Are you looking forward to creating a minimalist home? If yes, this is the content you’ll want to read.
A minimalist home is more about being intentional about your space than anything else. It lets you maintain only what you really need in your home, giving you the efficiency you need without sacrificing the functionality of space.
But then, how do you go about creating a minimalist home?
Well, in today’s article, we’ve curated 15 pro tips on how you can go about creating a minimalist home. There’s so much to learn here, so you better keep following to the end!
Read: 10 Staggering Reasons To Opt Out of Junk Mail
Let’s jump right into the points!
15 Creative Ways to Make a Minimalist Home Today
1. Be Aggressive With Your Decluttering
When creating a minimalist home, the first thing is getting rid of clutter. And mark this: clutter doesn’t necessarily mean torn clothes, receipts issued from the store, or the toys you got for your baby who’s now outgrown them.
It basically means getting read of EVERYTHING that doesn’t add value to your life.
Did you get that? Everything!
This could include clothes or shoes you’ve gone for many days without wearing, the small electric kettle you used before buying a larger one, and any other thing you normally don’t use regularly.
You can use the Minimalist’s 90/90 Rule to know what to keep and dispose of. Ask yourself, “Have I used this item in the last 90 days?” and “Will I need it in the next 90 days?” If the answer to the two questions is a “No”, out it should go.
And, of course, you don’t have to stick to 90 days. You can work with 120, 140, 150, or any other duration, depending on what suits your lifestyle the most.
For items in good condition, give them to friends who need them, donate to charities, or even cash in on them. For paperwork like receipts, scan the essential ones to maintain a softcopy before shredding them.
2. Be Mindful of What You Buy
Maintaining a minimalist home isn’t just about paying attention to what you maintain and take out of your home. Being mindful of what you bring into your space is the key to avoiding clutter once you’ve decluttered.
So, before you dip your hand into your pocket for that fancy toy, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”
If the answer is no, avoid buying it. The goal is only to add what brings value to your home.
Read: 25+ Super Easy Ways to Begin Living a Minimalist Lifestyle
3. Switch to Multi-functional Items
Remember that a minimalist life is about keeping the least number of items that are of maximum relevance to your lifestyle. So, if you can get 1 item that can do the work of 2,3, 4, or even more individual pieces, the better.
For instance, if you’re a DIYer, you may want to get this Multitool. It can perform the work of 14 separate units, helping save you some space in your home.
Also, instead of getting the traditional sole-purpose furniture, pay more attention to multi-purpose designs. We now have some sofas that can easily convert into a bed with a few adjustments. Wouldn’t that work well for your guests?
And yes, factor in versatility across everything you buy. For instance, if you can get a cleaner that can work with your glass windows, coffee table, or leather seats, why not get that instead of dedicated products? It will save you a lot of space when still doing the work right.
4. Don’t Be Too Quick to Replace
I know how it feels to have an electric kettle that won’t start even after you flip the “ON” button.
But hey, before scrolling your phone in search of a new model, why not give the one you already have another chance? Try as much as possible to make use of what you have.
For electronics, consider taking them to a repair center before you opt to replace them. It will save you a good amount of money, help you avoid future clutter, and reduce your carbon footprint.
If you must replace what you already have, ensure you get rid of the initial item. Avoiding duplicates is a surefire way to keep your space with less clutter.
5. Go Timeless With Your Selections
The world is changing rapidly, thanks to creative minds. But then, this revolution can be a real problem for anyone who wants to maintain a minimalist style.
The solution? Sticking to what never goes out of style!
For instance, when choosing curtains, opt for those with black, white, or earthy tones and ones made from natural fabrics like linen, cotton, and silk blends. It’s also good if you work with plain designs. This will keep you safe from getting tossed about by the wave of change while at the same time ensuring that your space maintains an ever-relevant look and feel.
6. Work With a Narrow Range of Materials
A minimalist home should feel less diverse, airy, bright, and relaxing. To achieve this, only choose a small range of materials — at most three — that you use across your entire space.
And as you do so, remember to stick with light and airy materials. For instance, cotton and linen draw less attention to themselves, while fur and velvet have a big presence that can make your room feel over-decorated.
