“Minimalism is really about the reassessment of priorities so that you can remove unnecessary things from your life; get rid of things like possessions, activities, and relationships that do not improve or bring value to your life.” 

― Jane Andrews, Minimalism: Discover the Power of Less: Free Yourself from Stress and Clutter with Minimalism

Minimalism started with architecture in the early 20th century by architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, one of the first prominent architects who used principles in his architecture to exemplify minimalist design. Minimal art significantly grew in the 1960s in America and played a central role in visual arts. The idea is to have us mesmerized by space, object, color, and light. Minimal art or modern art is in the look, ambiance, and nature of the design right before us. It’s about looking at the layout and having a tranquil feeling within. 

Houses

The first characteristic of a minimalist house design is a definite reduction to what is essential, as with spaces, minimum decor, natural light to highlight the house’s dark areas, and light colors to blend with the home’s appearance, both internal or external. In each aspect of the house, the designs are straight, clean, lean, and simplistic. In the interior, the space, lighting, furniture, and objects are suited to the inhabitants’ lifestyle and demands for reducing one’s material items and furniture to the bare essentials. It creates a feeling of space and emptiness in places that look much more significant than they are. From the exterior, the house seems aseptic with very minimal decoration, uniformed, large, homogenous walls or windows covering large surfaces outside by allowing a lot of light to inside. There is a need to save on heating and lighting costs with this lifestyle, and that is why many minimalist houses have large windows or a need for solar panels. 

Although a minimalist lifestyle generally aims to encourage peace of mind and clarity through living with less, minimalism could call us to meet a separate form of conformity. When overwhelmed with too many things, ideas, thoughts, information, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. The same implies to our lifestyles. Society demands us to collect and consume, and that this will make us happier. However what if having less doesn’t ensure self-optimization or bring happiness in the end?

Minimalism has been critiqued as a “‘privilege’ that runs counter to the value ascribed to an abundance of objects by those who have suffered from a lack of them.” Those that don’t have the option to simply “live with less” and simply “do” may find themselves questioning this practice.

Minimalism could also play a significant issue for families who inherit family wealth and ancestral homes and want to partake in the minimalist lifestyle. Often, people tend to collect and keep things, adding to the endless task of accumulating things.

Fashion

The idea of the minimalist fashion principle is to keep it simple while letting you focus on the basics and focuses on the concept of quality over quantity. Minimalist fashion can provide an aura of elegance and style.

It’s all about looking and being classy, sleek, clean, unfussy, and reflects everything in the form of fine art, and this began in the late 1950s as an artistic movement. Having a minimal approach to fashion means to have your closest viewed with a fine-tooth comb intentionally. It aims to have smaller quantities and a wardrobe defined by shapes and a small selection of colors, and the bare minimum of every clothing item in your closet. It is putting a flair and stylishness to your stride. Simplicity is the key to this style. 

       

47 Minimalist Outfits to Wear Today, Tomorrow & Forever | StyleCaster                                                      
5 Minimalist Looks You’ll Want To Copy Immediately – LIFESTYLE BY PS

Graphic Design

Minimalist design takes design to its most basic, stripped of the shapes, colors, textures, and elements. The purpose of this is to make the content stand out and be the focal point. From a visual standpoint, it’s about bringing the mind down to the basics and to the message. When creating a design,  colors and typography play an essential role in graphic design and directs the viewer’s attention to the Graphic. The designer has to understand the needs and wants and carefully prioritize focal elements.

There is a noticeable difference between too much and the right amount of elements when it comes to minimalist design. The idea is to have a clear message to the recipient.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to living a minimalist lifestyle. The question is, are we ready for this change from clean living to clean eating to being content with having only the basics? When practicing minimalism, it’s important for the journey to feel calming and provide perspective and clarity on your needs and goals.

Here are a few tips on how to achieve a minimalist style:

Don’t: Involve needless items in your minimalist design or décor. 

Do: Omit the Unnecessary.

Don’t: Think that you can hide stuff. 

Do: Realize that every detail counts.

Don’t: Try to fill up the space. 

Do: Embrace white space.

Do: Use minimal color. 

Don’t: Keep adding items.

Minimalism calls practitioners to analyze, evaluate, & reflect on what is working in their lives. If less is the new more, what is the actual more? 

Here at Kingdom Branding, we ensure that our UI/UX website designs are user-friendly, optimized for mobile, and easy to navigate. We stay up to date with design trends that engage users and ui/ux strategies that provide an excellent user experience.

Visit www.kingdombranding.com and Follow us on Instagram: @kingdombranding

Sources:

https://www.homedit.com/how-to-achieve-minimalist-style/