Minimalist Antiques
Posted by Gillian Jones on 01/03/2016
We know that as the word suggests, minimalist is about the bare minimum of anything, whether it be clothes, lifestyle or interiors. Perhaps minimalism is best known for its interiors, because it is so well represented in its lack of physical items. It's about space, the least amount of furniture, and specific items that are placed to create a dynamic impact on the viewer, and the place it takes in an otherwise blank landscape.
Where do antiques fit into this minimalist world?
Minimalism doesn't have to be about barrenness and bare rooms, it can look really good, and antiques can have a place within a minimalist interior. Your home can still be warm and inviting and nowhere near as austere and cold as you might imagine. If you cherish family photos, a relaxing couch, you can still have this, your version of minimalism is entirely of your making. Your definition of it won't happen overnight – you need time to think.
Rearrange and declutter, create more space
You may want less clutter and more space, but still want key antique pieces with a minimalist theme. There's more opportunity for guests to see your key pieces without them being drowned out by other items in the room when you have less. Decluttering the unneeded things in your living space needn't be as stressful as you might think, it gives you opportunity to rid yourself of things you hate and and promote the things you love.
By combining antique pieces with a minimalist look you get a modern mix of new and old, with texture and colour. And yes a splash of colour is definitely allowed, your rooms do not have to have clinical white or magnolia, add warmth with beautiful shades and add pattern if you wish.
You can use more modern furniture from the 1960s or 1970s perhaps, there are some beautiful shapes and textures from this period. Use antique pieces with plenty of personality and avoid the blandness of high street furniture.
Over on www.antiques.co.uk by putting '1960s' into the search engine, we came up with a rather beautiful 1960's danish design rosewood dressing sideboard and stall, and a 1960's double width teak wall unit, with desk and cupboards. There's also a lovely 1960's mahogany Scandinavian modern 3 piece suite by Andersson which would look good as a starting point.
For the 1970's we have a brown leather shell back 3 piece suite sofa chairs which could be a great main focus for a living room. There's also a beautiful pair of Danish 1970s teak chest of drawers. Your key pieces don't have to be from these two decades, but try to minimise the amount of furniture you have in one room in order to achieve that sense of minimalism with plenty of light and space. The key is to not over clutter or over fill the room, and antiques definitely have a place in this type of setting.
We hope you found this post interesting, there's plenty of different styles or themes you can go for in your home, we've just written about just two of them that incorporate antiques so well. Wabi sabi, which we've touched on before, is also a great aesthetic to work towards, although not technically a style, it does have emphasis on impermanence and imperfection – so there's room for antiques, reclaimed pieces and raw individual items that add style, but show their faults, rips and tears beautifully. Follow your heart and do what you like, and if we've helped inspire you just a little today with our themes, then that's just great!