Surprisingly functional, comfortable, subtly aesthetic - this is exactly what the interior of a living room in the minimalist style looks like today. Being the closest relative of high-tech, it demonstrates a unique balance between the sophistication of the environment and the ergonomics of the space. This allows you to recreate rooms in unique decoration, both in spacious country mansions and in modest city apartments. Do you want to live in a house with original modern furnishings? This article is for you!
A bit of history
The year 1917 is considered the year of birth of minimalism. At that time, the Dutch fraternity of artists decided to invite people to look at contemporary art from a completely unexpected side. According to the new concept of the authors, each of their creations is rational. From now on, it carries not so much a semantic as a functional load. The clearness of structures, the impeccable texture of steel came to the fore. A laconic current was ripening in the apartments of New York skyscrapers. There, from the 20th to the 60th year, it absorbed everything radical and learned to plastically adapt to the needs of ordinary people. The style borrowed a lot from Japanese culture. This is clearly visible in minimalist interiors.
Who likes minimalism
How a home is organized can tell a lot about a homeowner. Some need a bright and catchy atmosphere, others need silence and solitude. And what do people with a cold mind strive for? They prefer hi-tech minimalism in the living room of Japanese interiors. They are quite comfortable in the company of glass, metal and mats. They are not afraid of the alienation of the situation and its decorative asceticism.
Characteristic stylistic features
Despite its tendency to some asceticism, minimalism has managed to become one of the most fashionable trends in interior design today. He is strict to the details, and thanks to this, one hundred percent recognizable. The characteristic features of the style are:
- Maximum open space.
- An abundance of light.
- Monochrome finish palette and its naturalness.
- Virtually no decor.
- Line clarity.
- Super functionality environment.
- Perfect order.
In general, if you want to get a minimalist atmosphere in the hall, make it spacious and flooded with light. Adjust or change finishes. Remove everything that seems superfluous to you: carpets from the walls, pouffes and chests of drawers, sideboards sawn with dishes, bulky curtains. Allocate a place for each thing and strictly ensure that it does not leave it, and nothing is added to the interior just like that. It's not all that complicated, is it?
Leading colors
“In the photo, a living room in the style of minimalism may seem to someone too restrained in colors, but its interior cannot be called boring in any way”
The possibility of filigree combinations, even if only monochrome colors allowed by the canons, will allow you to create interior concepts that satisfy the interior features of any premises.
In the photo, a living room in the style of minimalism may seem to someone too restrained in colors, but its interior cannot be called boring.
The most spacious room in the house is usually reserved for the living room, which will be further helped by the light background of the decoration.The following colors characteristic of the direction will be able to recreate the appropriate atmosphere in the room:
- steel;
- White;
- ash grey;
- beige;
- sand;
- pale ocher;
- light brick.
Dark tones should be used as accents.
An excellent effect will be produced by adding light strokes of brown paint, graphite and deep black to the main color. The main thing here is not to disturb the harmony of proportions and not to turn the finished surfaces into a patchwork, where colors literally fight for the right to dominate their neighbor. The timeless classic of minimalism is the duo of black and white, so if you don’t know where to stop, choose this win-win option. How such minimalism looks like in the living room, see the photo.
Decoration Materials
The modesty of the furnishings and decor in minimalism is not a reason to think that decorating the interior of the living room in this vein will be inexpensive. This decision will seem economical only until you understand that the main emphasis when choosing all consumables is on their quality, and not on cost. Let's start with the fact that the main finishing material in such environments is wood, and not veneer, but a natural array. And wooden in a minimalist living room will be not only the floor and furniture. It can be sheathed walls and decorated ceilings. It is convenient to mask communications and wiring with wooden panels.
To the brilliance of gloss and polish, it is worth adding the coldness of sparkling glass and metal structures, the monumentality of masonry, the flickering of mirrors. These elements will create an aura of strict luxury inherent in the style.
A good solution would be to decorate the interior with brickwork or a patch of smooth cement plaster. On the floor, you can put porcelain stoneware or lay unpretentious colors carpet.
The main features of the design of the living room in the style of minimalism
As already mentioned, saving on materials for minimalism is unacceptable, so all surfaces must be finished immediately to the highest standard.
Ceiling
Regardless of the style in which the hall is supposed to be decorated, its decoration must be carried out from top to bottom. The ceiling will be the first surface to be cleaned up. It can remain classically white or complemented by a discreet restrained pattern. The construction of suspended and tension type structures is allowed in minimalism. The surface of the ceiling can be either single-level or multi-tiered, with a disguised lighting system, but without kinks in the complexity of the arrangement. Only clear lines and smooth corners.
The question of the color of the finish remains open. Leave the ceiling in light colors or make it dark, fragmentarily decorate with a pattern - only you decide. When making a decision, remember that in minimalism the appearance of bright ornaments is unacceptable, but a monochrome print will fit just right. How ceiling minimalism looks like in the interior of the living room, look at the photo.
Walls
Their surface must be perfectly smooth and monochrome in color. You can decide for yourself which way to arrange them. The choice of material texture is not limited by anything. Today it is fashionable to use liquid wallpaper or for painting, embossed plaster and Wall panels. The latter are better to take wooden, bamboo or cork. You can decorate the walls under smooth concrete. Such monochrome surfaces, without any decor, will be the perfect background solution for creating a minimalist interior composition.
Floor
Since the living room is an actively visited room, and not only by the owners, the floor in the room should also be done with an emphasis on practicality. In the standard version, the floors are finished with a plain wooden board, but today the owners increasingly prefer its imitation. In favor: dark shades laminate, linoleum, trendy porcelain stoneware.The carpet imitating a mat looks good. See how chic the modest forms of furniture for the living room in the minimalist style look on the photo against their background.
