With big examples in modern pop culture, like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s home, minimalism has become one of the top design styles. In this article, we will be going back to basics. What is minimalism? What are the pros and cons to this design style? And what does this future hold for this trend?

Minimalism 101

Minimalism is an architectural trend that came about in the 1920s. One major pioneer of this trend during that time was Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. According to van der Rohe, minimalism maximized the power of the space and the few items in it.

Van der Rohe coined the common saying “less is more” and his designs reflected that mindset. He made sure that details and elements of his design’s had multiple purposes. This helped to remove the clutter.

With minimalism everything is minimal – lines, colors, and details. The thought is by stripping away the clutter you reveal the essence of items and designs. Some common elements of minimalism in architecture include:

• Simple materials
• Clean lines
• Little clutter and ornaments
• Focus on geometric forms
• Repetition
• Open spaces

Pros and Cons of Minimalism

Minimalism has gained a lot of steam in the past years. easy to clean, focuses on quality materials, gives our mental health a boost, and can save us money by requiring we buy less. At the same time, there are some cons to consider.

Cons of Minimalism

1. Can be expensive. Yes, minimalism can save you money because there are fewer things to buy. At the same time, sometimes minimalism requires custom furniture. While this extra expense is often balanced out by the need to buy less, sometimes the custom furniture does end up driving the cost up significantly.
2. Minimalism is top priority. If your client likes to take home souvenirs from trips or display lots of family photos, minimalism isn’t for them. This isn’t a trend that can be done halfway. You have to go all the way, or it doesn’t look good.
3. Can’t hide mistakes. With other styles of architecture and design, you can hide mistakes. With minimalism, this is harder to do – in some cases, impossible.

The Future of Minimalism

In their article “Is minimalism dead?”, the blog Arch Daily questioned the future of minimalism. Every architectural trend comes and goes. Minimalism was so popular at the beginning of the 21^st century. It may be time for the trend to fade and make way for new trends. We have started to see that shift already.

Arch Daily, and others, speculate the pandemic might have something to do with the current shift. It was around 2020 that we started to see public tastes shift more towards and eclectic and colorful style. Could it be that when we were forced to stay in our modern, minimalist homes, we realized we really want elements that reflect who we are?

Minimalism will never completely die. There will always be those architects and clients who love it.

However, we agree that we will see a shift more towards styles like Japandi and Organic Modernism, which are clean styles combined with natural features and elements to give them some life.

We also agree that maximalism could be a major style in the near future. As Arch Daily states, the rise of maximalism reflects “the rise of individualism, inclusivity, and defying the status quo”. Maximalism seeks to represent what’s inside your brain – with all the weird, colorful, and cultural elements.