One of the great debates in the home decor world is minimalism vs maximalism.
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between the two, and most homes will simultaneously incorporate aspects of each.
But in 2025, the preference appears to be for a more minimalist home.
In short, a home built on minimalist values focuses on quality over quantity. But there are many more principles.
There’s also a lot more to creating a stylish minimalist home than just removing items from your home. If you’re trying to achieve minimalism in 2025, here are some modern values to follow.
1. Ensure Every Item Has A Function
A good way to ensure you’re following the minimalist playbook is to make sure every item serves a function. This means focus will be placed on necessities such as furniture, lighting and storage; these items should be treated as centerpieces of your room.
Avoid large items that solely serve a decorative purpose, this will distract from what you are trying to achieve.
Instead, put this budget into items that do both. For example, a crystal chandelier or Camden & Co cushion covers will serve a function while also bringing a sense of luxury, wealth and style to your home.
2. Neutral Colours
Most minimalist homes opt for neutral colour palettes. White, beige and grey coloured items are the easiest to match which helps to keep a consistent flow throughout your home.
Opting for neutral colours will also help you avoid any bold items that can easily become the focal point of the room.
Keeping a consistent colour palette will also help your living space to appear larger and add depth to your room.
It may be worth looking into colour psychology to see what colours make a room appear larger or brighter than it actually is.
3. Wall Mount Items Where Possible
A good way to save space is to mount items to the wall.
While not everything can be attached to a wall, items like televisions and artwork can which will save you an enormous amount of space.
This allows you to eliminate items such as TV stands which take up unnecessary space and take you away from a minimalist look.
Art, mirrors and spice racks are all examples of items that can be mounted to a wall consequently contributing towards a cleaner space.
4. Introduce Straight Lines
Regardless of your objective, there are many psychological interior design tricks that can be used.
When trying to create a minimalist look, working in straight lines helps to keep things simple, which subsequently allows your items to become the focus.
Using symmetrical furniture placement will also help to keep a sense of balance in your room.
Rooms that are asymmetrical and lack balance can cause living spaces to be chaotic rather than simple, again going against minimalist principles.
5. Keep On Top Of Clutter
There’s no point creating the perfect minimalist home to then allow mess and clutter to build up and cover up all your good work. Ensure your home has ample storage space to help keep your home tidy.
It’s important not to think of decluttering as a weekly occurrence, it must be an ongoing commitment if you want to highlight your minimal decor.
If your home is shared with small children or pets, this can be a difficult challenge.
It may be worth having a dedicated room, like a playroom, that helps to keep toys, books and other possessions out of sight from your main living spaces.
6. Invest In Timeless Pieces
It can be tricky to achieve simplicity and modernity when putting together a minimalist home.
One of the best solutions to this is to focus on timeless items that don’t go out of style but can also work with a minimalist approach.
Think of items like leather sofas and wooden coffee tables, these items aren’t in danger of going out of style and are also not at risk of taking up too much attention.
This also means you’re not constantly updating your home to stay on top of current trends, again freeing you up to invest in luxury pieces that will stand the test of time.
7. Utilise Multi-functional Furniture
A good way to reduce the amount of furniture in a room is to use items that serve more than one purpose.
For instance, if designing a guest bedroom, a sofa bed negates the need to have a sofa and a bed in the room, which frees up space by prioritising quality over quantity.
Ottoman beds are also a good example of this as they double as a bed and a storage unit. This combines a necessary item with a way to keep your home free from clutter which, as already mentioned, is in line with minimalist principles.
8. Use Space Wisely
Minimalist doesn’t always mean less items. While you need to prioritise quality, you also need to ensure that your home doesn’t look bare and left lacking any sort of personality.
Minimalist principles are more concerned with how you use space; filling a shelf doesn’t take up any more space than if it was left empty but does help to add more character and originality to a room.
You can apply this thinking to other areas of your home too. For example, a rug doesn’t take up space but can contribute towards your simple, symmetrical space whilst also making your home warmer.
Final Thoughts
There are 8 ways you can achieve minimalist design in your home. But it’s also important to consider personal preferences, current trends and of course, your budget.
It may help to think of minimalism and maximalism as opposite ends of a spectrum as opposed to mutually exclusive choices.
In summary, it’s possible to go full minimalism or introduce a hint of minimalism while also introducing maximalism values.
If you need more help creating a stylish, minimalist home, check out some of our other articles on decluttering and creating a cohesive colour scheme throughout your home.