Practical Minimalismfor everyday living

Practical minimalism

for ever yday living

Minimalism is a perennial influence in the world of interior design, something lots of us aspire to, and something some of us find a bit daunting.

With our busy modern lives and our homes increasingly being used asworkplaces and classrooms, the idea of clear surfaces, monotone neutrals and sleek linescan seem quite liberating. Thenyou might think about children’stoys and schoolbags, masses of laundry,laptops, phone chargersand all those memosyou have stucktoassorted surfaces and decide minimalism is not foryou.

Thegood news is theconcept of minimalism in our homes isevolving. It no longer needsto meanstark white on white, de-personalised spaces.You canadapt theconceptsof minimalismtosuityoureveryday lifestyle, tocreatevibrant functional, liveable spaces that still feature your favourite things, and are relaxingtobe in.

Chooseyour space Ifa minimalist approachtoyour home decor and designisa change of directionfor you, it’s probably agood idea to focus ona single space tobegin withtoavoid becoming overwhelmed.

A home office could be agoodplace to start as it’sa confined space, andyou should be able toseea greatresultfor less effort thanyou might need ina master bedroom, kitchenorliving area. Anensuite or laundry can be satisfying place tostart, or even just abenchtop or cabinet that needs to have some orderrestored.

Generally speaking,starting with a smaller space that is usedbyfewer people isa good choice.You have areasonablyconfined space towork with asyou getyour minimalist design ideasrefined andyou don’t have to juggle the requirements of toomanyfamily members!

The nextstep istothink about the main function ofyour chosen space and who will use it. From there start planning out what you need in the space, what youwant ittolook like, and how you will bring the two together.

Havinga plan iskey tokeeping truetoyour minimalist vision while making sure it fits with your life!

Adopt the mindset Tobegin with, movingtoa minimalist interior will seem as though it’s as much as decluttering as it is about design. It’s become quite entwined with our desire to live more sustainably and just have less“stuff”.

It’swhystarting witha smaller spaceis a goodidea, soyou’renot havingtomake too many hard decisionsatonce about what to keep, donateor dispose of.

It’s also importanttorememberyou’renot designing a show home.Liveableminimalism isn’t about removing all traces of youandyour family fromyour home. It’s about simplifying your spaces, and makingconsidered deliberatechoices about what you need and want, andhow to workthose things into a space youwanttobe in.

Whenyou’reconsidering howtocreate a warm minimalistspace consider some ofthese designprinciples: • Connectwith nature.Leafy greenplants will softenthe edges ofa white or neutral background. But also think about woodgrains, whichcould bestained in

Resene Colorwood Whitewash or Resene

Colorwood Natural. • Addtexture andpattern.Adda design with

Resenewallpaper, re-cover cushions in soft cottons,wooland linens, andmix textures soyoureye is drawntotheminimalitems you addtoyourspace. • Qualityover quantity. This isreally at the heart of anyminimalist design. Heroa few key pieces ofyourfavourite decorthat have meaning.

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Storage,storage, storage Storage is reallykey tobeabletomaintaina practicalminimalist style in yourfamilyhome, particularlyifyou have children,petsorother housemates.Thesecrettohavingcleanlines andclutter free surfaces,istohave aplaceto store allthose life necessitiesandtoput those thingsbackinthat place.

Itcan take abitofplanningand forethought, particularly if your home is not naturallyblessed withvastareas of storage. Mineyourhomefor previously untappedareas ofstorage -underbeds,roofspaces,underthe house,extra wardrobeshelving.

Alsolookatthe furniture youhave, and how it mightbebetterutilisedfor storage. Could that setofdrawers filledwith old babyclothes,berepurposedtostore work essentialsandspare batteries?

You might findyou needtobuynew or upcycledcabinetsfor additionalstorage. There’s no minimalistrule that says you mustn't buynew thingstoadd to your space.Instead,it’sabout taking aconsidered approachtowhatyou addtoyourspace,the purposeitserves andwhatitbringstoyour overalldesign.Yourstorage canevenbecome thehero conversationpieceinyourspace.

Top tip:Findingadditionalstorage canmake it temptingtohangontothingsyou “mightneed inthefuture”. As a generalrule,ifyou haven’t usedsomethinginfive yearsyou’reprobably not goingtouseitinthenextfive.Whenit comestoclothes- if youhaven’twornitina yearconsiderupcycling,donatingorgifting.

Theplace forcolour Minimalismisnolongerdefinedbya slightly chilly,white-centriccolour palette.Instead it’s aboutkeepingtoa simplecolourpalette that still embracesnaturaltones, butstill has roomfor thecoloursyou loveandreflect your householdpersonality.

Greenisa popularcolouramong minimalists, becauseitworkswiththe traditionalbackdropofwhitewith palewoods toaddfreshnessand life.Try teamingResene CaperorReseneSushi withReseneAlabaster wallsandwoodfeaturesstainedinResene ColorwoodDriftwood.

You couldputa warmer spinon thisScandiinfluence idea by optingfor adarker green like ReseneBushwithdarkertimberstainedin ReseneColorwoodTeak.

Tomoveinto less traditionalminimalist territory,try amonochromepalette that includesthreetofourshades of asimilar colour.Keeptoa naturalthemedpalette with sunbakedearthyshadeslike ReseneTwizel thenadddecordetailinthe palerpeachof ReseneBeethoven andboldernotes inResene Crailthenfinishwith trim in a warmwhite like ReseneQuarterSpanish White.

Tosimplifythiscolourapproacheven further, choosea full strengthResenecolour anduse itindifferentplacesinits different strengthsfromaneighthalltheway through todoubleoreventriple. Forexample,ifyou wanteda grey-huedroom,try ReseneStack onyourwalls,witha hero furnitureitemin ReseneDouble Stack, anddecor itemsin ReseneQuarterStack. AddtrimsinResene Alabaster to pull everythinginto focus, andif yourminimalist aestheticallows,youcould throwina popofgoldenReseneHot Toddy orburntorange ReseneKamikaze to hero a certainobject or furniture item.

Yourpalette anddesignare still minimalist,butyou’ve addedwarmth, personalityand drama. Top tip:Choosinga hero item foreach minimalist spaceyou create,can helprefine therestofyourchoicesincolouranddesign.It couldbeanobject or piece of art, a wallpapered feature wall or an item of furniture.Keep everythingfocusedonshowcasingthat piece andyourchoiceswillbecomemore minimalist asothers piecesfallaway. Make your hero item somethingthat reallyspeakstoyou or is partof yourfamilyhistoryandwon’t date.

For helpgetting startedwithyour decoratingproject,aska Reseneexpert atyourlocalResene ColorShoporonthe Resene website withthe free ReseneAsk a ColourExpertservice,www.resene.co.nz/ colourexpert. View hundredsofdecorating ideasfromotherhomeowners online, www.habitatbyresene.co.nz.