How to Decorate Like a Minimalist

We’re obsessed with Amazon’s series Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things – living a meaningful life with less. This series strikes a personal note as designers of quality furniture for the interior; one-of-a-kind pieces that will stand the test and trends of time. Minimalist decorating is a part of this lifestyle. It means taking control of your life by removing clutter, choosing quality over quantity and living by the one-in one-out philosophy.

So, how do you create a clean, crisp, clutter-free environment? What does it mean to decorate like a minimalist? Studies have shown that those who live in a cluttered environment are more likely to produce the stress hormone called cortisol. Why cause more stress in our lives than we already have? Say goodbye to duplicate spatulas in your kitchen drawer. We all have our favorite, right? Do we really need five?!

Here are some helpful tips on how to transition to minimalist decor:

REMOVE CLUTTER

Removing clutter is the first step in preparing for your minimalist decor. First and foremost, tackle your surfaces. Have flyers and mail piling up on the kitchen counter? Shred them. Kids’ toys all over the great room? Designate a play-bin in a hall-way closet and toss old stuff every six months. All surfaces should be free of stuff, this way you see the room, the shapes and lighting.  Allow the mind to be peaceful and uninterrupted when you step into the room.

STYLISH STORAGE

While removing clutter you may find items you’re not ready to discard yet, that’s okay! We all have our stuff or important memoirs. For those items we suggest one of our stylish upholstered beds with storage drawers. Check out Ethan below, this bed is not only simple on the eyes, but also takes advantage of the empty cavity inside the platform by creating a space for storage. And, designers love our upholstered beds with drawers as they can be customized to your specifics tastes or project needs. This will hide away all of the collected items that you are not ready to let go of, all while keeping your home looking neat and put together.

CREATE A NEUTRAL BASE

Serene, neutral colors in your home will instantly jump start the goal of a minimalist environment. Not all whites are the same tone, especially when pairing it with certain lighting. If your home has mostly natural light, choose a more yellow under-toned white paint color. If the lighting in your home is more yellow, choose a more blue under-toned white color. This will balance the lighting and feel of the home while being fresh and pleasing to the eye. Next, pair white with grey, taupe, ivory or bone colors. You can from season to season pick one non-neutral color for pop and fun.

THINK TEXTURES

While minimalism beckons a more neutral color palette,  you can enrich the eyes with textures using leather, velvets, wood, metal and wool shearling – all in greys, taupes, bone and ivory colors.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

This is a motto we live by! Choosing quality pieces that will stand the test of time is key here. While being trendy is fun, you want to leave the trendiness to accents such as toss pillows. Invest in pieces that are made of heirloom quality and construction, and are designed in such a way that the style endures. A great example of this would be our Elan sectional, Z-3 swivel chairs and Triton table ottoman (and everything else we make!)

ONE IN ONE OUT

Colleen Madsen’s “One in, One out” philosophy is golden. Many of us buy on impulse things we do not need. By following the one-in, one-out philosophy, you are not only omitting the possibility of impulse buying, but you are also evening-out your stuff ratio.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Last, but not least, keep it simple. Pared down accent furniture, simple silhouettes and soothing art makes for a clean and peaceful room. Less is more in a minimalist world, so stick to decorating and owning items that are essential to the decor, not extra to the decor. We are true believers that you can live a meaningful life with less.

Thank you for reading! We hope you found this article helpful. To keep up with the latest happenings here at Nathan Anthony, please connect with us on  Facebook,  Google+,  Twitter,  Instagram  and  Pinterest.