Embracing minimalism in home design can clear the clutter and add meaning.
BY LIAM RAZZELL
Interior design minimalism often conjures images of cold, austere environments, sleek, uber-modern apartments and a single, strategically placed vase on an empty bookshelf. It’s true, minimalism lends itself to these esthetics, but in practice it’s about a lot more than clean counters. Drawing its attributes into your own home could create a surprising outcome.
Spruce spoke with an architecture professor and an interior designer about what minimalism actually is, and how embracing it can draw you to a less-cluttered, more meaningful life.
A Minimal Definition
Minimalism, at large, is a philosophy that encourages drawing focus to what you value most.
Though this process sounds straightforward, it can be tough. Its execution means getting rid of anything that interferes with your passions and goals.
“It’s hard because we all collect things over the years that are important or special,” says Raubyn Rothschild, the lead designer at Victoria-based Rothschild West Design + Planning, who often applies minimalist thinking to her interior design work.
Consider a passionate baker. This person may wish to take their hobby more seriously — maybe even sell their work at a local Saturday market. The problem is, they don’t have much counter space at home and what counter space they do have is crowded with kitchenware, tableware, cookbooks and knick-knacks of all sorts.
The answer isn’t necessarily to renovate your kitchen, throw on a marble countertop and add an expanded island. Instead, by getting rid of everything in your kitchen that isn’t integral, you’ll make room to pursue your passion.
Minimal Interiors
Despite the clichés, minimal interiors don’t actually have a specific look. Instead, they emphasize purpose, intentionality and clarity.
“The goal isn’t to strip spaces of their warmth and soul — it’s to get clear on what’s most essential to the person living there,” says Rothschild. “I feel like people are really starting to understand the connection between what they’re passionate about in their everyday life, and how the space you spend time in every day contributes to that.”
This doesn’t mean throwing out all but the essential. The philosophy leaves room for things that bring you joy, too.
“There’s a lot of emotional value as you cast your eyes around a space, seeing only things that are meaningful to you — whether it’s a framed drawing to you from somebody you know or your favourite coffee machine,” says Leslie Van Duzer, an architecture professor at the University of British Columbia.
Minimal interiors can even be regenerative.
“If you’re a doctor working 18-hour days, you want to come home and have that clarity of space … where you can rejuvenate and regenerate,” says Rothschild.
Though the philosophy is about focusing on your priorities, applying it can lend your home an understated beauty.
“If a space is uncluttered, both architecturally and with stuff, then it has the power to have some autonomy that is just about form and light and space,” says Van Duzer. “It can be very uplifting to be in a space where the architecture has such a strong presence.”
Layers of Minimalism
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to applying minimalism in your home: It depends on the person.
For example, given minimalism’s simplistic measures, something like integrating smart technologies to your home could align — controlling your TV, sound system, heaters, air conditioner and lights from your smartphone may save you time and even cut down on cords and clutter, freeing you up for what you truly want to focus on. For another person, however, learning this kind of technology might be cumbersome and time-consuming, making it antithetical to minimalism as a philosophy.
Beyond decluttering, it’s important to remember that undertaking renovations to make your home more minimal can be difficult and costly.
“Making minimalist architecture requires maximalist effort,” says Van Duzer.
That’s because hiding architectural features, for example, or gaining more efficient storage or even planning out how to better use the kitchen takes time, energy and creativity. Those insights can come with significant price tags, but the payoff is a life that’s more aligned with what you idealize.
If your home or the things within it have been negatively affecting your ability to focus — especially on work, hobbies, long-term goals you value — minimalism may be for you. Rothschild says deciding to invest in a minimal mindset (however individual) can create a shift throughout a person’s life.
“It really comes down to me speaking with the client,” she says. “It’s all about their belongings, their time, their energy and their relationships.”
5 Ways to “Minimalize” Your Home
Here are a handful of easy ways to start applying minimal philosophy to your home right away.
Aim for clear countertops
Choosing what to declutter and what to keep can feel stressful so, instead, focus your goal on clearing the space — starting with the countertops. Whether a desk littered with papers or a kitchen piled with tools, clearing these distractions will bring an instant sense of calm and possibility to your zone. Bonus points for clearing all the magnets and memos from the face of the fridge, just to see what it looks like to be more visually free.
Take action with sticky notes
Get honest about your home’s unique trouble spots by keeping a pad of bright sticky notes handy. For a week, every time something distracts you, slap a sticky on it. By the end, you’ll know where you really need to take action.
Build in space
Make more space in your home by imagining what major furniture pieces you could do without. That feature chair might look great in the corner but if no one ever sits in it, could it become your new yoga nook — or be amplified with a light and footrest to be a functional reading area?
Decorate with less
Home design trends encourage bringing layers of textures, baskets and wall décor to layer your space, but minimalism fans can make do with the simplest of approaches. That means clean bedspreads, single rugs, a strategically chosen wall hanging to add a spark of personality without the overwhelm.
Keep colours simple
A true minimal mindset doesn’t have to be austere, but it means picking a signature colour (or two) and keeping it thematic around a room — or whole house — instead of overwhelming with a rainbow of colour and pattern. Neutrals can still offset a bold blue, but go easy on the mixing.
