Minimalism has been a popular design and life philosophy in the past few years. From Marie Kondo’s style of minimalism to your typical interior design seen in most magazines, this style has become one of the more prominent interior design styles. If you look at Instagram photos of lavish homes and excellent interior design, it’s generally filled with pictures of minimalist homes. But what is minimalism really, and should you change the design of your home to a minimalist one?
What’s a Minimalist Interior Design
Before you suddenly decide to switch over your entire house to a minimalist design, let’s take a look at what it means first. In a nutshell, minimalist interior design entails utilizing the bare essentials to create a spotless, uncluttered, and simple space. Characterized by its almost lack of decor, minimalism uses a monochromatic palette to keep the simplicity and theme for the house. Many people have switched over a minimalist design for their home, either for aesthetic or functional reasons. Here’s why you should also consider it.
Avoid Cabin Fever
According to recent studies, matters like space organization, lighting, and even how the room is designed to impact your emotions and how you generally feel. These researches and studies have resulted in the development of a new branch of architecture known as neuro-architecture.
This is a fascinating and unique concept in which neuro-science is linked with architecture to generate modern designs that are effective, useful, and potentially even therapeutic!
Some common examples of how a house looks that affect your mood are the following:
- A cluttered and disorganized room can lead to anxiety.
- Bright lights can give a sense of feeling overwhelmed and agitated.
- A cramped, confined, or closed-in feeling might result from a room that is too tiny.
- A dimly lit room can make you feel melancholic or depressed.
All of these things are negative emotions best not felt at home. Our houses should be our reprieve and retreat after all. And a minimalist home can prevent all of these—the very premise of minimalist space is predicated on just having what you need and nothing more, reducing the risks of accidentally inducing cabin fever.
Clutter and Things Can Trigger Allergies
It might feel great to display all your collections like toys and other memorabilia in your living room, but you have to understand: the more surface area, the more dust can settle and gather. That’s why bookshelves tend to be heavily layered with dust, no matter how much you clean them. Keeping your dirty laundry in your hamper for weeks on end can also cause dirt and allergen to accumulate. And when left uncontrolled, it can make your life hell—allergies, cough, and a runny nose are all but simple sicknesses you can get. Minimalism teaches people not to accumulate things they never use and to protect the things they value and like. Whenever you visit furniture stores or department stores, you should get only the ones you need. Thus, a minimalist house is less likely to have allergens, dust, mold, and mildew that can trigger illnesses.
Color Affects Your Emotions, Too
Color is used in minimalism in a relatively straightforward manner—keep it monochrome and basic.
Most minimalist houses typically include wide windows that allow natural light to flood the interior. Furthermore, the wall colors generally are relatively neutral, with splashes of bright red and other vivid hues that are subtly emphasized through accentuated walls and accessories. These bright and neutral hues open up the space, making it more appealing and spacious. A neutral, simple room allows the brain to process the entire room, rather than moving our sight back and forth between confusing bright colors and vibrant hues. Should you want to add flashes of color to your home, use the same color throughout the room and do it in a balanced way. For example, a light red pillow on the sofa can complete a darker red vase in the center. A mixture of these accents will complement each other, creating a dull, balanced space in a simple, neutral area.
A minimalist home will definitely change your life (and, of course, the appearance of your home). If you work towards making your home more minimalist, it will be calmer and accessible. You will have less trouble keeping things in order. And the best thing about a minimalist redesign is you won’t have to spend too much—you’ll even recoup painting costs since minimalism entails the reduction of your possession. Regardless, you know minimalism is for you if you’re tired of having too much clutter and having too many things you don’t use.
