It is not necessary to follow a set plan to make your home minimalist. You can simply change your philosophy, and aim for the ideals mentioned. Here are some tips for anyone who is trying to achieve minimalism.
- One room at a time. It’s difficult to simplify a whole house all at once unless you are just moving in. Concentrate on one room and make it your calm centre. You can use it as inspiration to simplify your next room. Do the same thing outside!
- Begin with the furniture. Furniture is the most important thing in a room, so it’s best to start by simplifying the room with the furniture. The less furniture you have, the better. (Within reason, of course). Consider which pieces of furniture you can eliminate without sacrificing comfort or livability. Choose furniture that is plain and simple.
- Only essentials. Ask yourself if an item in your room or on your furniture is really essential. Remove it if you don’t need it. You can always add some extra items later.
- Clean floors. Your floors should be free of furniture. The floor should not be cluttered, stacked or messy. After you have reduced your furniture to its bare minimum, remove everything else from the floor. Donate it, throw it away, or store it somewhere out of sight.
- Clear surfaces. The same goes for all flat surfaces. Do not decorate them except for one or two simple items. All other items can be donated, thrown away or stored in a place that is out of sight. This will help to make your home look much cleaner.
- Clean walls. Some people have all sorts of things hanging on their walls. In a minimalist house, nothing is allowed. Remove all artwork from your walls, except for a few simple works of art. If you need repairs, consider a Plasterer Gloucester like https://pureplasterers.co.uk
- Keep things out of sight. As mentioned above, you should keep everything out of sight in cabinets and drawers. Bookshelves are great for storing books, DVDs and CDs. They shouldn’t be cluttered with anything else.
- Declutter. You’ll want to clean up your storage area if you’re cleaning the flat surfaces, floor and cabinets, as well as storing things in drawers and cabinets. This can be done at a later date if desired.
- Simple art. You can keep a room interesting by putting a simple drawing, painting or photo on each wall. Frame it in a solid, subdued colour. If possible, leave some walls blank.
- Simple decorations. One or two simple decorations can be used as accents in a minimalist space. Two classic examples are a vase of flowers and small potted plants. Accents can be bright colours to bring energy and life into a room with subdued colours.
