In this guide, we share some awesome minimalist decor ideas, to give your home office a clean and functional look without the distracting clutter often seen in these home based workspaces.
While minimalism has a bit of a reputation for being “just a trend”, it is actually a valuable way to look at your home office, and may be just the right thing for you. Minimalism is a living philosophy that puts your needs first, and this can go hand in hand with a home office decor style that is minimalist in nature.
Minimalism might not be for everyone but if you find yourself attracted to Scandinavian interior design or minimalism decor in some way then maybe this article will help.
What is minimalism?
Let’s start by discussing what is minimalism. Minimalism is an aesthetic movement that began in the late 1960s, when designers and architects were trying to bring about a shift from modernism (which was focused on creating buildings for office workers) to modern architecture (which focused on creating buildings for everyone).
Minimalism was closely related to the counterculture movement of that time period, which sought out simpler lifestyles and lifestyles. The word “minimal” originally referred only to furniture design without any decoration or decoration at all — but it soon spread into other areas of design too.
The biggest difference between minimalist interior design and traditional interior design is that minimalist interiors are not cluttered. They can often be seen as airy spaces where you can move freely. Minimalist interiors tend not to be highly decorated with knick knacks or covered with wall art and many pictures.
Benefits of a minimalist home office
A minimalist home office should be clean and simple; it shouldn’t be overflowing with colours or clutter because there aren’t enough colours or objects around for you to enjoy them . . . if there are any at all !
Besides just being aesthetically pleasing—the most important aspect—minimalist home offices can have lots of benefits:
- They may save you money by reducing clutter (or at least freeing up room for more important items)
- They can be less visually busy because there are few things competing for your attention (such as open shelves)
- They may save you space by removing clutter from your home (less sitting on furniture which results in less waste)
- They can help you get more done because fewer objects are competing for attention from your mind when doing work around the house
We’ve all seen the really expensive pieces of furniture which are so over-designed they look like they belong on display at an art museum. They look good but if you walk past them without ever noticing them, you might never realise how well designed they are (and what an incredible piece of art they would be instead).
On the other hand, there’s no point buying something so nice that it costs too much to keep up the maintenance cost or doesn’t fit into your budget (which is why we see minimalist homes not having huge amounts of storage space).
Minimalist home office decor
Simple minimalist decor ideas for your home office
A minimalist look is one that is not cluttered. A clean home office reflects the person who lives there and ultimately the person who uses it. When a home office does not have an amazing amount of stuff, it feels more like a space you are willing to spend your time in. Not a place you necessarily want to spend your spare time always tidying.
With that in mind, here are some simple minimalist decor ideas to get you started.
Declutter and remove
Start by taking everything but the bare necessities out of your home office room, and then over the next few weeks, see if you need to bring any back. The ones that don’t end up in there can either be disposed of, sold in a garage sale, or put into storage such as your shed or attic space.
Get rid of those boxes you inherited from your grandparents’ basement (why do they always go there?) and get rid of their contents too. Anything that you don’t have fond memories of, or you never regularly use can easily be disposed of.
Use clever storage
Start by working out what will remain in your home office space, and their dimensions. Then go out and purchase enough storage boxes or containers to fit it all. Having a shelf of matching cardboard or plastic boxes looks far better than 24 DVD and CD covers all vying for your visual attention.
Add doors to open shelving
We have written before about why having nice quality home office shelving is a must, however do you need all that shelving to be open and visible? Many office shelving units have optional doors that can be added later on. Consider adding these, to put it all away, in a visual sense.
If you can’t find any doors that would suit, perhaps hanging a fabric curtain over the front may work, and add an element of uniqueness to your home office too.
Embrace your desk drawers
Instead of leaving things on your desk, put them away in your desk drawers. That old coffee cup full of pens? Be nicer to have in an organiser in your top drawer. Those old pen lids? Throw them out. The mousepad? Put it in a drawer if you aren’t regularly using it.
Display a handful of accessories
Instead of 5 prints on the wall, 3 plants, and a dozen knick knacks on shelving, choose four or five very meaningful pieces to put on display, and store the rest. You can always rotate them over time. Maybe choose different pictures to move in and out of the room.
This may mean two framed wall art components (maybe a family photo and a print?), one nice potted plant and 2-3 other smaller items.
Reduce your colour palette
Wallpaper has become increasingly popular, but too often is seen as just background decoration. There are lots of different ways to use wallpaper that goes well with minimal designs.
Instead of a red office couch, blue office chair, and yellow side tables, over time reduce them to one single colour, and a more neutral one at that. Scandinavian design such as light wood and white works beautifully with home workspaces.
Tips for decluttering your home office and keeping it tidy
Decluttering is an excellent way to add some order and beauty to your home, but it is not always a quick and easy process. Fortunately, there are plenty of minimalist decor ideas and ways to declutter without having to go through the tedious process of creating new furniture or organising your closet and drawers.
While creating a new furniture piece is usually not necessary and often not possible (in terms of cost or time), organising your closet does require effort. If you want to get the most out of decluttering and organisation, you should follow these tips:
- Do not be afraid to ask for help.
- Decide what you want to keep on hand.
- Decide which items need replacing first . . . if at all possible!
- Don’t be afraid to change things up!
- Don’t forget about storage!
You can make quite a few small changes to your home without having expensive new products installed in it – just talk about it with friends, family or neighbours!
A clear and simple home office setup
How to use furniture and accessories to achieve a minimalist aesthetic
Minimalist home offices are usually built with minimal furniture and accessories. Some people have a hard time picturing such a space, but it’s possible to create an ultra-modern look with just the right amount of furniture.
People often ask me what kind of minimalist decor ideas I like, and I try to explain, however I feel that for each person, minimalism can be different. You don’t need to pare it all back to one chair and a desk with a lamp. For you, halving just the books on display may be enough to add a sense of calmness and clarity to your home office.
You may also be interested to know that the minimalist aesthetic is not limited to the homes of younger people. In fact, there are plenty of older people who use this style in their homes as well.
How to incorporate minimalist decor ideas into the rest of your home
Minimalist home decor does not always have to be minimalistic. You can go for a more eclectic or sometimes even a more ornate look, but remember that you need to keep in mind that your minimalist design shouldn’t be boring.
You can find some very cool ideas if you dig around a bit and I would like to share my favourite minimalist home decor ideas with you:
1.) A living room with industrial style furniture
2.) A room with a vintage style of wallpaper and rugs
3.) A small bedroom with an industrial-style theme
4.) An open space where you can install a laundry or a small office desk
5.) An open space where you can install the kitchen of your dreams, maybe even a walk-in pantry where you put all the grocery items (a great way to save money on groceries)
A person who lives in a minimalist home will probably find these concepts easier than those living in traditional homes; but I would still recommend taking some time every now and then before jumping into your first home together (a place where you will want your friends over soon)!
It’s best not to start immediately because each new apartment/house has its own particularities so make sure you take some time getting acquainted — make sure everything works properly before moving in! This way you can deal with any problems before they become major ones!
The basic idea of minimalism is that everything should be as small and simple as possible, in terms of size and function. This means investing in furniture, appliances, electronics and other physical objects rather than keeping things large and complicated.
Conclusion
I trust that you found the above minimalist decor ideas good inspiration for the design of your home office (and broadly your home as well), and that they inspire you to start straight away.
Maybe because I am a big fan of minimalism, or maybe because the subject matter is so broad, I don’t want to enlighten you about exactly what minimalism is. So, for all we know some of you may already have a vague idea of what minimalist design is – or what minimalist is as a concept might have been explained to you by some other source (a friend of yours who knows about minimalist design?).