Minimalism: The Interior Design Trend Of The Moment.

Reflecting the age of austerity, the latest trend in interior design taps into the national zeitgeist. Fabulous, ostentaious glamour is out, and minimal, understated, clean elegance is in. At www.furnshings-direct.co.uk we are dedicated to helping you decorate your home to a great standard, and this includes helping you navigate our products in relation to trends. Thus: minimalism.

As a result of the financial crisis, it is only normal to question what we need in our lives. This expunging of the old and desire for something simple and new leads to several key looks:

Sleek, Straight Lines: When done wrong this look makes your house seem like a horrible clinic from the future, very cold and stark. However, when done right the room looks sleek, sharp and sexily modern. In a kitchen or bathroom this is easily achieved through very straight edged fittings. In a lounge or bedroom, which doesn’t necessarily have fittings,  however, how can we bring this trend into our homes? The lounge is simply done through furniture like coffee tables and shelving. Sofas too can be considered in a minimal manner for this look. In the bedroom too, declutter fittings and replace with minimal, straight ones.

Natural Colour Scheme: This look is very easy to achieve in any room. A pallette of whites, beiges and tasteful browns can ensure your room looks modern and stylish and these colours all compliment one another very well. That is not to say that bolder colours like stark white, bold red, or deep black cannot be used, but these should be offset stylishly. The key here is not to avoid boldness, but to make bolder designs look quieter and more understated. Whatever your colour scheme, it should be adhered to when buying furniture, fittings and accessories too.  These natural coloured bathroom towels, for example, fit in perfectly with the minimal aesthetic.

Storage and Clutter: Minimal does tend to mean tidy (and that doesn’t include organised mess!), so ample storage is needed in any room. The trick, however, is to make the storage not clutter the room itself. We have already discussed furniture above but with regards to beds and tables etc., the minimal way can tend to focus around modern looking designs, meaning storage is not always possible. Thus, clever boxes like these, that fold flat for easy storage, are perfect. The trick is innovative use of space, in our example the boxes fold away when not in use and so don’t uneccessarily clutter the room.

So thats 3 simple tips for bringing minimalism into your home. A simple maxim that helps is ‘less is more’!