Step One: Embrace your inner simplicity
Step Two: Throw away the junk
Step Three: Reap the Benefits
If you want to become a minimalist, it’s a lot easier said than done. In our experience when we’ve tried to be minimalists, some guests have commented on the lack of home that it features. “Where’s all the pictures of your family?”. Going completely minimalist isn’t easy, it requires a certain lack of sentimental value in items and a higher focus on utility. We will say though, it is rewarding. Despite the negative comments, people’s commenting on the cleanliness pans out. Friends of ours that love to keep things clean have offered to sweep because of how little obstacles there are in the home and how it must be rewarding to clean – which it is.
In this blog we’re going to review minimalism and focus on the bedroom. We’re not trying to renovate a whole house here. The bedroom, as a sanctuary for sleep is a great place to transition into minimalism because we think it brings the most rewarding value to the room.
Priorities
To start, you will have to map out your priorities. Minimalism focuses on function. Look around your bedroom right now and decide which items you could live with out. All of those items need to either be thrown out or move to storage. If you can’t decide on anything that should be gone, then maybe minimalism isn’t right for you.
Your room should be so clean of clutter that if you’re looking at anything other than a calming paint color on the walls, it should be so easy to start painting it today that you barely have to move any items. That’s a benefit of minimalism. Change comes naturally.
The Design
Your bed should be the centerpiece for your bedroom. A non-ornate piece of furniture that’s made for sleeping. It may look cold, but it’s purpose will be served. Typical minimalist designs feature wooden bed frames (think Japanese) and may even seem to float. Anything that lends itself to easy cleaning is great. Your bed, while the centerpiece shouldn’t be a focal point of the room beyond it’s largest item.
For storage, you want everything to be out of sight. Built in storage under the bed or inside the closet fit this form perfectly. Yes, you can have a dresser, but it shouldn’t be bulky or invasive or decorative in any way. It should serve it’s purpose and there shouldn’t be an abundance of anything on top of it. One picture frame or sleek candle if necessary is more than enough.
Items like night stands should preferably be attached to the wall so they float and open up the floor underneath. The top, once again should have close to nothing on it, maybe a single lamp if necessary – but you can make this float too.
The Template
You might have a really beautiful water color painting that you want to fit into the room, but if you want to be true to the lifestyle, it’s probably not a great fit. Colors should be muted and calming. Whites and grays and sometimes beiges are permissible. Remember, clean colors are one of the virtues of minimalism. Rather than plain white, which may resemble an insane asylum if used too abundantly, creams and softer whites work best. You don’t want the room to be too unnerving after all.
