Minimalism
Some people love it for its simplicity and straight lines, some people hate it for its cold and boring appearance. But today I just want to explain where the idea of minimalism came from and how it is developed in the interior.
Minimalism as an idea emerged in New York in the early 1960s among artists who were self-consciously renouncing recent art they thought had become stale and academic. A minimalistic interior design has been highly influenced by Japanese traditional design and architecture. However, ideas of clean lines and space simplicity was first defined by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) who adopted the motto “Less is more” to describe his aesthetics. This motto obviously is very applicable to the philosophy of the minimalist style of nowadays.
The concept of minimalist architecture is to strip everything down to its essential quality and achieve simplicity. The idea is not completely without ornamentation, all details, and joineries are considered as reduced to a stage where no one can remove anything further to improve the design
Behind a minimalistic interior is always the impression of extreme simplicity, a desire to simplify this complicated contemporary life and a wish to control the NOW.
Less is more, ok that is clear, but what are the main features of the design?
Planning
One of the most important features of a minimalist design is its functionality. Space should work, the flow of movement inside the interior should be carefully planned. The minimalist space is usually an open plan, uncluttered, Concrete walls are often substituted with walls made of glass (as in the interior by Alberto Campo Baeza) or removed for good. The interior is not trying to hide or separate spaces from each other, but to unite and embrace. Usually, there is plenty of empty space in the room, furniture is either inbuilt or free standing. Sofas and coffee tables are usually placed right in the middle of the room, detached from walls. Large windows with no curtains. Very often there are benches under the window in bedrooms sand living rooms. These benches not only look sleek and give this restful horizontal straight lines but also serve as storage. In the kitchen the kitchen islands are widely used.
Furniture
The less furniture the better. There should be only as much furniture as needed for a space to function. Most of the time, the furniture is bespoke, as there are too many criteria the furniture should meet. It should be all the same height, continue the horizontal line of the space. All the joints should be hidden. As much build-in furniture as possible. The other reason why the bespoke furniture is preferred- is the colour and the material that the furniture should be made of. Every detail should be carefully considered and designed.
Colour Scheme
Generally muted colours are the default of a space, an accent colour or two are added to highlight furniture and other accessories. Marble is often used to add a luxurious look to the space.
Materials
Concrete, wood, paint, leather, cotton — are materials that are mostly used. As you noticed, despite some space might feel too automatic, natural materials are preferred to artificial. The combination of concrete floor, painted walls and light wood is widely used these days to build a restful and warm interior.
Light
Natural light is much appreciated. For this reason, windows are large and not covered with curtains. Accent light is often used during the night time. Many designers prefer to avoid the direct light from the ceiling and they stress on the use of floor and table lamps.
Some examples of stunning Minimalist Designers:
The Japanese minimalist architect, Tadao Ando conveys the Japanese traditional spirit and his own perception of nature in his works. His design concepts are materials, pure geometry and nature. He normally uses concrete or natural wood and a basic structural form to achieve austerity. He also sets up the dialogue between the site and nature to create relationship with the building.
John Pawson is a British minimalist architect; his design concepts are all about soul, light, and order. He believes that though reduced clutter and simplification of the interior to a point that gets beyond the idea of essential quality, there is a sense of clarity and richness of simplicity instead of emptiness. The materials in his design reveal the perception toward space, surface, and volume. Moreover, he likes to use natural materials because of their aliveness, sense of depth and quality of an individual. He is also attracted by the important influences from Japanese Zen Philosophy.
Australian studio BoardGrove recently designed an apartment in Melbourne to look like a gallery, particularly the kitchen — where furniture and fittings appear as art objects.
Check some videos about minimalist Interior Designers and their creations:
