10 Minimalist Apartment Ideas That Prove That Small-Space Living Doesn’t Have to Be Cluttered
To some people, a minimalist apartment might sound like an oxymoron — you want a home stripped back, while we’re already dealing with a limited floor plan? Well, don’t be quick to think that minimalism means just not having stuff — when really it’s as much a style of decorating as it is a philosophy of less is more.
You might connote decorating an apartment minimally with something uncozy, but with the right design, that’s far from the truth. “Minimalism does not necessarily equate to a stark or empty interior,” interior designer Ronit Lee, founder of Vellum Design Studio, tells me. “For me, minimalism is allowing space to evoke calmness, and I aim to create inviting and warm and serene interiors that have strong visuals and interesting details, yet are not overpowering.”
Now that, I’m sure, is something you can get on board with, and in this round-up of minimalist apartment ideas, that’s exactly what you’ll see. These are designs that feel comfortable, welcoming, and calm, while managing to pare back unnecessary ornament and best disguise the clutter that comes with everyday life — something that you can feel more acutely in a small space such as a flat.
1. Bring Texture to Walls to Avoid Starkness
“I like to layer the space with luxurious textures, tactile pieces and well made furnishings,” says designer Ronit Lee. “It is a balance of distinct silhouettes and a harmonious color palette.”
(Image credit: Nicole Franzen. Design: Vellum design Studio)
Blank white walls aren’t something you see often in good minimalist interior design these days, and interior designer Ronit Lee of Vellum Design Studio proves in this design how the right wall finish can help a minimalist apartment balance that serene quality with a sense of warmth.
“The walls are finished with clay paint, which creates a multi-dimensional look,” Ronit explains. “Looking at this finish closely, it feels the walls are breathing when contrasted with paint. It is an additional layer and texture to the design that adds great depth. Clays makes a smaller space feel big, it adds soulfulness to larger areas, and furthermore, it softens acoustics,” she adds.
Ronit Lee
Interior designer Ronit brings a global approach to her design studio. Having grown up around Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, she now splits her time between New York and Los Angeles.
dowsingandreynolds
Bubble Chandelier
Price: £299
A minimalist backdrop leaves space for a beautiful light fixture to steal the show.
2. Channel Wabi-Sabi in Your Minimalism
Architect Axel Vervoordt is renowned for his take on Wabi Sabi interiors.
(Image credit: Nikolas Koenig. Design: Axel Vervoordt and Tatsuro Miki for The Greenwich Hotel)
I couldn’t curate a round-up of minimalist apartment ideas without including one of my favorite ones, designed for the Tribeca Penthouse of The Greenwich Hotel. Okay, it’s not your everyday apartment, but the design, created by architects Axel Vervoordt and Tatsuro Miki, shows that no matter the building your apartment is in, you can create something special with the interiors.
The designers used the ancient Japanese aesthetic sense of Wabi Sabi as the heart of their design for the apartment, ensuring it feels anything but cold and harsh. Incorporating antique and custom-made fixtures and furnishings, plus brilliantly textured walls and the like of linen blinds in such a casual style, shows you don’t have to go sleek, polished, and ‘contemporary’ as such to make an apartment feel minimalist.
3. Opt for ‘Humble’ Furniture
A vintage room divider is all that separates the sleeping and living space in this small apartment.
(Image credit: Alice Mesguich. Design: Studio LeCann)
Some furniture that you’d call minimalist can, still, be incredibly flashy. However, these slick and glossy styles don’t always resonate with the idea of minimalism we see emerging in popularity right now.
Instead, this version of minimalism is more humble and grounded, unpretentious, even, and that’s exactly how this studio apartment, designed by French design practice Studio Le Cann feels.
“The living room is a set of steps and risers to create a bench on which are placed simple cushions made to measure with NOBILIS Huahune fabric,” Guillaume Fantin, co-founder of Studio Le Cann, says. “[It’s] a free and open space, where one is invited to live barefoot, to sit or to relax, to lie down in a relaxed way.”
