The Minimalist Interior Decorating Tips We Learned from Australia's Most Stylish Influencers
Minimalism can get a bad rap sometimes, with a reputation for being cold, stark and generally lacking in personality. These decorating experts prove that thesis wrong.
If there's one thing we've learnt from the KonMari method (made famous by organisational expert Marie Kondo), it's that clutter does nothing to increase happiness in the home. I'll admit, my clothes might not always be perfectly folded in drawers, and my paperwork is anything but sorted, but living with purpose and bidding farewell to the unnecessary is a lesson that benefits both your home and your mind.
Minimalism can get a bad rap sometimes, with a reputation for being cold, stark, and generally lacking in personality. Well, we're here to debunk that myth with a little help from some of Australia's most stylish women who effortlessly inject their signature style into their home for a minimalist aesthetic that's anything but boring.
Go tonal
Artist Annie Everingham's home is a perfect example of how to do minimalism in a chic and simple way. Take the living room in her Newcastle pad, for example – it's cosy, uncluttered, and utterly magazine-worthy. The key? Sticking to a color palette and using tones from within those colors to decorate. The result is a peaceful haven where everything is perfectly placed.
Ditch the high headboard
The Byron Bay haven that hotelier Julia Ashwood gets to call home is nothing short of showstopping. It's eclectic in all the right ways, and displays a masterful use of color. When you step inside her master bedroom, though, the vibe is so serene that it would be hard not to take a nap at every opportunity. Ana has achieved a sense of space and simplicity by forgoing a huge headboard in favour of a beautiful artwork above the bed that complements her dreamy Cacao and Lagoon bedding perfectly. This brings the eye down and instantly creates a sense of coziness that's perfect for a great night of sleep.
Opt for 'see-through' furniture
While you might be conjuring visions of glass or perspex tables, in our books, 'see-through' doesn't only mean 'clear'. We're talking about furniture with visual space factored into the build, where you can see through its form. Consider marie claire Australia Editor-in-Chief Georgie McCourt's wooden seating in her living room, which features gaps between the sculptural legs that allow the eye to travel onwards, giving the room the illusion of more space.
Seek stylish storage
For many of us, especially apartment dwellers, space comes at a premium. So, it makes sense to opt for furniture that is equal parts functional and visually pleasing. Take yoga teacher and dietitian Maddison Cate's home, for example. Her living room couch features storage below, allowing her to stash board games and craft supplies, as well as books and kids' toys, which she likes to rotate weekly.
Focus on a few hero pieces
There are countless decorating tips we could learn from a read of photographer Emily Yates' Byron Shire home. When it comes to minimalism, however, Yates has masterfully blended her own signature color palette and look with a pared-back sensibility that is super simple to recreate, perhaps best captured in this living room vignette. Here, she's allowed for swathes of white space, allowing the eyes to rest and take in the entire image, instead choosing just a few hero items and materials that do the heavy lifting, such as the painting above the side table and two matching Turmeric throw pillows.
Keep to consistent shapes
A great minimalist decorating tip we learnt from Sabo founder Thessy Batsinilas is that the use of repetitive shapes – curves, in this case – can have the effect of appearing cohesive and orderly. From the crescent-shaped couch to the curving coffee table, this eye-catching living room makes you want to dive in to enjoy a coffee and a book.
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