Minimalist Interior Design Ideas for A Tranquil Home In Singapore
Minimalism and ‘less is more’ has been the trending mantra for interior designers and homeowners alike for the last few years. It is human nature to be as close to simple and slow life as possible. The concept revolves around simple, clean lines, and stripping everything to its basic form in an uncluttered space. With monochromatic hues focussing on the shape and texture of only a few essential elements, a minimalist design is all about functionality and serenity. A calm space helps clear one’s mind and focus on the essentials, away from the chaos and stressors of our daily routine.
Moreover, minimalism can allow you to live a sustainable life where you value everyone’s well-being and reduce waste from our planet to play your part towards a greener and more sustainable world. For this reason and many others, minimalist interior designs are popular choices among homeowners in Singapore and abroad.
However, there is a fine line between an interior being a welcoming minimalist abode and one that is dull and boring. To help create the former, we must have a clear understanding of what minimalism in interior design and architecture is about, its basic elements and characteristics, and other dos and don'ts that must be kept in mind while designing a minimalist home.
Discover more interior design ideas if you have not decided on the style of your home.
Minimalism in Architecture
When we talk about minimalism in interior design, it constitutes minimalism not just in the interior setting and decoration of the house, but also in the architecture. On the one hand in a minimalist interior, there is furniture that is purposeful with simple art and unstimulating elements, on the other hand, minimalist architecture constitutes streamlined structures and reductive elements. Moreover, ornamentation or decoration is almost negligible in minimalist architecture.
Furthermore, with the rising awareness regarding sustainability and the well-being of the human race, minimalist architecture focuses on the principles of sustainability and functionality. Ergonomics also plays a key role in defining the forms and structures in minimalist architectures. Once the minimalist architecture has been set in place, the next step is to create a minimalist interior design.
What Is Minimalistic Interior Design?
The concept of minimalism as a lifestyle choice is familiar to most people, and it can be extended to other fields like architecture and interior design as discussed above. Minimalist interior design is a reductive approach centred around living with the bare essentials. With a focus on keeping things simple, minimalistic living spaces integrate functionality and aesthetics to create a soothing and timeless environment. The smart use of light, structure and simple elements that are essential and focused on functionality is the true essence of a minimalist interior design. The next section discusses the key elements and characteristics of a minimalist design that must be kept in mind while designing a welcoming and calm minimalist abode.
Elements of Minimalist Design
A minimalist interior design focuses on perfect lines and structures that communicate with each other. The elements are connected together through geometric patterns and lines and intelligent lighting that makes the space welcoming and serene. Some key features of a minimalist home include:
Monochromatic Colour Scheme
The colour palettes of minimalistic interiors often comprise neutral shades that are easy on the eyes. Soft tones of beige, brown, white, black and grey help to lighten the surroundings to achieve consistency with nature. One misconception about a minimalist space is that it looks lifeless and boring given its colour scheme. While it is true that this design features a monochromatic palette, colors are used as accents to bring about a welcoming and bright ambience. These selected accents can be used to liven up the space by introducing pops of color.
To invoke a sense of fun and conviviality in the home, the homeowners of this BTO unit at Sengkang West chose a pastel abstract artwork as the bedroom’s centrepiece, contrasting the white and brown tones of the room. If you own a BTO flat, you may consider getting an HDB BTO renovation package instead.
Clean Lines And Sleek Functionality
A guiding principle of minimalism in interior design is that form and function go hand in hand. Appearance-wise minimalism can be achieved in the interior by using simple furniture with clean, straight lines, geometric shapes, and smooth curves. Avoid using complicated furniture with engravings and intricate details as they take away the essence of minimalism. Moreover, every piece of furniture sitting in the room should be more than a decorative accessory; it must add value to the space and function in relation to other fixtures in the house. The functionality of minimalistic design makes it a very good option in condo interior designs. Check out our condominium interior design ideas for more inspiration for your next condo renovation.
Open And Well-lit Spaces
Minimalism in interior design is often achieved by incorporating an open floor plan in your HDB or condominium. In addition to this openness, lots of natural light coming in through large, full-length windows and sheer curtains also helps create serenity and calmness in a minimalist home.
Apart from maximising the amount of natural light entering the home, artificial light is equally important in a minimalist home. This explains why white is a popular colour of choice because it makes each room feel more spacious and relaxing.
With sheer curtains and multiple lighting fixtures installed, the 4 Room HDB interior design in Compassvale Lane keeps the living room aglow with mellow and homely vibes. A well-lit space always gives off a capacious and comforting feeling that will help your guests feel at home. If you live in a condominium in Singapore, you may also consider getting a condo renovation package from us.
Focal Points in Rooms
Another important element of a minimalist interior design is to create focal points in each room. These focal points could be anything from center pieces to furniture to decorative items. The idea of these focal points is to grab the viewer’s eye so that they see how well the other elements of the room complement the focal point and each other.
A large painting on one wall of the room could be the focal point while other elements in the room could be simple and neutral. Since the main color theme in a minimalist design is subdued and neutral, you can even choose one bold painting or centerpiece for the focal point. However, if the room already has small pops of color, it is better to stick to a neutral palette for the focal point.
