right away and has the most VISUAL IMPACT
ONE AMAZING RULE:
ONLY ALLOW 1-3 ITEMS TO REMAIN ON EACH FLAT SURFACE!
This guideline made the most impact for me because I am a very visual person. Too much clutter bothers me and too much empty space makes me want to fill it up!
Choosing between 1 and 3 items per flat surface gave me the authority to try multiple ways to see what looked best to me.
BUT, it also gave me the guidelines for cleaning up!
For example, when you’re cooking or playing in a space, it WILL get more cluttered up. But when you’re finished, you always go back to a maximum of three items on every flat surface.
For instance, every morning I bring out all of my coffee-making supplies.
Didi
It looks more cluttered until it’s time to clean up.
At that time, I can easily put everything away until there are only three items left on the counter.
This is a strange phenomenon but IT WORKS! IT TAKES ALL OF THE STRESS AWAY BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE TO THINK! IT’S AUTOMATIC!
3: WALL ART
This idea works much the same way. You don’t have to think about it, you just observe. Of course, keep whatever you like. This guideline is going for a “minimal” style.
1 or 2 pieces of art or pictures on one or two walls in each room. Leave empty space on the other walls.
NOTE: Empty space, or as the designers call it, negative space, is also very interesting. I had never heard of it before and I found it to be quite fascinating.
The idea is that leaving empty space, or negative space, can also be ‘minimally’ artistic and create a vibe that you can enjoy.
As I said earlier, if a space is too empty, I would have always wanted to fill it up. So embracing negative space, or empty space, is new to my awareness. I have been practicing admiring negative space. Something to think about, right?
4: WINDOWS
Simple window treatments: drapes, curtains, or roller shades.
I had white curtains on black rods and I liked that very well. This isn’t a life-changing idea, but it’s a suggestion that can be very flexible.
5: LIGHTING
1 ambient (overhead) light, 1 floor or table lamp, and 1 task light where needed. Accent lighting in one area is also good.
6: PLANTS
1 plant for every room OR 1 large floor plant and 1 small table plant.
I’ve recently added house plants to my interior decor and I LOVE IT!
Plants enhance any indoor decor and also, it’s kind of like having a pet.
Plants are living and there is some kind of specialness that goes with that. Just think about it.
That’s it! Pick one area to start with and have lots of fun!
Happy Decorating!
