- Declutter
First thing’s first! Before you begin your minimalist living room project, you’ll want to declutter the entire room. Keep in mind that less is always, always more – the point of creating a simple living space is to have less stuff. So, if you’re the type to have a ton of small knickknacks and other decorative items around, try to get rid of as much of these decorations as possible. Otherwise, your living room is bound to look and feel more cluttered. Try to keep only the most essential items in your space. Go around the room, consider every object and piece of furniture, and ask yourself if you can live without it. If so, it goes!
2. Think About Scale
Thinking about scale is key when it comes to your simplified living room. For instance, you don’t want to simply toss a bunch of small pieces of furniture into your space. Why? Because this will only make your living room feel more cramped, not less. Mix it up by adding in a couple bigger pieces along with your smaller items. An L-shaped couch is always a great pick since it will both fill out the room nicely AND leave enough space for other pieces of furniture. Just remember that the scale of your room matters – adding in well-placed items of varying shapes and sizes will help to make your room feel more open.
3. Go Green
It’s time to bring the outdoors…indoors! There’s truly nothing like the addition of a few plants to make your living room feel clean and fresh. Sprinkle two or three bright green houseplants around your living room – bonus points if you use chic glass jars or neutral coloured planters. Depending on how much sunlight this room in your home gets, there may be a certain type of plant that would work best. So, head to your local nursery to get some much-needed greenery. You’ll be amazed at how much the addition of a few houseplants can transform a space!
4. Install A Floating Shelf
A floating shelf is a fantastic way to make your living room feel both more organized, and more modern – as opposed to clunky regular shelving. Floating shelves are great for books, a plant or two, and a few well-placed knickknacks. Your space will instantly feel brighter, cleaner, and more contemporary!
5. Consider Your Colour Palette
You could certainly go the all-white route: a cream-coloured couch, bare white walls, and a white rug do have a way of making a room seem brighter and airier – which is why so many people favour this option. If the idea of having an all-white colour scheme makes you nervous (due to having pets or kids, for example), then you could pair a couple pieces of white furniture with more neutral-toned design elements. Adding a couple bright pops of colour (in the form of artwork, a vivid woven rug, or wall accents, for example) in a neutral-toned space is another stylish option. You could also play with different tones and textures, such as using various shades of the same colour for your walls, rug, and other furniture. And, keep in mind that if you have bookshelves in your living room, a little colour coding goes a long way! Organizing your books according to colour is a great way to add some stylish, simple flair to your space. Whatever you decide on, just make sure that you’re considering your overall colour palette and coordinating colours as much as possible – there’s nothing like slashes of too many textures and colours to make a room feel junky.
6. Store Items Out of Sight
Do you have stacks of magazines, bills, and other random items piled up around your living room? While you’re not the only one who’s guilty of this, now’s the time to find a home for these items! Come up with a plan for storing clusters of magazines and other items out of sight, whether that’s in an attractive basket or other type of storage bin. Otherwise, your space will feel 10x more cluttered.
7. Keep in Mind That Everything Should Pair Well Together
Apart from decluttering your space, creating a unified design and colour scheme for your living room is one of the most important parts of going minimal. And, while this looks different for everyone everything in the room should pair well together. This means that each piece – from your couch to the smallest vase – should be simple, classic, and fit in well with the colours of your living room.