How to Decorate like a Minimalist

Even if you don't make any other changes to your home, this one simple step will go a long way towards reducing clutter and pushing your living space more towards the realm of minimalism. Shelves, tables, and other places where photos, artwork and knick-knacks are present, represent opportunities to create eye-catching visual displays. But, having too much on display just creates a cluttered mess with no lines for the eye to follow. Instead of stretching the limits of your display spaces, cut back and place only one or two cherished and bold items on each display area. In addition to creating a more interesting visual, you'll also thank yourself profusely when it's time to clean.

If you settle on just a couple of bold colors and maintain that choice throughout a room or even your entire home, it's much easier to project a minimalist feel. Some of the most popular color choices for minimalist decorators include neutral tones with metallic accents. For a strikingly minimalist home, it's hard to beat the clean lines and aesthetic created by white walls, light floors and furniture, and neutral appliances and other accents.

For many homeowners, the urge to fill blank spaces on their walls or their floors can be overwhelming. After all, if there's room, something needs to go there, right? But as graphic designers will be quick to point out, white space—or negative space—can be a highly effective way of drawing the eye's attention to the strongest parts of a design. Leaving breathing room on your walls and your floor not only reduces clutter and makes your home seem bigger, but it also goes a long way toward contributing to a minimalist design feel.

If there's one thing that's common across many minimalist living spaces, it's the preference for one or two large pieces of furniture over several smaller pieces. That means a large sectional couch instead of a small sofa, love seat, and chair combination, all vying for the same space. A bold piece of artwork that dominates a wall, or even an entire room, can be much more impactful than a wall full of pieces. Although going "big" may seem like the opposite of minimalist philosophy, it actually consolidates your available space and reduces the feeling of clutter that can occur when too many small items are placed in one area.

Minimalism depends on clean lines and sleek surfaces, and that's a difficult aesthetic to create when your home is full of small items that could be stored out of sight. Magazines, books, remotes, tablets, kitchen appliances, and clothing can all accumulate quickly and dash your hopes of creating a minimalist home. Finding a place for everything you own is vital for maintaining the sleek lines necessary to have a truly minimalist home—and if you don't have storage for those things, consider donating them or giving them to friends and family.

Despite the "less is better" philosophy of minimalism, it's still important to have blinds or shades on your windows. Having sleek, low-profile, and built-in looking window treatments creates even cleaner lines in your home and gives your windows a more uniform and matte appearance. At Blindster, we offer a wide variety of low-profile window coverings, including our Premium Light Filtering Roller Shades, our Cordless Blackout Single Cellular Shades, and our classic 1" Aluminum Blinds. Take advantage of our cordless lift options and inside mount installation process to further enhance the minimalist design of these shades.

Ready to start shopping for new window treatments?  Blindster.com can help you every step of the way with free color samples and expert advise.  Whatever your decorating style, we have the right blinds, shades and shutters for you!