Have you ever wondered what exactly ‘clean lines’ means? You hear architects and designers say it all the time, and it’s usually in reference to lines that are unbroken and uninterrupted. Glass is another core material for simplicity, allowing access to light, ventilation and views, but should be used appropriately based on purpose and context. While the go-to palette of a minimalist interior revolves around whites, beiges and greys, colour, warmth and texture can be introduced through the use of timbers or stone. The material palette is crucial in achieving a minimalist outcome, as too many colours and materials and the home begins to feel overly busy and visually distracting with no room to rest your eyes. The complete opposite of that is sketching out an abstract shape, and then proceed to force rooms and spaces into it, which will more often than not result in dead and wasted space. When looking at this at a house scale, it’s best to focus on the layout, making sure room placements, sizing, shape, etc fits the purpose of the room (and house a whole), and allow the form of the building to be generated from that. Keep with the theme of Modernist phrases, “form follows function” is all about ensuring space is used effectively by focusing on the function and purpose of the building. However, removing excess space, having an honesty of material, as well as access to light and landscape is vitally important. To achieve this, focus is placed on simple forms, a limited material palette, clean lines and removal of ornamentation. What does it mean though? At its core, it’s about reducing a building down to its bare essentials, which reveals the true essence of the design and achieves simplicity. Less is more, now you’ve probably heard this phrase once or twice, it was a popularised by German-American architect Mies Van Der Rohe, who was incredibly influential in the modernist movement during the 1950s.

Small minimalist house