The Minimalist Interior Decorating Tips We Learnt from Australia's Most Stylish Influencers

September 24, 2019 by Rory Carter

If there's one thing we've learnt from the KonMari method (made famous by organisational expert Marie Kondo), it's that clutter does nothing to increase happiness in the home. I'll admit, my clothes might not always be perfectly folded in draws, and my paperwork is anything but sorted, but living with purpose and bidding farewell to the unnecessary is a lesson that benefits both your home and your mind.

Minimalism can get a bad rap sometimes, with a reputation for being cold, stark and generally lacking in personality. Well, we're here to debunk that myth with a little help from some of Australia's most stylish women who effortlessly inject their signature style into their home for a minimalist aesthetic that's anything but boring.

Go Tonal
The queen of the neutral look herself, fashion buyer and artist Alexandria Park is a perfect example of how to do minimalism in a chic and simple way. Take the dining room in her Newtown pad, for example—it's breezy, uncluttered, and still totally magazine worthy! The key? Sticking to a colour palette and using tones from within those colours to decorate. The result is a peaceful haven where everything is perfectly placed.

Ditch the headboard
The beachside haven that accessories designer Ana Piteira gets to call home is nothing short of showstopping. It's eclectic in all the right ways, and she sure knows how to use colour! When you step inside her master bedroom though, the vibe is so serene that it would be hard not to take a nap at every opportunity. Ana has achieved a sense of space and simplicity by forgoing a headboard in favour of a beautiful artwork above the bed that complements her dreamy Ink Flax Linen bedding perfectly. This brings the eye down and instantly creates a sense of cosiness that's perfect for a great night of sleep.

See-through furniture
Popular choices these days when it comes to furniture selection are timber, rattan and even terrazzo. And while they're great on-trend options, switching things up as Dina Broadhurst has done at her place is a great minimalist hack to bring in light and give the illusion of space in lieu of a bulky coffee table. Broadhurst snagged this vintage Perspex creation that beautifully holds her enviable coffee table book collection without dominating the space. Genius.

Double duty
For many of us, especially apartment dwellers, space comes at a premium. So, it makes sense to opt for furniture that can be multifunctional, effectively increasing the amount of floor space you have. Take jeweller and sculptor Holly Ryan, for example. Her timber-clad bedroom (see more here) is host to a chair that functions as a nightstand, and a log stool that doubles as a side table and extra seating. These pieces can easily be moved around and interchanged which gives a much more flexible way of living than traditionally fixed furniture. It's time to think outside the bedside table.

Hero pieces
Look, there's a countless number of decorating tips we could learn from a read of stylist extraordinaire Kerrie-Ann Jones' Darlinghurst home tour. When it comes to minimalism though, Jones has masterfully blended her own signature colour palette and look with a pared-back sensibility that is super simple to recreate. Within Kerrie-Ann's stunning bathroom, you'll notice that there is a lot of white space that allows your eyes to rest and take in the entire image. Instead of filling for the sake of it, she has chosen a few hero items and materials that do the heavy lifting. A truly impressive marble vanity, matching herringbone floors and glamorous-yet-subtle brass tapware is all it takes to elevate this space into a minimalistic paradise that exudes luxury at the same time.

Consistent shapes
A great minimalist decorating tip we learnt from interior architect and vintage seller, Steffanie Bell is that the use repetitive shapes—rectangles in this case—can have the effect of appearing sleek and orderly. From the angular coffee table to the tall sandstone plinths, this eye-catching living room makes you want to dive in to enjoy a coffee and a book.