By Interiors Expert Kate Watson-Smyth
Minimalism
How Feng Shui is your front room? Chances are that while you might take into account the position of your sofa to your door, or your TV to your table, you probably haven’t thought about where you keep your sound system. But according to the rules of Feng Shui, you really should.
And, with the rise of minimalist living, keeping your front room Feng Shui has never been more important to balanced living. Interiors expert and founder of Mad About the House, Kate Watson-Smyth explains her advice for keeping a minimalist yet stylish home…
Breathe Easy
Plants are an absolute must when it comes to improving living space without causing unnecessary clutter. Not only do they have huge benefits to air quality, but they’re also believed to offset electrical waves from televisions and hi-fi equipment. The leafier the better, so this means no prickly cacti! The Fiddle-Leaf Fig is screamingly fashionable and leafy, so perfect for adding to the décor of a room. Or, if you would like something smaller, an English Ivy can sit perfectly upon a shelf.
Clutter Free
Feng Shui rules state that clutter of any kind in the home can negatively impact mental and physical health, making it vital to create a balanced mess-free living space to help us feel at ease. Keep cables from your home technology to an absolute minimum so as not to damage your flow of energy with unsightly leads. You can decorate your home perfectly, yet if you have mess and cables spilling from shelves and cabinets, you are instantly undoing your hard work by creating a negative ambience.
Colour Coordinating
For complete minimalist living, coordinate your furniture and home accessories with a muted yet stylish colour palette on your walls. Rather than offsetting neutral walls with a pop of colour, opt for camouflaging your home accessories and technology with matching colours or even pair with your curtains or cushions.
Stylish Home Technology
Technology can often get in the way of minimalist interiors by taking up precious living space, but there are many options available when it comes to minimalist home gadgets. Utilise wall mounted gadgets so you have total freedom of how you want your home to look. Functionality often takes precedence over style, but now it’s possible to create a minimalist living space by using technology to enhance your décor or convey your style.
A balanced, tidy and minimalist living space benefits your mental wellbeing; especially as the home is a place for downtime, socialising and inspiration. So, if you’re in need of a little ambience and energy balancing around the home, why not try out some of Kate’s tips for creating the ultimate minimalist interior while maintaining a stylish and functional living space.
The Panasonic SC-HC1020 Speaker is available in four colours; black, silver, red and blue from www.panasonic.com, RRP £229. The blue HC-HC1020 is available exclusively from John Lewis.
About Kate Watson-Smyth
Kate Watson-Smyth is a journalist who has written for the national press, including The Independent, The Financial Times, The Guardian and The Daily Mail, for the last 25 years. She set up her award-winning blog madaboutthehouse.com in 2012. Her first book Shades of Grey came out last year and she is writing her second due for publication next March. In addition to that Kate also runs an interiors consulting business helping source and style items for the home. Her own house has been featured in Elle Decoration, Living Etc and The Wall Street Journal.
Tagged in Minimalism