Absence of Unnecessary Adornments
One thing you’ll find when you step into a minimalist space is that there are little to no decorative elements. Even if there are a few decorative items, they are simple and neutral so as not to appear too much for the eyes. This can be also helpful for the elderly or people with common knee injuries, whereby they may trip and fall over unnecessary furniture. The minimalism mantra strays away from clutter because it can be noisy and distracting. To tackle this, storage options are aplenty for such homes to keep things out of view.
This resale HDB interior design at Ang Mo Kio is a calm haven that embodies elements of a well-designed and uncomplicated space. Knick-knacks are kept to a minimum, stowing away less-used items in the TV rack to keep the space neat and elegant.
Deliberate Use of Variety in Forms And Textures
Minimalistic homeowners tend to strive for a balance between simplicity and sophistication, where the latter is unravelled through a strategic choice of variety. Be it colour, finishing or material, mixing up these design elements in the home is a way to make it feel warm and inviting. This variety in forms and textures also helps create a lively environment which otherwise can become too dull and boring in a neutral color palette.
To add a stylish touch to bare-boned dining tables and chairs, why not clothe them with a patterned table runner and throw pillows? Consistent with the monochromatic theme, the family of this Anchorvale condominium unit handpicked the duotone houndstooth fabric to match the minimalistic theme of the home.
If you’d like to find more Scandinavian interior design ideas, feel free to check out our article.
Declutter and create order in the space
Minimalistic homes boast a decluttered space and are all about neatness and order. There is a place for everything in such a home with the aim of creating a clean, decluttered space and all other extra stuff stowed away in storage. Moreover, all elements in a room are arranged in an orderly fashion and with simple patterns. Neutral and monochrome geometric patterns can be used in form and decor to create order and elegance in a minimalist space.
Benefits of Minimalism in design
Minimalism is all about simplicity and spaciousness. But apart from these apparent benefits, how can minimalist design be beneficial to homeowners? Some of the advantages that you can achieve through a minimalist design are discussed below:
A blank canvas
A neutral color palette serves as a bare canvas where you can create magnificent interiors by adding core colors and patterns into the design. Bolder colors can be used to create accents on neutral shades, thus transforming the space into a piece of magnificent art. Moreover, a blank canvas also gives you greater options for experimenting with various other design elements to create the perfect serene abode for yourself.
Spaciousness
Since a minimalist design is all about simplicity and uncluttered areas, it offers greater spaciousness and openness. This creates a spacious environment even in a small HDB or condo. With essential features like open floor design, lots of natural and artificial light, and uncluttered areas, this interior design boasts lively, yet simple ambiences.
Less clutter corresponds to less maintenance
To keep things simple and clutter-free, minimalist interiors comprise very less, simple furniture and other adornments. The lesser and simpler the furniture and other elements, the lesser will be its maintenance effort and cost. This advantage makes this interior design a popular choice for homeowners.
Relaxing ambience
The neutral and subdued shades of the minimalist style correspond to tranquillity and serenity. These neutral palettes with various textures and forms create a relaxing ambience in the space to create the perfect relaxing environment in your home where you can leave your stresses behind.
Lots of storage space
A minimalist design also features lots of storage space since the visible areas need to stay uncluttered, therefore lots of storage areas are provided to stow away all the extra stuff. Since no amount of storage space is too much, this advantage seems very promising and attractive for homeowners.
Can easily create luxury
Although in a minimalist design, things are kept as simple as possible, it does not mean that you cannot add a few luxurious elements to the interior. Moreover, this option is quite cost-effective since you just have to invest in one luxurious element to create luxury in your space instead of spending on many luxurious elements like you would in other types of modern luxurious interior design styles.
Challenges of Minimalist designs
There are certain challenges when it comes to incorporating a minimalist design into your home. The biggest challenge is to create a warm and welcoming environment in such an interior that is dominated by neutral and dull colors. To overcome this challenge, several shades and tints of colors are combined with varying textures to create a dynamic atmosphere. For example, you can choose a neutral color of gray or beige as the main color and add several textures in the room in these shades. The drapes could be plush velvet, the upholstery can be woollen, and the rug can be distressed shaggy.
Another challenge in minimalist designs is to add just the right amount of elements so that the space is neither too simple nor too cluttered and offers just the right amount of functionality. You have to define that line where everything is functional and balances each other.
Should I Go For A Minimalistic Interior Design For My Home?
Home renovation in Singapore is a major decision to be made, and can often leave homeowners in a quandary on the overall design theme of their new nest. Here are some things to think about before making the choice of minimalism design at home:
Finding Joy in Decluttering
If you enjoy the process of deep cleaning and decluttering the space around you, then the minimalistic theme is made for you. It doesn’t have to be extreme or hardcore, where regular massive clean-outs must be done to purge all clutter out of the home. You don't need to cave into the coveted standards of emptiness; keeping your home neat and tidy to your standards is more than enough.
