Living Minimalist: The Basics of Minimalist Furnishing

Minimalism is a modern attitude to life that can also be reflected in the world of living. Neat and tidy, limited to a few selected and cherished furnishings: If you want to live in a minimalist way, you have to discover and internalise the art of omission for yourself - just like dear Sarah. The interior blogger opens the doors to her dreamy turn of the century house for us and her Instagram followers and provides inspiring insights into her own little minimalist interior world.

On Instagram, the 31-year-old shares her interpretation of minimalist living with her followers and impressively shows how harmonious and modern minimalist-Nordic interior design can look in 2020. Inspired by the virtual tour of the Tannenkamp minimalist house and enriched by many impressions, we would like to dedicate a separate article to the popular style of living and no longer deprive you of the freshly learned dos and don'ts of minimalist living.

Want to learn the basics of minimalist furnishing?

Minimalist Furnishing: the dos and don'ts

The king of minimalist home furnishing is mastering the balancing act between too much and too little. A minimalist living room should look neat and tidy, but not too bare and impersonal. With these little tips, you can achieve a cosy, friendly minimalist look:

• Courage to leave gaps: In minimalist furnishings, the room is allowed to speak for itself! Open spaces on the floor and walls help to draw the focus to the room itself with the few, carefully selected pieces of furniture. High ceilings and open, spacious rooms make it even easier to give objects the space they need and to bring the aesthetics of the furniture to the fore. By the way, blogger Sarah also plays with the spatial effect: in order to create the friendly, open living concept of Haus Tannenkamp, the false ceilings in her kitchen had to give way. With its five-metre-high ceiling, unobstructed view of the wonderfully rustic wooden beams of the old roof truss and large, high windows, the kitchen is definitely something very special.

• Few, neutral colours: White, grey, beige and everything in between - as in Scandinavian living styles, minimalism is dominated by soft, light tones on the wall and floor. Patterned wallpaper or colourful carpets are a thorn in the side of the stereotypical minimalist. Anything that brings restlessness into the room is preferred to be dispensed with. A typical visual troublemaker in living rooms are bookshelves with their colourful covers. A practical tip for those who do not want to part with literature despite their striving for minimalism: if the books are covered with plain book covers in light colours, they blend harmoniously into the room.

• Decoration in moderation: Minimalists limit their choice of home accessories to a few stylish elements, which are then the focus of attention in the room. Of course, you still don't have to throw away the discarded furniture and accessories: you're sure to find a cheerful buyer for the items you want to part with. In Sarah's case, a few key pieces, such as her favourite vase, the Shell Pot by Ferm Living or one of her designer lamps, catch the eye.

A Tip from Living Blogger Sarah:

"For those who find it hard to part with things, I can recommend doing like myself: I packed a box with items I wasn't sure I wanted to part with, labelled them and put them in the basement for six months. If you don't miss the decoration after half a year, you know: that can be discarded for good."

• Limiting usage of shapes: In minimalism, straight, simple forms are preferred to embellishments and ornaments. This applies equally to furniture, decoration and lighting.
• Storage space: For a tidy, neat impression, not too many objects should be standing around freely in the room. Furniture with lots of hidden storage space, drawers and compartments are ideal.

Fancy more helpful tips and ideas on the subject of tidiness and minimalism in the living area? Then click through the story highlights of "haus_tannenkamp" on Instagram. Sarah opens her doors and cupboards in all rooms of the house for her followers. If you want to take away a few ideas and tips for minimalism bedrooms, living rooms and the like, you should definitely take a look - it's worth it!

Checklist: Minimalist Bedrooms and Living Rooms

• Neutral colours for curtains, bed covers and cushions: typically pastel shades, white, grey or beige
• Tidy wardrobe: especially with open wardrobes - storage space in the form of drawers and compartments helps to create order in the wardrobe
• Hidden storage options

Checklist: Minimalist Kitchen

• Keep much-used items quick at hand
• Sort cupboards and drawers well
• Choose fronts and worktops in friendly colours and made of sustainable materials
• handleless fronts for visual clarity
• Matt colours with low luminosity for calm and purity

Sarah's favourite room in the house: her minimalist kitchen. Doesn't it look beautiful? A place to feel both good and cosy.

If you want to get to know and understand the minimalist Nordic living style with all its facets in just a few seconds, you only need to take a look at Sarah's Instagram profile "haus_tannenkamp". Once again, she impressively proves that pictures are worth a thousand words. As a photographer, the interior blogger has an eye for beauty and takes new pictures of her charming old building every day, finding new angles and perspectives. You notice how much love is put into the house and its furnishings and quickly learn to love her clear living concept. Sarah's house in three words?

"Minimalist, Scandinavian, modern!"

She combines the dominant primary colours of beige, white, grey and black with warm-looking materials such as oak or rattan. In this way, the rather cool nuances meet warm tones and provide the necessary portion of cosiness in the minimalist house. The well-preserved, original elements of the old building from 1932, such as a wooden staircase made of pitch pine or the raw beams of the roof truss, lend the house a special magic. Haus Tannenkamp is a good example of what can happen when you breathe new life into old things and combine them with modern living trends.

Lamps that Match Minimalist Furnishings

Of course, the lighting should also speak the language of minimalism. As with furniture and decoration, minimalist style relies on filigree design. Lighting for minimalist homes are often simple, of discreet shape and colour and of excellent lighting properties. If you use #minimalistischwohnen on Instagram to search for living profiles on the popular style of living, you will quickly notice that the minimalism community mainly uses timeless design classics from the premium brands Artemide, Flos or Louis Poulsen for lighting.

Sarah, with her profile "haus_tannenkamp", loves for example the simple, classic lamps of the brand Louis Poulsen. The Louis Poulsen Panthella Portable table lamp from our online shop is always there where the cosy, dimmable light is needed. With its opal white lampshade and no disturbing lamp cables, it fits perfectly into Sarah's minimalist home. Her reading corner is adorned by another Louis Poulsen classic: the Louis Poulsen AJ floor lamp.