Austere Home Decor, The New Trend
Whoever said that you have to overdecorate and fill every space in the house with objects? These days, there are new stylish options available, such as austere home decor, a new trend that’s becoming popular in the world of interior decor. There’s no doubt that it’s an interesting concept, and quite simple to carry out.
You’re probably used to your shelves being packed, drawers overflowing, tables being full of gadgets, decorative odds, and ends, etc. Sometimes it might feel like you have to fill your house with stuff for it to feel cozy.
However, the austere decor style is the way to go. This is quite an original decor style since it breaks the typical rules of decor. The result is a more innovative decor, where the things you need in the home are the basis for the decoration.
A lack of decor without losing the essence
How can you create home decor without decorative items? It’s important to create harmony between the color scheme and the furniture to make sure you don’t lose the essence of your home. You can’t just have an almost empty house, you need to include the right elements.
What this style achieves is a clean up of the atmosphere, oxygenating the room and achieving a purification of the lines and shapes. This type of decor doesn’t mean getting rid of everything and leaving just empty rooms.
What it does have to do with is using some basic resources to cover the occupant’s needs. In that way, it maintains the essence of the place. It avoids the risk of excessive storage and accumulating stuff that’s not needed. And, at the same time, it forms a much more contemporaneous living space where you’re free to be creative.
It’s not about getting rid of everything, but rather about choosing that which is simply necessary.
Lines, proportions and aesthetic
Of course, there needs to be some decoration. The rooms should feature what they need. In this way, you’ll be able to enjoy a simple and basic aesthetic in your home, where artistic expression is brought down to a minimum.
Here are some suggestions for creating this style in your home:
- The furniture you use in each room should be functional. That is, instead of the whole house being an eclectic collection of various decor objects, you should focus the style of each room on usefulness. Think about what you need, don’t put the focus on just having showy impractical pieces of furniture.
- To achieve a proportionate look in each room, take note of the shape of each piece of furniture and place each item logically. It doesn’t make sense to just randomly place the furniture anywhere, you should be aware of what you want to accomplish.
- Try to enhance the harmony of the room, don’t be inconsistent. If you leave some corners empty, don’t worry. The areas of the room that have items will counteract the empty spaces, giving a sense of peace.
The few decor items will play an important role since there won’t be lots of extra items to draw the eye away.
Functionality as the basis of austere home decor
The basic principle that the austere decor style is founded on is functionality. Whatever you have in your house should be fundamental, simple and useful. Some other characteristics to help you achieve this style are these:
- Utilize useful furniture, either because each piece fulfills some function, or simply because it contributes simply and directly to the aesthetic of the room. Don’t include useless ornaments because they will only hinder the harmony of the room.
- When we talk about functionality, we’re also referring to concepts such as simplicity, agreement, proportionality, and usefulness. A piece of furniture or another object cannot be understood if you can’t use it in any way.
- Get rid of the concept of having furniture that doesn’t link aesthetically with the rest of the decor. It’s about searching for spaciousness and practicality. The room makes much more sense this way – it becomes a comfortable, uncomplicated place.
Austere decor and minimalism
The minimalist decor style is directly related to austere decor. Within minimalism, you can find basic, useful resources, such as subtle and simple designs. What’s purely ornamental gives way to what’s functional.
The minimalist trend advocates greater spaciousness that allows for a fresh and relaxed atmosphere. A lack of decor items means you avoid over saturation of the room. The shapes and lines are thus reduced to the most basic.
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AA.VV.: Espais interiors. Casa i art: des del siegle XVIII al XXI, Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, 2007.