Have you heard about cozy minimalism? Do you want to learn how to incorporate this aesthetic in your own home? This article answers all your questions!
For the past several years, the minimalism concept has grown into an empowering trend to help people declutter their space and lives. As with any trend, they can sometimes force extremes in our thinking. Consequently, a new term known as cozy minimalism is generating more buzz lately. It’s being applied to small and tiny homes, like this one, but isn’t defined by square footage.
If you’re looking for a way to embrace your minimalist perspective while also making your room feel cozy, read on as we break down the trend and tips on how you can create your own cozy minimalism sanctuary.
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What Is Cozy Minimalism
What Is Cozy MinimalismCozy minimalism is a new trend that embraces the formal concepts of minimalism while keeping a comfy home aesthetic.
A cozy minimalist home’s goal is to create a stress-free space and eliminate clutter while maintaining a warm and inviting space.
Cozy minimalist spaces place function at the heart of interior design. From there, accents are added to layer the living space, making it more comfortable. After that, functional accessories are added for useful, everyday living.
Start With a Functional Foundation
Think about the different spaces in your house. When you think of the bedroom, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Now go room by room doing the same. Importantly, to create a cozy minimalist home, we need first to strip it back to its most functional base. What does each room actually need anyway?
When we strip a living space down to its bare essentials, we’ll notice a few things:
- the space of the room and what it needs to function
- our mind feels more at ease, less stressed
- the room looks pretty bare
This step is essential in creating a solid canvass to work from. To begin, each room should include only the functional elements.
Add Accents to Layer Your Living Space
No one likes a blank canvass. Although minimalist homes feel open, airy, and bright, they can also feel sterile, empty, and bland. Once you have stripped away the clutter to its functional essence, it’s time to add back in some layers to add a pop of color, a hint of warmth, and a touch of everyday charm.
Remember that these are layers to add depth, not clutter, so less is more. Think about color pallets you want to incorporate in your room, and use objects to fill the blank canvas. For some people, this may be a beautiful picture on the wall as an accent piece. For others, it may be a small rug to add color and depth to the space, while some may use a colorful blanket or pillows to accent a sofa. Think about what colors provide calmness. Add layers that will add to your peace, not distract from it.
Make the layers functional items that you’ll use or add to the canvass like plants or other accents. It’s really up to you. Further, there is no one right way to create a cozy minimalist home.
Bring Back Functional Necessities
Most people have a problem with minimalism because there is this insatiable need to tuck away everyday items. That’s not functional. Cozy minimalism focuses on bringing back those things you use every day without feeling guilty. The point is to be tasteful in your selection and adding back necessities you use every day.
Remember, a cozy minimalist home’s goal is to have a stress-free, minimalist, yet still warm and comfortable space, so bring back those things that are crucial to your everyday life.
Some things that come to mind may be certain appliances you use regularly. Also, items can be used for storage. Another example is lighting to create warmth or accessories like decorative bowls or trays. Finally, you could choose functional accent furniture. The point is to bring back some accents that make the room come together as an inviting space. We don’t want clutter; we want warmth, so choose wisely.
Minimalist Decorating Ideas
When we think of minimalism, we may think of clean lines, sparse arrangements, and blank spaces. Still, cozy minimalism is about inviting atmospheres, warm tones, and a homey feel. We’ll refine our minimalist ideas a bit to transform our space into a cozy environment to accomplish this. Here are a few decorating ideas to help you transform your cozy minimalist home.
Living Spaces
There are several ways to build that cozy feeling into living spaces. Here are a few ideas:
- Use accessories to your advantage: items like candles, pillows, picture frames, plants, flowers or vases, or coffee table books are excellent choices.
- Use the walls for a splash of color: use artwork, accent walls, decorative items, or mirrors to enhance the space.
- Add some light: it’s incredible what the right lighting can do for a room.
Bedrooms
We’ve all seen them, the bedroom you walk in that looks so inviting that you wish it were yours. Here are a few ideas:
- Productive storage: makes the room feel more open when things have a place.
- Comfy bedding: cozy bedding that’s tasteful transforms a bedroom.
- Layers of color: great bedrooms incorporate warm colors. Use them.
- Natural light: cozy bedrooms almost glow. You know what I mean.
Kitchens
Perhaps more than any other room, when we think of minimalist living, we think of kitchens. Maybe it’s because they can become quickly cluttered. We all love warm, inviting kitchens. Here are a few ideas to add to your space.
- Minimalist features: consider statement pieces. For example, buy a fireclay sink to accent marble, quartz, or granite countertops.
- Go clean with backsplash: choosing a clean look for tiling helps make the room look less busy.
- Add color accents: minimalist decor like decorative bowls, plants, or even color on cabinetry can do wonders.
Minimalism Doesn’t Need to Feel Extreme
We hope this helps you transform your space using cozy minimalism. Go slow, peel back the onion, and transform your space from a foundational canvass to a comfortable environment.
by Alexis Stephens, Tiny House Blog contributor