The rough clay-plastered walls give a texture that grounds the stainless steel kitchen in its utilitarian nature, too. It’s a minimalist apartment that feels design-y, but original and true to the nature of the space, too.
4. Make Color Transitions Softer
In this super minimalist apartment, soft color changes add interest.
(Image credit: Cafeine. Design: Jessy Van Gorp)
In average-sized apartments, most rooms tend to be connected in a more open-concept approach, or use room dividers or have doors that mean connecting rooms are visible within each other. Using a single color can help unite these spaces with ease, but it’s not the most interesting approach, even for a minimalist apartment.
In this incredibly minimalist design by Jessy Van Gorp, subtle shifts in color help delineate and connect rooms at the same time. “[The property] enhances a fluid connection between spaces, each with a distinct ambiance,” explains Jessy. “An off-white kitchen transitions into a ‘pinkish terracotta’ dining area, leading to a beige and dark-toned seating space.”
The subdued and calm color palette, featuring shades of white and beige against contrasting dark brown and decorating with terracotta as an eye-catcher, sets the tone for understated luxury.
Jessy Van Gorp
Based in Antwerp, Belgium, Jessy Van Gorp is a designer who specializes in projects that have minimalist sensibilities with a contemporary approach.
laredoute
Manilla Side Table
Price: £139.99
Terracotta makes an interesting, warming addition to a minimalist apartment scheme.
5. Embrace an Apartment’s Features in Minimalist Design
The designers of this large apartment uncovered its industrial features during the renovation.
(Image credit: Edvinas Bruzas. Design: OZA)
Not all minimalist apartments need to be blank boxes, either. Apartments, depending on their age, location, and former life of the building, often have interesting structural and original features, which don’t have to be minimized, even in minimalist spaces.
For Özge Öztürk and Alexandre Simeray of OZA Design, an architecture and design studio based in London, this was the story of this loft-style apartment in the French city of Colmar. “Focusing our design on the narratives of this fascinating building, we aimed to create an open space emphasizing the structure’s industrial and progressive aspects,” say Özge and Alexandre.
“The apartment offers a serene space with a muted color palette that transforms the exterior view into artwork,” say Özge and Alexandre. Embodying “comfort through minimalism”, it evokes a New York loft in France.
6. Simplify Apartment Hallways
Apartments can often feel overrun with internal doors.
(Image credit: MWAI)
Apartments tend to have a lot of internal doors focused in a small area, and often it’s when you first walk into one. This ‘corridor’ effect isn’t always the best way to make a first impression, so often you’ll see creative workarounds, such as hidden door ideas, in these areas.
Just take this minimalist apartment idea from London-based architecture firm MWAI as an example. “This is the entrance hallway to a penthouse duplex, and our clients wanted to eliminate the feeling of arriving on the bedroom floor, especially when entertaining guests,” explains Alessia Mosci, director of MWAI. “We envisaged a space that would provide a seamless, minimalist experience. When you arrive, you are struck by the natural light coming from the upper floor, leading you directly towards the living space, letting the doors to the bedrooms become like a staged scenery, not revealing the more private rooms.”
7. Use Pocket Doors to Create Minimalism
A pocket door is a minimalist approach to making open concept more flexible in an apartment.
(Image credit: Francisco Nogueira. Design: Nuno Nascimento Arquitectos)
Another way to deal with the intrusive presence of doors in an apartment is to do away with them — well, to a certain extent. Yes, going open concept with your apartment may make things feel lighter and more open, and in a way more minimalist, but it doesn’t always work out when you have guests over, for example, and you want to hide an unmade bed or a pile of dishes in the kitchen.
