A Guide to Minimalist Home Decor

Your home is meant to be a place where you are able to relax and unwind from the stresses of the day. It’s where you spend most of your time and where you are meant to sleep and get a good night’s rest.

But when your home is full of clutter it can feel like a mess. And certain design elements can make it feel overwhelming too.

If you want to create a peaceful atmosphere and space within your home, embrace the minimalist lifestyle. A minimalist space can help you create a functional, easy-to-organize area that you and your family can enjoy.

Minimalism is a way of life where you only keep what you need and love.

Each room in your home should have a purpose and a focal point. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about minimalist design to create clean lines, embrace empty space, and feel wonderful at home.

What is Minimalist Home Decor?

Minimalist home decor is a simple, organized home that only showcases the essentials. It’s a way of keeping your home clean and organized and removing distractions that can overwhelm and increase stress.

By focusing on creating a minimalist style, you can remove those stresses and allow yourself to focus on what you want to do. It allows you to enjoy living rather than worrying about a hectic to-do list.

Creating a minimalist home is more than just getting rid of clutter and organizing. It’s about embracing the negative space and making your home work for you. The more space you have the easier it is to get around your home.

With only the bare essentials it is much easier to clean and keep your home tidy.

Watch Habits for a Minimalist Home:

Using minimalist decor in your home should also fit your style and aesthetics but should follow some basic design principles.

Remember that less is more, a simplified space with minimalist furniture is better.
Don’t just copy the design straight out of a magazine. Your decorative elements should be unique to your personality and preferences.
Minimalist interiors are achieved with hidden storage areas.
Clean lines are essential when designing your minimalist home. Less wall art and more neutral tones are used for a calm look.
With fewer items to decorate, you’ll have a higher budget for more quality design elements that can enhance the look of your home.

What Makes up Minimalist Decor and Design?

A minimalist home is characterized by a neutral color palette with lots of natural elements. What exactly does that look like? To style your home in a minimalistic fashion, you’ll need only functional furniture, neutral, earthy tones, and simple décor with clean lines such as geometric shapes.

Minimalistic design is all about removing unnecessary furniture and focusing attention on the elements that matter. Think about the things you need in your home to make it comfortable. Tables, chairs, and a couch could be the base items.

Then decide what you want to add to make your home more comfortable without gathering too much.

Neutral Colors – The color palette in your home should be centered around neutral colors such as whites, creams, beiges, and pops of pastels to give your home a little character.

Flat Surfaces – You don’t need to include complex-shaped furniture or fixtures in your home to be minimalist. Try to incorporate flat, clean surfaces throughout your home. Adding different textures can warm up a minimalist home without adding clutter.

Empty Spaces and Focal Points – Living a clutter-free life means more space in an open floor plan. Lots of space in a minimalistic home that flows seamlessly from one room to the next is the goal. Visual balance is essential in a minimalist home.

Lighting – The more natural light, the better in your minimalist home. Lighting can help brighten up any room and make it feel more open, clean, and relaxing. Not to mention natural light can do wonders for your mental health.

Benefits of a Minimalist Home?

Having a minimalist home can provide several benefits in your life. If you’re thinking about giving the minimalist life a shot, here are some benefits that can help you decide.

Less Stress – Clearing your home can remove a lot of visual clutter from your sightline which can be distracting. When you’re trying to relax or get something done a calm space will make it easier. The less clutter you have in your home, the less visual stress you have, creating a more calming space.

Visually Appealing – Homes with a more minimalistic design are more appealing to others. When we went to sell our home a few years ago I simplified it even further by removing all surface clutter. I took down photos and even moved some of our stuff out of our home.

The person who ended up buying our home said she was sold because of the way it was decorated. By having clutter-free spaces we were able to sell our home quickly! You don’t need to have a lot of stuff to create a lovely home that you or visitors can enjoy.

Simplify your decor by including great, functional, and aesthetically pleasing furniture, a few pieces of artwork, and a couple of decorations you just can’t live without.

Easier to Clean – It’s a simple fact that when you have a minimalist home, it’s much easier to clean. You don’t have as much to put away, and there aren’t too many obstacles as you sweep, mop, or vacuum.

It’s an overall less complicated way to clean. You not only benefit from living in a beautiful, calm home, but you also don’t have to spend as much of your precious time cleaning that home.

Question things like throw pillows and if you actually need/want to deal with them.

