There’s a reason trends become traditional: People love them. In design, traditional elements can really help you show appreciation for your space.
One great way to show that appreciation is to reduce the sheer amount of stuff in your home. Kitchy furniture and tricked out appliances, while seeming novel, can really make a space feel smaller, leaving you to feel suffocated.
Most appliances now have built-in computers. People’s phones and homes are talking to them. Your siblings may have started sending you e-cards and transferring your birthday cash by PayPal. Sometimes it’s nice to unplug, and a minimalist design aesthetic can help you do just that.
What is Minimalist Design?
Minimalism is pretty much what it sounds like: Keeping things to a minimum. The straightforwardness of this design aesthetic is intended to create clear, open spaces, free from distractions and overwhelming clutter.
The simplicity of a minimalist space really lends itself to a calm oasis in which you can detox from daily life. Taking a moment to escape the overwhelming sea of technological advancements can be difficult, but it’s not impossible.
Start by simplifying your space. Furniture and fixtures in solid, often neutral, tones with clean lines are the epitome of minimalist design.
Lighting
When it comes to minimalist design, lighting is a great way to make a chic, simple statement. Highlighting a single light fixture is an easy way to do just that. For traditionalists, uncertainty about how to merge modern, minimalist trends and traditional design elements may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
Incorporating traditional elements, like Edison bulbs, into a minimalist space can really give it personality, showcasing the architecture of any space. Antique filament light bulbs, commonly referred to as Edison bulbs, are a wonderful way to bridge the gap between past and present and complement a variety of traditional styles.
The trademark exposed filament of Edison bulbs can give your home an industrial feel, which can really bring the picture-perfect minimalist home to life. Edison bulbs are great for low lighting, which makes them more environmentally friendly. And with the help of modern technology, you can find some amazing LED filament Edison bulbs, which are great for your space and your wallet. Brands like Kichler Lighting offer tons of different shapes, sizes, and styles of Edison bulbs and antique-inspired light fixtures for every aesthetic.
Furniture and Fabrics
A house is not a home if it’s empty. Furniture is a great way to emphasize the space itself or the view outside of it. Neutral-colored furniture pieces guide the eye to what stands out, be it the view outside or that breathtaking fixture inside. Juxtapose your neutral-colored pieces by making a statement with a single bold-color piece. A major staple of minimalist design is letting individual elements speak for themselves.
Similar to lighting and furniture, fabrics can be space-enhancers and statement-makers. Choose high-quality fabrics to showcase. In a minimalist space, less is more. You will want to make your textiles and textures work together.
Feel free to play with texture, patterns, weights, and opacity. Especially if your home has a view of the ocean, fabrics in a variety of crèmes, greys, whites, and off-whites will really highlight the world outside of your home. It’s easy to go overboard, though, so be careful. Too many different patterns and textures can backfire and confuse the eye.
Plants
The pinnacle of refinement and simplicity, traditional Japanese design is a great source of inspiration and is perfect for celebrating the beauty of nature within your home. Using materials like exposed wood or bamboo, in addition to breathtaking plants, allows you to be one with nature from the comfort of your own home.
While you may not think tradition has any place in the design trends of today, your home can be truly remarkable if you make the space for it.
This post was underwritten by Jake Anderson; please read my disclosure here.
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