Warm Minimalism: What It Is and How to Apply It at Home

A trend that combines the basic precepts of minimalism with the warmth of Nordic decoration, without losing the centrality of order. Discover the colors, textures and basic materials to apply it.

Have you heard about warm minimalism? It’s a style that combines elements of classic minimalism with slight variations in colors, textures, and materials that provide warmth.

Discover a trend that seeks to create cozy and cheerful environments without sacrificing the simplicity of “less is more”. It’s ideal when you want to take advantage of areas with the right amount of decorations, furniture, and lighting. Find out more below.

What is warm minimalism and what is its origin?

As its name suggests, warm minimalism is a variant of minimalism, the artistic, architectural, and decorative trend that began in the 1960s. In its classic aspect, this trend proposes to reduce an area’s “clutter” to the minimum and essential. The aim is to generate embellishment from stripped environments.

There are many currents that take premises of minimalism to organize room interiors. Nowadays, when excessive consumerism and visual overstimulation are present at all times, the idea of returning to the basics is associated with order and well-being.

A publication of the Journal of Environmental Psychology suggests that the clutter of items inside a room has a negative impact because it produces a sense of chaos.

In this context, warm minimalism clings to the classical precepts, but with a contribution of colors, textures and natural materials. The aim is to replace the coldness that often generates the classical current with some light contributions that seek a sense of warmth.

The environmental perspective of warm minimalism

This new style, increasingly applied in thousands of homes, has an environmentalist side that starts from two angles. On the one hand, from the reduction of consumption and possession of objects. According to a Greenpeace report, excessive consumerism has a severe impact on the planet.

The publication indicates that these days 50% more natural resources are extracted than 30 years ago. Many of them are associated with the accumulation and disposal of unnecessary goods, and others from the presence of decorative materials of natural origin, such as wood and ecological fabrics.

How to apply warm minimalism at home

Generating a visually ordered room, stripped of material and cozy in its ambience is a simple task when some premises of warm minimalism are applied. The main thing in this trend is to reduce the elements to the basics and include plants, furniture with curved lines, and colors in warm tones.

To do so, it’s also possible to adopt characteristics of the oosouji an ancient ritual of Buddhist origin that seeks to purify spaces through material detachment. In this sense, warm minimalism is similar to classic minimalism, but taking some licenses to produce more pleasant environments. How can we implement it?

Textures and textiles of natural origin

One of the ways to generate warmth in the room is through textiles of natural origin. These can be used in accessories such as cushions, rugs, and curtains.

The idea is to combine fibers such as cotton, linen, or wool with classic materials such as marble or cement. It should be noted that in warm minimalism, smooth surfaces are prioritized over patterns.

Warm color range

In its classic variant, this trend uses white as the central color and the range of different grays as a complement. On the other hand, warm minimalism incorporates some other shades that bring warmth to the room.

Brown, ochre, beige and ranges close to an earthy color -but softened- are great options to favor luminosity.

Furniture and materials

Regarding furniture design, the idea is to reduce the visual rigidity produced by the straight lines of minimalism. Therefore, it’s common to add rounded furniture. They can find a common point with the Nordic decoration style.

The main material is wood, as it brings color and warmth to the room. At the same time, it’s of natural origin, so it fits perfectly with the trend. In any case, we must keep in mind that quality is prioritized over quantity. The idea is to continue to keep the spaces stripped of unnecessary objects.

Plants

The natural contribution par excellence in the decoration are the plants. For a trend that seeks relaxation, warmth, and a return to the essential, having a group of indoor plants is crucial. Some possible specimens are the jade tree, ficus, kentia, or kalanchoe.

Lighting

The entry of natural light is essential in warm minimalism. Different ways should be sought to favor it, such as installing light-colored curtains that don’t obstruct the windows too much. For the night hours, it is recommended to place artificial lighting that provides warmth in their shades.

The importance of order in warm minimalism

As you may have noticed, this style takes features from minimalism and Nordic decor. However, it doesn’t lose sight of the centrality of order as the visual priority of the space. A tidy room has positive effects on mood, as demonstrated by the work of Marie Kondo.

In addition, if you have the right and necessary objects, it’s easier to distribute the space and customize it. According to studies, people transmit information about their own identity through the objects present in the home.