Read: 25 Powerful Reasons to Become a Minimalist That You Absolutely Need to Know
7. Take Your Time To Get There
One of the main aims of creating a minimalist space is to make life simple and less stressful.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can do everything in a day or two. It’s possible, but you’ll have to overwhelm yourself, contradicting the aim of embracing the design in the first place.
So, go slow but remain consistent. For instance, when decluttering, don’t do it all in one afternoon. Begin with your main pain points before you move to other areas. You can start by decluttering the drawer in your living room before working on the one in your guest bedroom.
The thing is that you need to set small but achievable targets every day. Every target achieved will give you the motivation to move on to the next target.
8. Don’t Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk is a good practice for anyone intending to save money in the long run. However, it isn’t the best thing to do for anyone looking to create a minimalist home.
The additional items can make your space feel congested, so get the bare minimum of what you need.
If you must buy items in bulk, ensure that you can keep them out of sight. The goal is to ensure that there’s little within sight.
9. Say Hello To Brighter Colors
Did you know that creating a minimalist design doesn’t only involve minimizing the number of items in your space? That’s right. Instead, it encompasses a wide range of efforts, and the color you choose for your home is one.
The tone you choose for your home can trick your mind, making your home feel either big and airy or small and cramped. For the former, work with brighter colors. They’ll make your room feel bigger and airy than it actually is.
Stark white is a perfect case in point that will make your space feel light and airy. But if you don’t want to go entirely white, light taupe, blush pink, stark white, and cool gray are other options that can also deliver similar effects.
10. Limit What Hangs on Your Wall
Wall decorations help make our spaces more beautiful and spell out our style. But hey, if you’re looking forward to having a minimalist home, it’s high time you bid farewell to the plethora of art images on your wall.
Don’t get me wrong. Images on the walls aren’t bad. But too many of them can capture too much attention, contradicting the simplicity of minimalist space. So, only keep one meaningful image instead of a number of them. It will keep your walls cleaner and your space feeling bigger.
11. Make Use of Storage Units
Not everything you use less often needs to be disposed of. A case in point is out-of-season clothes. Invest in suitable storage units so you don’t keep your wardrobe looking congested. Thankfully, the market has plenty of storage options that you can buy.
Get storage units that can easily be stored out of sight. A case in point is under-bed storage units. They will do the work perfectly, so you don’t have to dig through a pile of clothes when picking out what to wear.
And, of course, this doesn’t only apply to clothes. It’s for anything you don’t use regularly but don’t want to dispose of yet. Ottomans, dressers, and cabinets are great storage options, depending on the nature of the item.
12. Repurpose What You Already Have
Before shopping for anything, see if there’s an item that can play the role of what you intend to buy.
For instance, before you add that fancy candle holder to your shopping cart, how about repurposing that empty bottle of wine to do the work? Bottles of wine can make great candle holders!
Repurposing won’t just save you money — it will also reduce the number of wine bottles in the landfill and help you minimize the items you introduce into your space.
13. Dedicate a Spot for Everything
One way to maintain a minimalist design in your space is to keep everything where it needs to be. Know where to keep everything in your space. This way, once you’re done using an item, you can always take it back to where it’s supposed to be.
Your broom must have somewhere to hang on the back of your door or in a closet. As for your shoes, they need to be on a rack strategically placed within your home. This will help ensure you don’t keep things scattered all across your house.
14. Choose the Ideal Lighting
Lighting sets the overall mood of a space. So, as you reduce the amount of clutter in your space, choose the ideal tone for your walls, and handpick the images to remain hanging on the wall, pay attention to how you lighten up the room.
For a minimalist design, natural lighting comes in as the best option. Allow as much of it as possible to give your space a bright, positive atmosphere.
For rooms without adequate access to natural lights, work with warm-toned lights. They will make the room feel nice and well-illuminated, unlike cool-toned lights that make it feel too harsh.
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15. Tidy Up Your Space Oftenly
Maintaining a minimalist design is a continuous process. So, regularly clear things from your floor and other surfaces. Remember, the goal is to ensure you have as little in your space as possible.
