Less is More: Going for Minimalism

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Published Date 1/24/2024

Sometimes it’s a room. Sometimes it’s an entire house. Whether you’re just tired of the clutter or want to make a clean sweep of it now that the kids are gone, there comes a time in every homeowner’s decor journey when they long to hit the reset button on their home’s look, especially when the calendar turns over to a new year.

Realtor.com’s Jenifer Kelly Geddes says rather than hopping on some new trend for 2024, why not consider one that has stood the test of time? It’s the effortless yet coolly elegant style known as minimalism.

“A minimalist approach isn’t just about clearing away excess and paring back on side tables,” says Geddes. “Instead, this decor category leans hard on carefully curated pieces, a quiet color scheme, and lots of clean lines.”

We’re talking about boiling each room down to its absolute essentials of interior design while reducing the elements of a home to what is both required and functional. Minimalism is simply a no-frills style that’s simple in every way, from subtle texture to soothing colors to clean lines, offering a serene atmosphere. It fosters a sense of calm and tranquility that allows a home’s architecture to be center stage and appeals to our inner need for calm.

The less stuff you have to deal with, the lower the anxiety. When freelance writer Dena Kouremetis redesigned her home office, she decided to take all her books, donate some, and store others away even though books are occasionally what she refers to when she does her work. “Any book I need now is online anyway,” she says. “And it dawned on me that most of them on shelves in my workspace were just taking up room and cluttering up my view.” Once both small and large bookcases went bye-bye, she realized her office was big enough to place her desk in the center of it, added a contemporary chandelier over it, and bought a cool, modern occasional chair to face it. “Honestly. I made my workspace into a little slice of heaven,” she says.

According to Geddes, minimalism in the home started in Japan — going back to Japanese Zen philosophy and design, which advocates a ‘less is more’ approach, much like a Zen garden. “Before adding anything to a room, every element must make sense and contribute to the goals of balance and harmony,” says Geddes.

A great American example of minimalism is evident with designers like Frank Lloyd Wright, who took the Japanese concept of balance of form and function in harmony with the natural setting. In the mid-20th century, Scandinavian designers continued the style with simple, practical minimalist furniture and accessories, becoming the benchmark for quality in minimalism. Their work was a major influence on midcentury modern design.

Ready to get that clean slate, minimalistic feeling? Decluttering is at the heart of it. “Functionality is the basis of minimalism in the home, which means you won’t easily install a clean and simple look with piles of products on your bathroom counter and junk mail clogging your bookcase,” says Geddes.

If this seems too overwhelming, consider hiring a professional organizer to declutter your home. For around $450, this expert will have your rooms feeling instantly more open and spacious. Stick with muted colors — blacks, whites, and grays, but don’t skew too dark in your palette. Muted tones allow for an inviting, calming atmosphere that’s light and airy, so use black as an accent color rather than the focal tone since it darkens a room rather quickly.

If color is still your thing, however, go with saturated hues for a minimalist home. A dark teal accent wall or a few burnt orange floor pillows might be the ticket. The key is restraint, using one or two hues sparingly and adding a statement piece.

Heavy, ornate chairs and tables need to get dropped off at the consignment store. Simple pieces in wood, stone, concrete, and glass can be combined with rattan and/or metal as long as “the shapes are clean, not over-sized, and slender.”

Patterns can be used, but try to find some that have negative space in them, and then intersperse them with solid colors and textures so the eye travels cleanly.

Realtor, TBWS

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Bobbie Jo Haggard, NMLS 92472;
Licensed to do business in Washington & Oregon.

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