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Peta Tomlinson

Minimal has been the design mantra now for about two decades. Reduce, declutter, simplify, streamline.
But why are we so wedded to the idea that less is more? How can you resist the urge to accumulate? And really, how practical are minimalist interiors in the cold  light of daily life? 
British design  writer John Rice  tries to simplify the process through minimalhome.com,  a website showcasing product design, art and studio pieces that he calls the 'home of minimal living'.  
'I think the real strength in modern minimalism is its desire to calm one from the multitude of social media and information  we are constantly bombarded with,' Rice said from London. 
'In the Victorian era of the mid-to-late 19th century, there was a desire to show one's complexity of taste with so many oddities and collections gathered for public and private consumption - an era we describe now as 'Victorian clutter'. 
'Our minimalism is the exact opposite, requiring us to hide away from view all but the most striking art pieces to show one's great taste.'  
Hong Kong furniture designer Michael Yeung (michael-yeung.com),  whose surreal new collection for Maison & Objet (maison-objet.com)  has its aesthetic roots in the automation and aviation industries,  says the minimalistic look is particularly suited to Hong Kong flats. 'Small spaces need to be optimised, and a fussier, more elaborate look and feel may add to the clutter. Simple and clean lines help add to the perceived spatial perception of the  [room].'
It's not the only interior look of our time, but it is one of the most enduring, Yeung says. 
'The minimalist trend is particularly appealing because its simplicity lends a quiet 'backscape' that could also be subtly distinctive,' he said.
Yeung achieves this  by using 'clean lines, hard surfaces where appropriate and  stark colours'. 
Which is not to say minimal should be  hard to live with. 
'We use the finest materials sourced globally, including hand-treated leathers from Brazil and Argentina that are painstakingly manipulated to withstand everyday usage and provide maximum comfort. Metals are also treated and polished to ensure that surfaces are smooth and feel good,' Yeung said. 
But how to live with it? Yeung's advice is to look  beyond the 'nearly blank canvas' and see how you can gently and gradually add colour, pieces of interest and memorabilia to stamp the look with your  touch. 
Rice concedes that some people find it hard even to de-clutter, let alone live minimally - but says that collectively we're at last learning to resist the marketer's siren call. 
'Rampant consumerism was a curse that followed us past the yuppie '80s, through the 'naughties' and on to the present day,' he said. 'Now  people are much more conscious of where their furniture comes from and the impact of its production on the environment. These are key buying points  and any manufacturer needs to convince potential consumers of their ethical green credentials.'
We're also more mindful of the things we throw away and more inclined to 'buy such great quality furnishings that they last a lifetime or two'. 
This is also one of Rice's key tips for achieving a minimalist interior. 
'It's better to have one really great piece that really stands out rather than lots of mediocre rubbish that drops apart after five to 10 years,' he said. 'These we refer to as antiques of the future and are the type of modern furnishings that we champion on minimalhome.com.' 'Recycling' among your friends  is another way to de-clutter your interior. 'When I have an item of furniture that I wish to relocate, I find a friend who will enjoy it  as much as I have,' he said.
The best way to stow pieces that would spoil a true minimalist interior is to build in hidden storage with seamless lines and flush fitting doors, Rice says. 'Push-latch door catches are a great way to operate these doors and are inexpensive. And all one needs to do is find a line in your home where the wall juts in. Continue this line with a false partition wall and sturdy framing for ply doors. These you then paint, blending into the sparse look of the room,' he said.  
Even a 'modern museum-style' white space can be made warm and homely, Rice says. 'The secret is to use textured fabrics, either off-white if you have no children or pets, or subtle butterscotch-coloured fabrics, suedes and even leather if you do have little ones running around with sticky fingers. I love woven textiles with two of three colours in the weave  ... All these look fantastic against a white, spare, modern, minimal interior,' he said. 'The other trick is to use grey white, which then extenuates anything white in the room too. The Italians are past masters of dressing a large modern minimal interior with calming designer pieces like Poliform  and La Cividina. Another tip is to use thought-provoking art pieces for the walls such as a Kristian von Horn$leth to challenge one's mind, or if on a budget, a painting from The Muro Lab.'  
But a neutral palette is not mandatory to a minimalist scheme.  Head Architecture  achieves it by avoiding decorative treatments such as cornices and skirtings. 
'We do use bold colour to frame spaces: orange in the dining room, and yellow in the living room. A large green carpet that signifies the lawn. A blue carpet signifying the pool,' director Mark Panckhurst  said, referring to  Head's Matsuki residence in Discovery Bay.  'Minimal doesn't mean dull or not stimulating. To us it means the design has been refined to the point where the essentials remain - space, light and colour.'
Minimal also doesn't mean austere, Rice points out. He says today's  thoughtful clients like to display their interior tastes by enlisting international designers  to build them statement modern minimal homes like 'the utterly superb'  Villa Mayavee in Phuket, Thailand. Designed by Tierra Design, it is a minimal yet cathedral-proportioned home, Rice says, with panoramic sea views, infinity pools and 'the very finest materials lavished on its construction'.
Such a property shows that living in a well-designed modern minimal home wouldn't be too much of a hardship at all, Rice says.



Stripped back to expose beautiful bare essentials