Justine Harrington on May 8, 2017 1 Comment When you picture a minimalist living room, what comes to mind? Does your visual consist of gleaming white interiors, ultra-contemporary furniture, zero bright colors, and maybe a single piece of artwork on the walls? If so, you wouldn’t be alone in picturing this – this is often the mental image that most people have when they think about minimalism. But, the truth is, while this is surely what some minimalist living rooms look like, it’s not an entirely accurate image. That’s because minimalism at its core isn’t about simply decorating the interior of your home a certain way, or covering everything in sleek white fabrics. Rather, it’s about having less physical clutter in your life, to make room for more mental space and energy. It’s about getting down to the essentials in life. So, what are you waiting for? Now’s the time to create a minimalist living room – and we’ve got just the tips to help you out: 1) Declutter First thing’s first! Before you begin your minimalist living room project, you’ll want to declutter the entire room. Keep in mind that less is always, always more – the point of creating a simple living space is to have less stuff. So, if you’re the type to have a ton of small knickknacks and other decorative items around, try to get rid of as much of these decorations as possible. Otherwise, your living room is bound to look and feel more cluttered. Try to keep only the most essential items in your space. Go around the room, consider every object and piece of furniture, and ask yourself if you can live without it. If so, it goes! 2) Think About Scale Thinking about scale is key when it comes to your simplified living room. For instance, you don’t want to simply toss a bunch of small pieces of furniture into your space. Why? Because this will only make your living room feel more cramped, not less. Mix it up by adding in a couple bigger pieces along with your smaller items. An L-shaped couch is always a great pick, since it will both fill out the room nicely AND leave enough space for other pieces of furniture. Just remember that the scale of your room matters – adding in well-placed items of varying shapes and sizes will help to make your room feel more open. 3) Go Green It’s time to bring the outdoors…indoors! There’s truly nothing like the addition of a few plants to make your living room feel clean and fresh. Sprinkle two or three bright green houseplants around your living room – bonus points if you use chic glass jars or neutral colored planters. Depending on how much sunlight this room in your home gets, there may be a certain type of plant that would work best. So, head to your local nursery to get some much-needed greenery. You’ll be amazed at how much the addition of a few houseplants can transform a space! 4) Install A Floating Shelf A floating shelf is a fantastic way to make your living room feel both more organized, and more modern – as opposed to clunky regular shelving. Floating shelves are great for books, a plant or two, and a few well-placed knickknacks. Your space will instantly feel brighter, cleaner, and more contemporary! 5) Consider Your Color Palette You could certainly go the all-white route: a cream-colored couch, bare white walls, and a white rug do have a way of making a room seem brighter and airier – which is why so many people favor this option. If the idea of having an all-white color scheme makes you nervous (due to having pets or kids, for example), then you could pair a couple pieces of white furniture with more neutral-toned design elements. Adding a couple bright pops of color (in the form of artwork, a vivid woven rug, or wall accents, for example) in a neutral-toned space is another stylish option. You could also play with different tones and textures, such as using various shades of the same color for your walls, rug, and other furniture. And, keep in mind that if you have bookshelves in your living room, a little color coding goes a long way! Organizing your books according to color is a great way to add some stylish, simple flair to your space. Whatever you decide on, just make sure that you’re considering your overall color palette, and coordinating colors as much as possible – there’s nothing like slashes of too many textures and colors to make a room feel junky. 6) Store Items Out of Sight Do you have stacks of magazines, bills, and other random items piled up around your living room? While you’re not the only one who’s guilty of this, now’s the time to find a home for these items! Come up with a plan for storing clusters of magazines and other items out of sight, whether that’s in an attractive basket or other type of storage bin. Otherwise, your space will feel 10x more cluttered. 7) Keep In Mind That Everything Should Pair Well Together Apart from decluttering your space, creating a unified design and color scheme for your living room is one of the most important parts of going minimal. And, while this looks different for everyone, generally speaking, everything in the room should pair well together. This means that each piece – from your couch to the smallest vase – should be simple, classic, and fit in well with the colors of your living room. 8) Repeat Your Mantra: Less is More! When you initially begin to make the transition into simpler living, it can be tough to part with some of your stuff – we get it. Keep in mind that you don’t HAVE to completely get rid of everything, at least not right away. Why not take out some furniture and put it in storage temporarily, or store items in your closet for a week or so? That way you can do a test-run without permanently getting rid of everything. And remember, going minimal is about simplicity – you can always add your stuff back in later, but keep in mind that less is always more.