Thinking Twice (or Thrice) Before Making A Purchase
As the minimalist home is a sacred living space, it’s good to be deliberate about your buys. Asking yourself a few questions before deciding to add a potential furniture piece to your home is a good way to achieve minimalism at home. Consider the item’s long-term appeal and whether a dedicated space has been carved out for it in your home before clicking the check-out button. There are always packages for interior design that are worth your money but remember, that it’s quality over quantity.
Pro-tip: Think about how the item would fit in with the overall theme of the house, be it in terms of colour or texture. The homeowners of this condominium unit in Pasir Ris Link ensured that their foldable chairs were in a complementary wood finishing with their wall cabinets and coffee table. If you want more inspiration or high-quality fixed items for your kitchen, check out our kitchen renovation package or kitchen and 2 toilet renovation package for more details.
Certainty on semi-permanent decisions
Storage is king when it comes to creating the perfect minimalist home, which is why homeowners need to discuss a game plan for smart, organised storage solutions with their contractors during the early stages of the resale renovation process. This could mean committing to built-in cabinetry or hacking away certain walls, which could be difficult and expensive to reinstate if you change your mind.
Pro-tip: In order to maximise space in your master bedroom, sliding wardrobes can double as mirrors so you don’t have to pay for a separate standing mirror that eats into precious space. This BTO unit in Buangkok Crest felt that this space-saving renovation idea freed up more room for walking.
Now that you are well-equipped with the essentials of minimalism at home, you are ready to start the transformation of your living space into a peaceful refuge.
Creating a Welcoming Minimalist Home
To create a perfectly warm and welcoming minimalist home for yourself and your guests, it is important to focus on each and every room and keep all the essential elements of this design style in mind while decorating them. Below are some of the pointers that you would need to know when designing each room of your minimalistic home.
Minimalist Living Room
You can create a laid-back yet welcoming living room interior design by using a neutral color palette with some bold color accents to help uplift the room’s appearance. Keep the sofas neutral but add in some bold colored cushions. The rug can also be of neutral shade but add in a different texture to create layers of decor. Moreover, don’t forget to leave no-decor spots throughout the living room to help keep the minimalist aspect alive and highlight just the important focal points.
Minimalist Bedroom
Similarly, a minimalist bedroom also sticks to lines, geometry, and symmetry in the bed linen, curtains, and other furniture elements, however, this does not mean that you can’t add some luxury to these pieces. Add luxurious bedding and plush curtains, in neutral shades, to bring an element of elegance and grace to the bedroom. Keep the decor elements to a minimum and keep everything simple. Just don’t forget to add layers of texture! Take a look at our article for more innovative ideas for your bedroom.
Kitchen
A minimalist kitchen has to be as functional as possible while still being modern and sophisticated. You will have to add premium carpentry and hardware to set the basis of the kitchen architecture. Later, you can create layers of functionality and sophistication on top to get the necessary minimalist touch.
For the kitchen, a simple white or off-white color palette is the best to give the visual appearance of spaciousness and openness in the kitchen. You can also opt for an open-concept kitchen to make your home appear bigger. However, you can add black, dark gray, or dark blue accents to add depth and character to the design. Also, invest in smart storage options to keep the kitchen neat and clean. Find more tips in our kitchen renovation ideas article.
Dining room
If you have a separate dining room, it needs to be designed in the same way as the other rooms to create a minimalist ambience. Keep the table and chairs simple; however, don’t skimp away on a few luxurious pieces to give that grand and royal effect to the room. A few wall art pieces of bold colors can complement the subdued dining table and chairs. Do not overcrowd the room with unnecessary furniture pieces.
Bathroom
A bathroom is often the neglected room when it comes to designing your home. However, it is just as important that the bathroom also follows the general theme and design style of your home. A minimalist bathroom also features storage areas to keep it clutter-free. Use neutral shades on the walls and floor tiles. You may even use different hues of the same shade to bring layers of depth into the appearance.
If you want to be a little bold, you may even use a dark and old shade for one wall of the bathroom, or in the designated shower area. When the other elements are kept simple and neutral, this bold color will create just the right amount of balance and harmony in the bathroom. A couple of green plants will complete the look of such a minimalist, yet modern and elegant bathroom. For more ideas for your bathroom, you can find more creative toilet interior design inspirations in our article.
These are just some of the ways in which you can create a welcoming and warm minimalist design for your home. You want to create a space where anyone who enters immediately feels a sense of calm and serenity. By following the above-mentioned suggestions and ideas, you can be sure that your home will not just be any boring or dull home, but a minimalist home that is functional, beautiful, calm, and serene.
Whether you want to design your own house or buy furniture to go along with it, having help from CaseTrust accredited interior designers like us will definitely help. You can start by browsing our HDB interior design ideas and find different interior design styles such as Bohemian, Eclectic and Japanese Zen. Check out our renovation packages and toilet renovation package for more information today.
About the Team
At AC Vision Design, we transform your dream interiors into reality with a blend of creativity and functionality. As a leading interior design firm in Singapore, we specialise in HDB, condo, and commercial projects, ensuring each space reflects your unique vision and lifestyle.
With more than 10 years of experience in creating stunning interiors for homes in Singapore, AC Vision Design takes pride in delivering exquisite interiors that reflect, creativity, individuality, and functionality.
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