Minimalism has become the Zen Buddhism of interior design. Whether you call it Marie Kondo, feng sui, or house fasting, it’s sending homeowners into a decluttering frenzy. You are your environment. The clutter in your home clutters up your mind, but it also causes problems on a more practical level. Do you ever feel as though you have to hunt for everything you need? All of that searching uses up energy that could be better spent on more important pursuits. Minimalism isn’t as easy to achieve as you might think, though, particularly in terms of storage. All those bookshelves and closets will need to be pared down, so where do you put your possessions? Let’s find out how to achieve a minimalist style interior design. If minimal living inspires you to scale back your possessions, our guide to downsizing your home walks you through the practical steps of making the transition.
Top Tips to Declutter and Achieve a Minimalist Home
Minimalism is less forgiving than other kinds of decorating. It requires every furnishing to perform several jobs at once. The fewer workers there are in a factory, the more tasks each employee must do to keep the space functional, and the same applies to minimalist interior design. The less furniture you use, the more work each piece must perform. You’ll need storage solutions that contribute to your space without cluttering it up. With a little creativity and a lot of thought, you’ll soon create an interior worthy of Marie Kondo herself. For those who want to extend minimalist principles beyond the home, our advice on decluttering your workspace covers how to create a cleaner, more focused environment at work too.
Decide What to Throw Out
The Marie Kondo decluttering method requires you to reassess your priorities. It suggests you discard everything that you don’t cherish or use. If you’re uncertain about an item, put it in a box to reassess in six months’ time. Every item that you keep in your home should give you a thrill, so pay attention to how you feel when you hold it. When you do decide to relocate to a smaller space, our step-by-step guide to packing books for a move will help you protect and organise your library efficiently. If you are preparing to downsize or clear out before embracing a minimal home, our professional packing help makes the process far simpler.
Use Hidden Storage
If you’re designing a minimalist space, you’ll need to include minimalist storage solutions. Get creative with your hidden space. Your bed base can double as a set of pull-out drawers. Your stairs are opportunities for more pull-out storage. Buy an upholstered storage bench and find creative ways to disguise the possessions you don’t want to display. Even your headboard can be transformed into a pull-out closet. There are infinite opportunities to hide your clutter if you think creatively. Families embracing a simpler lifestyle will also find our guide to moving house with children useful for managing the transition while keeping disruption to a minimum. For appliances you decide to rotate out of your home during a declutter, our detailed guide to storing a washing machine properly will help you keep it in working order.
Make Your Kitchen Seamless
Decluttering isn’t merely about storage. You’ll also need to minimise your use of lines and texture. Fortunately, minimalist cabinetry is on-trend. Seamless closet doors can cover your existing cabinets, stoves, and refrigerator to limit visual clutter. This is a great opportunity to exploit your vertical space. Consider lengthening your cabinets or adding hidden shelving above them. If your plans to downsize happen quickly, our last-minute moving and storage service can step in at short notice to handle the heavy lifting for you. For anything you are keeping but not displaying, our guide to fragile decor in storage explains how to protect delicate pieces safely.
Experiment with Container Systems
Modular shelving is hot right now, and it’s as useful as it is fashionable. Create storage modules out of vertically-stacked wooden boxes. There’s no cheaper way to use up all that valuable wall space. If that creates too much clutter, consider adding a sheer glass cabinet front. When paring down your kitchen to only the essentials, our guide to packing plates and glasses for moving or storage will help you protect the pieces you keep.
Raise your Living Room
Living room minimal interior design is easy when you stop limiting your flooring options. If you have an open plan home, you can add height to your living room by raising it on a hidden storage system. Packing drawers or cabinets beneath your furniture will help unify your living areas. It’s also cheaper than you think, particularly if you’re handy with wood — though it’s worth checking whether your project requires building regulations approval before you start. If you’d rather build in the opposite direction, a sunken lounge design comes with just as much storage if you build closets underneath your floors. Choosing the right neighbourhood is also part of the minimal lifestyle, and our guide to affordable areas in London highlights where renters get the most space for their money.
Don’t Ignore Your Closet Doors
If you think you’ve used up all your closet space, think again. The inside of your cabinet and closet doors is an opportunity for extra hanging space. Install crown moulding for your shoes and hang hampers from your doors or closet walls. Glue clothespins and binder clips onto vertical spaces for storing towels, cords, and cutlery. Hide your dustbins in your pull-out cabinets and use shower curtain rings to hang your clothes. Even the inside of your desk creates new storage opportunities. Add invisible shelving for hard drives and other tech tools that usually clutter up your workspace. Minimalism extends to outdoor spaces too, and our step-by-step guide to clearing a garden shed or relocating it can help you reclaim your garden.
Consider Using Removals & Storage Experts
All of your decluttering will leave you with more trash than you might expect. That creates an entirely new problem. Items like tech trash, steel, and large containers will need specialist attention — you can use your local council’s recycling collection service for some items, but arranging the many appropriate removals can really eat up your time. Leave the heavy lifting to us. As Removal & Storage Experts, we’ll take care of the tough jobs so that you don’t have to. We’re packing experts who can even take care of large items. We make light work of pianos and removable closets. Too tired to pack? Then leave it to our packing service. We’ll declutter your schedule in a tick. Visit us for a free quote. Minimal living often begins with a fresh start, and our practical guide to moving out of your parents home covers every step of setting up your first independent space.