A few years ago I decluttered all of our throw pillows leaving just 2 on our couch for taking a nap. I realized it was my personal style to not have extra unneeded pillows and man it makes tidying up a lot easier!

Tips to Help You Incorporate Minimalist Decor

Creating a minimalist home takes time, patience, and a little work to get it right. There’s no right or wrong way to achieve a minimalist home. The most important aspect is to change your way of thinking and the philosophy behind the décor in your home.

These tips will help you embrace minimalism and create a functional, calm, relaxing space for you and your family.

Take Your Time

When you first start to adopt minimalism in your home, it can seem like a daunting task. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself to spread the work out over time.

It will take effort, trips to the donation place, organizing, decluttering, creating a plan, and implementing before you can reap the benefits.

Start to Declutter Room by Room

Decluttering is an essential step when you are creating a minimalist home. Focus on one room at a time to reduce stress. Allow yourself to feel calm as you go through and decide what you need and what you can get rid of.

Once you’re done with one room, move on to the next but don’t forget to give yourself little breaks when you can. I recommend at least starting with the main living spaces, such as the living room or the kitchen, as this is usually where a lot of people spend their time.

Only Keep What You Actually Need

To create a minimalist design, you need to consider the furniture and fixtures you already have in your home. Start by asking yourself does the item have a function? Take, for example, your couch.

It’s used for sitting or lying down while visiting with friends or family or as a place for you to just sit back and relax. With that in mind, you wouldn’t want to get rid of your couch to create more space, would you?

Do you have a shelf with many trinkets or books that you no longer need? How about any statues, coffee tables, end tables, or vases that are taking up space in your home as a design element? Decide if these simple objects are adding to your home or causing clutter.

With each room, before you create a design, decide what you need to keep and what can go. You can donate, store, or sell these items for extra cash.

When purchasing organizing bins or minimalist decor for the new space think about what you already have and what you really need.

Create a Plan with Visual Interest

With each room finally decluttered, don’t go and refill it with things you don’t really need. Imagine how you want your room to look and feel. Choose high-quality pieces for your home.

Getting the items that will stand the test of time. Remember all the elements of a minimalistic design as you develop what you want your space to look like.

Once you have a plan laid out, think about how you want it to flow with the next room.

It’s a good idea to focus on clearing clutter from each room first, then settling on some design elements before you move to the next room to declutter. That way, when all is said and done, you’ll have a plan for your design that flows throughout your home. You’ll be easily able to change anything that doesn’t work.

Minimalist Decor Ideas

Minimalist Bedroom – Keep it simple and decide what is the purpose of the room. If you are only sleeping in here then you might only need a bed and some side tables.

Living Room – If you have overhead light fixtures then do you need a floor lamp? Remember lamps give a warm cozy feel to a room and overhead lighting can be harsh. This is something to think about. We also chose to not have a coffee table. This is a great way to get more space especially if you want living space and less clutter.

Minimalist Kitchens – A simplified kitchen will make it easier to cook, clean, and get creative.

Usually, a minimal kitchen means less stuff in your drawers and cupboards. But this can also be an interior design choice. Using a simplified color scheme with white tile and more blank space. It will come down to your style preferences.

Choosing Furniture – A piece of furniture can make all the difference in your home. Always keep in mind who is using the space.

We have a huge dining table with simple lines which helps to fill one of our larger spaces. The good thing is this is one of our most used furniture pieces.

If you live in a small space minimalist decor ideas can help your home to feel larger!

Designing a New Home

If you are able to design a new home there are quite a lot of elements that can help with a minimalist interior design.

I would try to incorporate light colors, large windows, open spaces, and personal touches.

Warm Minimalism

A cozy minimalist look can be achieved by using natural materials and simple designs.

Natural fibers, botanical prints, rugs, and curtains are a beautiful way to make a cozy space.

Incorporate Functional Design Style

With a minimalist home, everything has a place. Incorporate elements of functional style that have a purpose. Using a functional style will maximize your storage and allow you to store things you need out of sight. A great example is some hideaway shelving or an ottoman for living room with storage.

Creating a minimalist home can help you feel free from the clutter that causes stress and distraction in your life. Take your time decluttering and incorporating elements that will create a beautiful home that everyone can enjoy.

Check out my YouTube channel for tips on becoming a minimalist and ultimately decluttering your life and creating a beautiful home to be proud of. Or download my eBook today for an in-depth look at decluttering!

A Guide to Minimalist Home Decor