The final touch in the floor decor will be a miniature carpet thrown in the center of the room.
Lighting
“The living room in the style of minimalism does not accept chandeliers”
Access to natural light in a minimalist interior should be provided by large, preferably panoramic windows, so if possible, increase window openings. When ordering metal-plastic structures, do not focus on a snow-white profile, it will look boring. Today, the window can be made in very interesting colors. Frames imitating the texture of stone or wood will perfectly fit into a minimalist environment. This choice is also supported by the fact that in minimalism it is not customary to curtain windows, so that curtains in the window area are not expected. If you really can’t do without them, then try to use roll-type structures or Roman curtains.
In the evening, artificial light will solve the issues of illumination of the space. Do not forget that a minimalist living room does not accept chandeliers. Here it is necessary to create soft lighting by embedding lamps in the ceiling, cornices and furniture. Of the ceiling lights, it is allowed to use lamps with spherical shades.
Textile
For minimalism, its abundance is a bad form. Abundant fabric decor is more relevant in country than in such a purely urban direction. Even if the living room, finished in a minimalist style, is the territory of a private house, it should be rid of traditional tablecloths, furniture covers, sofas, and lace napkins. In a minimalist interior, they will be superfluous and add a touch of negligence, which is conceptually unacceptable.
Minimalism: living room furniture
The interior is characterized by the shine of glossy surfaces, so preference should be given to polished sets, without all sorts of decorative frills, such as inlays and carvings. But the abundance of glass and mirror elements in the design opposite is welcome. Transparent cabinet doors and a countertop will add airiness to the space and make the room even brighter. How the wall in the living room of the minimalist style should look like, our photos will tell you.
To furnish the room, you need to choose only the most necessary items, without which the normal functioning of the hall is impossible. Yes, and they will need to be arranged so that as many voids as possible remain. More than one original style with centuries-old traditions contributed to the formation of minimalism, among which was the Japanese direction. It was he who shared the tradition of using low, rectangular-shaped furniture in everyday life, so often the company of a sofa and armchairs without legs is an undersized table. Carefully hide in the minimalist interior of the living room and household appliances. It is removed in niches, masked with facades. Nothing should betray her presence in the room, neither the dim glow of a silent TV screen, nor power wires and other communications. Cabinets, hidden shelves, all kinds of modules are equipped for storing things.
For all furniture, the strictness of forms and practicality are required. Soft corners are no exception. In their design there should be drawers where things of various purposes could be folded, universal armrests. Make sure that the latter are wide, then they will cope with the role of a coffee table. On such an armrest, not only a cup of coffee will fit, but also a lamp, a favorite book and other little things. You can see the design of furniture for the living room in the minimalist style in the photo.
With regards to the design of armchairs / sofas. They have no problems with the texture of the upholstery. It can be both textile and leather. You need to be careful only with the choice of color and pattern.
A great solution would be to purchase transforming furniture in the living room. For example, a dining table could easily be transformed into a work area, and the bed could be hidden behind a niche door.
Trendy cubic chairs arranged around a square tabletop will look stylish.
Additional interior accessories
The key to the authenticity of the style and its preservation as an original trend is the practical absence of decor. The effectiveness of a simple interior should be given by the absolute orderliness of everything that appears and the complete rejection of cute decoration. The same meager part of the accessories, which nevertheless appears in everyday life, should be at least rationally useful for those who are in the room.
After reviewing the gallery of photos of the living room in the style of minimalism, we can conclude that symmetry is acceptable in the decoration. Pairs of stylishly designed floor vases or eye-catching sculptures can act as functional decor. Retro photos and paintings in a futuristic design are relevant on the walls. When placing them, one must also not forget about proportionality.
If you wish, you can decorate the floor in the room. The decoration will be a plain carpet, the color solution of which can both echo the general background solution and conflict with it.
Minimalism in the design of a small living room
Minimalist living room interior designs can be completely different, which makes them suitable for decorating rooms of any size. However, although the main function of the style is to expand the space, in fact, squares can be sorely lacking. To create the illusion of spaciousness, they resort to such tricks as expanding window openings, redevelopment of housing. A good result will be the addition of a glazed loggia to the living room area. You can consider the issue of disassembling interior partitions. Depending on the idea, they are removed partially or completely. If it is necessary to zone the space, instead of the usual walls, you can use mobile and stationary sliding partitions. These designs will help to separate a corner for children's games, work, study, and create an extra bed. A photo of the interior of the living room in the style of minimalism after such redevelopment can be found on the Internet.
Fireplace in a minimalist living room
Is it realistic to squeeze such an element into such a modest space? Quite. A small room is not a sentence. In a modest setting, there is always a corner for a bio-fireplace or its electric and gas counterparts. All these devices are distinguished by compactness and attractive design. Carried away by fitting into the interior of the fireplace, do not forget to ensure high-quality ventilation of the room.
Adding a fireplace to the living room will be a festive event in itself, and if you also fix a TV above it, then the accent zone of the room will not let go of your eyes.
Conclusion
Minimalism in the living room is a modest laconic interior. It has restraint of emotions and functionality. The style was generated by the lack of furniture, the high cost of finishing materials. Today, this direction has a completely different interpretation. It has become a fashionable trend based on the rejection of excessive luxury. Style teaches to feel harmonious and surrounded by a small number of things.
A living room in a modern minimalist style is not just a realm of order and free space. This is a territory of psychological unloading, giving the opportunity to change your worldview and at least for a while to turn away from the full hustle and bustle of life in order to think about some more important things.
