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Marie Kondo was a sensational hit with the ‘spark joy’ concept when it came to decluttering and minimalism.
Minimalism refers to the philosophy of focusing on what is important and making decisions based on what one needs rather than on cluttering. It is an escape from a consumeristic lifestyle.
This concept truly helps in letting go of material items that no longer serve any purpose. Keeping this in mind, what does minimalism truly bring to those who are not hoarders? What purpose does it serve as a style and décor choice for students living away from home?
Understanding Style
In order to understand whether minimalism can be a philosophy and style that can be adopted by students, we interviewed Yuikan Shiriknao, an interior designer at Brand Neurons Pvt. Ltd.
“Interior is a personal choice, some like it more, some like it less. As for me, less is more, so I am definitely in for minimalism. After the pandemic, many people are working from home, which means the house has to be more organized than ever, and minimalism is the solution in many ways,” he pointed out.
Aradhana Nailk, interior designer at tRaum shared her view about the changing style, “The next trend in interior design in homes according to me will be a blend of minimalism with low maintenance interiors. Multifunctional spaces are the need of the hour and home offices will find a place in every home. Incorporating plants and blending interior and exterior spaces will give the much-required importance to living a healthy life and breathing fresh air. Multifunctional furniture too will be in vogue.”
Does Minimalism Help Students?
The era of online-offline classes has caught students in their rooms. There is the absence of clearly defined work-rest space.
When asked about what design is best suited for students, Yuikan Shiriknao suggests, “The best way to design for a student is to have a clear separation in the study area and rest of the other rooms. The space should be well-lighted with ergonomic furniture, and must support maximum productivity.”
Aradhana Naik shared smarter ways to maximise spaces in PGs for students, “The interiors of a PG can be done in such a way as to make use of every nook and corner of the room, but also not making it overcrowded. Smart furniture like pull-down beds, fold-away/ nesting tables, stackable chairs can be used. Making use of vertical spaces such as shelves, hanging planters should be explored. Innovative Lightroom dividers can be used for privacy as well as to divide two spaces.”
Final Thoughts from Designers
Naik further added: “There are small lessons we can learn from having well-organized living spaces. It is more important to have a design that is functional and provides a sense of comfort rather than following trends.”
Yuikan Shiriknao believes that trends tend to work best for style but do not possess functionality. A design is not appreciated if it does not help with functionality.
Remember to adopt a style that suits your routine the best. If you have an unhealthy relationship with shopping and tend to be a hoarder, practice the art of minimalism.
A well written article. And yes minimalism ftw always💯