It takes a whole lot more than throwing out most of your stuff to create a successful minimal home. Simplicity is often the hardest design trick to pull off, so don’t be fooled into thinking it just means painting your walls white. For advice on creating a soulful minimal interior, one that balances order, simplicity and a sense of calm, we’ve turned to some of the practices on our Directory for practical tips on creating a space that won’t leave you feeling like you’re living in a white box.

1. Use neutral tones that add warmth
A minimal approach shouldn’t prevent you from creating an intimate, cosy environment. Stick to a natural palette but with varying tones that are restful on the eye and offset the clean lines.

“Neutral
spaces are wonderfully calming but can feel flat and cold if you’re not
careful: select paint colours with a pale yet warm tone and keep the level of
texture amped up. Playing with tone, contrast and texture keeps the eye moving
around the room and creates a more inviting, enveloping and multi-dimensional
space’” says Sheena
Murphy of Nune.

“Condense
your colour palette to reduce surface disruption and maximise the feeling of
space and light. Warm, textural but neutral palettes can act as a backdrop to
your choices elsewhere,” suggests O’Sullivan
Skoufoglou Architects.

2. Experiment with textures and materials
Once you have a neutral canvas, it’s time to play with the senses. Introduce different textures across surfaces to create subtle details that come to life with varying light.

“It is important to have a refined palette of materials and contrasting textures; matt and gloss, hard and soft, dark and light. Each of these play with the light beautifully and can add interest and character. Accepting materials in their natural, inherent state can also be beneficial – an aged patina can work incredibly well within contemporary designed spaces. Unorthodox industrial materials can complement residential homes: a poured concrete floor adds a playful depth and movement.” says Daytrip.studio.

Nune adds,
“We always recommend keeping materials as natural, honest and simple as
possible. With the exception of bathrooms, we suggest hardwood flooring
throughout, even in bedrooms – just add large rugs for softness. Keep walls
light and airy with pale, neutral tones and add linen drapes for some subtle
vertical tactility. Don’t select anything too precious or ornate; keep the
lines simple but interesting.”

3. Use existing architectural details and personal objects to tell a story
A minimal home doesn’t need to be devoid of personality. Those original period details and cherished personal objects will add character and charm, so embrace them.

HASA
Architects say, “We are often asked to advise
on art and furnishings, but the most successful homes are ones in which our
clients add to the personality of the space through their own possessions that
they have collected over time, as each object, however large or small, tells a
story.”

“The architectural details are the framework to play with in any home. You could choose to compliment these by applying a tonal palette that incorporates the door architraves and cornicing. There are often surprising features which can be left to add charm and character: an aged brick wall can add texture and existing floor boards sanded and retained,” according to Daytrip.studio.

4. Consider your furniture while planning each space
Let your designer know what you plan to bring into your home or think about it yourself if you’re going it alone. Either way, you’ll want to integrate each object into plans early on to fine-tune the atmosphere of each room.

“Select pieces that are important to you but be stringent, less is more. Ask your architect to assist you: the size and position of each piece of furnishing has to be carefully considered as this will have an impact on the spatial experience and form the basis for the lighting scheme. This rigour is fundamental to achieve a well-curated space that still has warmth, atmosphere and soul,” advise HASA Architects.

“Be
very thoughtful about the function of the space and consider whether some
furniture or built-ins can serve more than one purpose. Think about how hard
both your horizontal and vertical footprints can work; walls and sometimes even
ceilings can be used to maximise capacity and function in a room. But, don’t clutter,”
says
Nune.

5. Plan all your storage needs in advance
If you’re aiming for a space free of distractions, it pays to think ahead. Discreet storage solutions can be included in spatial plans that free up precious floor space and help ease the path to a life (mostly) free of clutter.

“Plenty
of imaginative and innovative storage is key for modern day living requirements
and is often undervalued. To achieve a simple, uninterrupted space, this has to
be incorporated in discreet or sculptural forms that allow for everyday living
but can be easily accessible and stored when not required,” says HASA
Architects.

Daytrip.studio
agrees. “Large equipment can be
concealed within the units behind beautifully finished cupboard doors. Avoid
open shelves as no guest wants to see your juicer or Magimix no matter how
beautiful it may be! In the bedrooms, consider built in wardrobes, preferably
in clever niches or full height across a wall. Pull down shirt rails work well
with high ceilings and joinery can be matched to the wall finishes so they
disappear into the walls.”