IF YOU LOVE: Minimalism

I am an architectural design writer who often focuses on how environment can affect behavior. Before consulting privately, I received my MA in writing and ran a design boutique in Los Angeles.
I am an architectural design writer who often focuses on how environment... More »
Do you like to go against the grain? Buck the trends? Perhaps you order black coffee when buffed-up lattes are all the rage. Perhaps you avoid that novel that you secretly admit looks good simply because it's on Oprah's much-consulted reading list?

As winter approaches, along with a desire to fill the home with warm blankets and other comforts, do your own thing and minimize.

Yes, go for that clearing-out activity so commonly reserved for spring and create a pared-down zen atmosphere for the stillness of fall and winter. Take a look at this third installment of the IF YOU LOVE series, and remember that minimalism does NOT mean:
  • not having beloved things around you

  • creating a bare, cold atmosphere

  • throwing out everything
No, it means streamlining, simplifying, and slowing down. Didn't DaVince say that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication? In the frigid indoor season, you can still have things around you that bring you warming joy.
Monochromatic, yet working with a variety of textures, this room is anything but cold.
Similarly, the softness of this white creates a calm blank that invites and encourages leaving worries beyond the glass.
This room has no lack of sophistication and visual interest, yet keeps the look simple with whites and smooth lines throughout--keeping the details of the books in an understood perimeter.
One rainy fall weekend, tackle a DIY project: paint the walls a calming color (white, if nothing else) and change out towels and clear out clutter for a spa-like bathroom.
Rather than adding more detailing to your rooms, let the character come out in the choice of materials and details of the essential items.
Simplified doesn't have to mean sparse or cold: even details like this fall throw can enter in without cluttering.
This is pared down AND warming.
Use color and texture as your inspiration, and let the details stand out while clearing out unnecessary detailing.
This library (blissfully) contains much detail thanks to the many books shelved in the build-in structure. Yet take a look at how the furniture brought in adds to a smooth continuity and simplicity, keeping to a similar finish and palette, and including only the comfortable essentials.
With this leather-upholstered sofa and other unique materials and details, this simple palette and setup makes its mark.

Comments

Megan Rolerkite oh, how i wish to be a minimalist... If only I didn't have such a shopping problem
3 years ago ·
Margaret Everton Eh out with the old in with the (always incoming?) new?
3 years ago ·
diplocase palette - the platter with a hole in it that painters use to mix their colors; any group of colors
palate - the roof of your mouth
3 years ago ·
marissa camacho Finally, someone had the nerve to correct that often wrongly-used word. Another one that keeps recurring is principle for principal. I have read "principle bathroom" for "principal (or main) bathroom.
3 years ago ·
J Willi isangcamacho, good points!

English is my second language...I don't have a first!
3 years ago ·
phoenix_feather Inspiring post, thank you! It hits my *palate* perfectly!
3 years ago ·
Judith Nelson When I moved into my new home last winter, I had dreams of the minimal approach to decorating. I did not achieve that but I am now inspired to do so. The simplicity of these pictures makes me feel peaceful and calm so I know it is the right look for me!
3 years ago ·
jaredbybee minimalism is as much about good storage as it is about thinning out your stuff. everything has got to have a place to go. we have a minimal type kitchen, but a huge pantry to make it happen.
3 years ago ·
Melanie S. Great blog! have never considered myself a minimalist, but these rooms actually made me take deep calming breaths as I imagined myself in them. Great job!!
3 years ago ·
Melanie S. btw, your first paragraph cracked me up. If a movie or book gets way too much hype, or gets rave reviews from the 'critics' - I avoid them at all cost! ;)
3 years ago ·
midmodfan jaredbybee is so right! We have a minimal type home, thanks to the basement. :-)
3 years ago ·
iabarinov Thank you! Finally, I have a name for my decorating style! I like to have things that I love around, but it takes time (and money) to acquire them. Since I don't have much time (and not that much money either), I end up with few things. And I hate clutter, so most of my things are stashed away in closets and cabinets. Very good point about storage, jaredbybee!
3 years ago ·
Margaret Everton I completely agree that paring down relies on organization--not stressing out over every little things, but having a system and flow--and well-created storage, no matter how large or small. (Mcoffeesnob: me too.)
3 years ago ·
foxelle I love minimalism but these images are not minimalist. In some cases I'm having trouble even finding minimalist elements. Feels like I'm speaking a different language here.
3 years ago ·
Margaret Everton Foxelle: It may be helpful to keep in mind that we're not looking at holistic minimalist rooms as much as the concept of balancing minimizing with warmth and fall nesting.
3 years ago ·
ej610 I find my taste for minimalism deepening all the time. People think I'm a minimalist, but I'm not, at least not yet. I have a few pictures on my walls, area rugs, and random items on my tables. A true minimalist would never have such things. But as life gets more complicated, I find I am most at peace in my rooms with less things. And I always find myself editing. A few pictures have found their way off my walls and are now leaning against the wall, waiting to be tucked away in my closet some day.
16 months ago ·
Sign Up to comment
People who liked these photos also liked:

News From Our Partners