Female Focus
Page 41
Home & Garden
Cool, Calm and Purely Minimal
With the hot summer sun pounding down on us I thought I would focus on the lightest, airiest, spatial interior scheme ever in an effort to feel cooler, so this month is the turn of Minimalism.
The term “Minimal” has become a real buzz word in interior schemes for anything that has a pared down or contemporary look, for example, many of the new build homes that we see in this area are termed minimalist in their design. However pure Minimalism is born of a very specific and rigorous set of design rules, to the point where it forms an almost religious doctrine amongst its true followers.
What the eye can’t see….
A truly minimal room is one where all extraneous detail, ornamentation, softness and colour have been removed. At their extreme, minimalist interiors appear almost unfurnished with integral concrete benches providing seating, storage and surface spaces. No handles are to be seen and any free standing units are simple and box like so that every surface is straight, flat and totally
plain. Lighting is recessed or camouflaged, sinks are moulded as an integral part of the work surface and warmth is provided by invisible under-floor heating.
A minimal home gives the impression of clinical emptiness with all focus on the space and the finishing. Walls are covered with concrete or plaster and left free of all detailing such as skirting boards or cornicing, and are painted in shades of white or grey. Floors are natural hardwood or stone and not softened with carpets or rugs. Windows are large and unframed and covered with hard edged blinds or screens that blend seamlessly with the walls. Textiles are to be avoided but where needed such as the bedroom, are of natural fibre and neutral in colour.
Sleek living or stark reality?
Some critics of the scheme call it brutal, intimidating, profoundly pretentious and even inhuman, whilst its supporters insist that the unrelieved starkness of such rooms enhance space, plays with natural light and creates a heightened almost Zen like feeling of calm and aesthetic contentment that can only be achieved through the lack of distraction.
In fact one designer, Le Corbusier, laid down the rule that “one should never undress in your bedroom…it makes the room horribly untidy”!!
With such an environment you can see why the critics are so damning of this style, and the reality is that many minimalist spaces are softened by their creators and compromised to take account of everyday living and comfort.
So, whether you could live with this style or not, there are probably lessons to be learnt from living in such a regulated and immaculate space, I for one will be taking on Le Corbusier’s rule about undressing in the bedroom, and will in future be leaving my horribly untidy heap elsewhere instead!
Lotus Homestyling Studio, Ctra. Moraira 16, Benitachell. Call 966 493 232.
Tammi
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