Your Guide to a Minimalist Living Room

Less Is More The first step to creating a minimalist styled living room is to remove the unnecessary. This could mean saying goodbye to that purple ottoman or the single seater couch that no one ever sits on. The idea is to only occupy the space with the necessary, such as a coffee table, wall mounted shelving and enough seating for five people. Always stay true to the function of the room – most modern houses reserve the bookshelf for the study. Design Lines Working towards a truly minimalist look could mean that one would need to redefine the items in the living room. Wall mounted shelving and entertainment stands with straight flowing lines add to the minimalist look. Table tops with jagged or curved edges break the flow of the room and should be avoided when the aim is to get one's living room on par with that of modern houses. The best way to go about this is to ask oneself, "Which furniture would best suit the contour of my new flat screen TV?" Out Of Sight Let's face it, it's impossible to remove everything that breaks the flow of the room, but what if we just keep these elements out of sight? Invest in a single solid TV console, a coffee table and shelving units which can store items such as entertainment system remote controls, DVDs and CDs. The same goes for windows. Keep the window sills clutter-free and the curtains or blinds pleatless and simple. Remember, modern houses deserve modern décor. Talking Walls If these walls could talk, they'd discuss new wave synth-pop and the art of Roy Lichtenstein. Choose a colour that is unsaturated, achromatic, near neutral, or neutral. Accenting a white room with a dark grey wall breaks the monotony of the living space. Artwork in a living room should be kept to a minimum; consider one big piece of artwork, such as a charcoal sketch on white paper, instead of an over-the-top amount of smaller pieces. The less is more rule applies to all facets of the room. Occupying The Space Furniture should add to the function of the room without subtracting from its flow. Curb visual clutter by choosing motifs in furniture that stray away from complex designs such as chequered or floral patterns. Placing these pieces on a monotone carpet will assist in creating a balance between the floor and walls. Apply the same rule you applied to choosing the furniture, to choosing the carpet. An added bonus to any minimalist room would be a fireplace. A clear furnace paired with a minimalist living room is what modern houses are made of.