Pocket doors make for a great solution, and it’s exactly what Portugese architect Nuno Nascimento chose for this minimalist apartment. “Culturally, we pass a lot of time in the kitchen, so we wanted it to be an extension of the living and dining room, but with having the possibility of closing it due to the noises and smells that naturally occur in kitchen areas,” Nuno explains. “90% of the time the kitchen is open, allowing to extend the spaces, but for us it’s essential that we can filter what is happening in the kitchen, so the pocket door comes as the best solution for it.”
When open, there’s no architrave or trim, meaning the doorway into the kitchen feels minimalist, and as though there isn’t a door concealed there at all.
8. Use Built-ins to Create Architecture
Maximizing the use of built-in storage can help keep apartments clean-lined and clutter-free.
(Image credit: Clinton Weaver. Design: Together Design Studio)
So, you’re probably wondering, where do I actually store all the stuff I own? Well, part of a minimalist lifestyle is paring back on what you own, but in the design of an apartment, it’s also clever to use built-ins to their maximum potential.
Just take this apartment designed by Australian design firm Together Design Studio, which utilizes a simplified aesthetic and color scheme throughout. Adjoining the apartment kitchen, the designers created a bank of built-in storage that transforms the apartment, while building it over into an arched doorway, to really get the most from every inch, while keeping the design clean and minimalist.
“By designing a central ‘joinery block’, we made it feel like you’re walking through the cabinetry itself, which we believe creates a generous feeling of space within the small footprint,” says Millie Meares, director of Together Design. “All the appliances are integrated within this plywood joinery, so it cuts back on visual clutter and keeps the space minimalist and calm.”
“We also used it to highlight the original entry arch in the hallway, so you experience that transition from the apartment’s decorative Art Deco detailing to a more contemporary aesthetic in the living, dining, and kitchen area,” Milly adds.
9. Use Minimalism Alongside Color
Solid surface brand HIMACS was used to create a color-blocked kitchen design.
(Image credit: Tomo Yarmush. Design: Unicreations)
This might be controversial for some minimalists, but I don’t think minimalism and color are mutually exclusive. It’s about how you decorate with color in an apartment as to whether it keeps that calm and serene feel.
In this apartment designed by Polish design studio Unicreations, certain areas of the floor plan have been color-blocked with bright blue flooring, while in the kitchen, color has been embraced with cabinets and countertops made in the same material and color that ensures it still feels pared back. “First, we wanted to create a monolithic kitchen unit with uniform surfaces that would be durable and non-porous — and HIMACS was the perfect material for this,” the designers explain. “Second, color played a crucial role: we were looking for a soft, pale blue, and the HIMACS Sapphire offered the most beautiful shade we could find among all solid surface manufacturers.”
10. Be Considered With the Wall Materials
(Image credit: Cafeine. Design: Jessy Van Gorp)
I’ll say it, a lot of what makes an apartment feel minimalist or not is what you have on the walls. That’s not to say that you can’t have anything, but what you do have should be carefully considered and serve a distinct purpose.
Back in Jessy Van Gorp’s Z Residence project, that’s certainly the case. “Every piece, from furniture to decorative elements, has been exclusively designed for this residence, ensuring both cohesion and acoustic refinement, as the artworks double as acoustic panels,” she explains. “Natural materials play a significant role: grainy-textured natural stone on the ground floor, pronounced-pattern marble in the bathrooms laid in a wild pattern, and heavily brushed oak in varying shades. We utilized natural lime plasters (microtopping) in wet areas and selected linen, wool, and cotton for the textiles.”
Minimalism is, as it turns out, as much about mindfulness of what you have and how you use it as it is about how you decorate.
It’s not that the rules of minimalism have a different application in apartments as such, but it’s the specificity of the environment of an apartment that has some effect. An apartment living room may look the same as a normal living room, for example, but it’s different in the scope of the world its owner inhabits.
The way it interacts with the outside world, the wider architecture of the building, and even just the peculiarities in layout and size mean that you need to consider a different approach to minimalism for these spaces.
