Minimal Chic

Minimalist interior style used to be something I could not love. There was a time - at least in my country - when minimalist interiors were so bare and streamlined that they lacked anything that makes a room inviting. They were like some Spartan spaces. 

Later on I realised that minimal is not a bare interior stripped of every decor, but an elegant, big space that is decluttered and only showcases the pieces of furniture and art that matter. So minimalism had - and sometimes still has - a bad interpretation.

Key design elements:

- furniture: the number of pieces is kept to the minimum. Buy only the essentials that are actually needed for your comfort. 

- storage: it is important, keep your things out of sight. However, the things that are visible attract the eye. 

- carefully designed lighting: it has a big role in highlighting pieces.

- colours: they are toned down, with only one or two very carefully chosen accent colours 

- materials: it can be anything: concrete, wood, stone. Let them show. The surfaces are clean, free of clutter. One rug and one or two paintings on the wall will do the trick. 

In the moodboard above I chose a grey colour scheme with black and a bit of caramel. Some of the furniture has an interesting shape, they counterbalance the very simple sofa and chair. The few decorations are simple but elegant. The rug provides warmth againts the concrete walls. 

Modern Beach House Interior

Who said that a beach house interior must have some blue colour? Blue is supposed to be there when you look out of the window, so I went for a white look here, with some black accents. 

The inspiration for this moodboard came from the movie 'Dear John'. I haven't seen the film, just the trailer, and there's a scene when Channing Tatum is surfing. (I know what you think, but no, he is not my type at all.) This is how the surfboard became the main motif for this collage.
This set is designed for a young and hip man living an active life, someone dedicated to exciting sports like SUP or surfing. As he spends most of his time outdoors, interior is of secondary importance. It does not mean he wants to neglect it, it is just he goes for an easy solution. Combining black and white is exactly that, but with a bit of wood and some plants the look is not boring. Raw materials make the look a bit rustic - it is a beach cottage after all. 

How to make a black and white interior alive?

Today's big question: how to style the black and white interior to make it alive? 

There are boring black and white interiors and there are exciting black and white interiors. At first sight monochormatic color palette is such a jolly joker - timeless, classic, stylish. 

And at the same time, can be boring as hell. 

What can you do against it? The answer is simple. Just add:

- texture

- pattern

- form

- accent color

You will find that most black-and-white interiors are not strictly black-and-white. All the hues between can be found in these, just white and black are dominant because used on big surfaces. 

Don't let the artistic photos cheat you. There are other colours as well, just subtle. You can pick wooden floor in greyish tone (just like above), or even a nice light oak can look well. Check out this beautiful rug - it looks so well in this interior, yet has blue hues in it - but it is still the black and white that rules here! Some wooden items can add warmth - the cool goatskin cushion and the rocker chair does this trick. (I hope you read my post about the designer behind this chair - the Eameses - there was a period when only pregnant employees at the Eames Office could buy this version!)

I would suggest incorporating metal or glass into a black and white setting. Unusual forms can create interest in a room. You can mix shapes, patterns, materials, and mat and glossy surfaces. 

The interior is already alive. 

Weekend Brunch

After a hard week you deserve to wake up late on Saturday. It calls for a lazy weekend brunch - the smell of fresh toast, eggs on the sunny side up, café au lait and waffles. 

I put these all into a streamlined, minimalist interior, with glossy surfaces, steel and black and white colours. Enjoy!