How to Embrace Minimalism in Your Tiny Apartment

The great thing about minimalist design? You don't need much to pull off the look, which makes it a great design option for small apartments. With minimalism, less truly is more, but not just less stuff. These 20 ways to embrace minimalism in your tiny apartment will create a more serene living space through simple, no-fuss design.

Within a minimalist space, one of the areas you can afford to go bold with is your lighting. This doesn’t mean you have to choose something loud and elaborate, but it does mean you shouldn’t be afraid to make a statement with your lighting. Oh, and if you’re renting, you can often still swap your lighting; just be sure to keep your old fixtures to swap back into place once your lease ends.

Say it with us: “I will commit to clearing the clutter off of my countertop.” Seriously — you can try your best to give your apartment the minimalist design treatment, but countertop clutter will inevitably derail your design plans. We get it, though. Storage space can be hard to come by in a tiny apartment, so it may be time to part with some countertop staples that you simply don’t need anymore.

Love plants? Us too! Plants fit right in as decor pieces in a simple interior. While you can easily go overboard with houseplants (trust us, we’ve been there), we recommend keeping things simple with one or two larger plants to anchor the space.

Now that you've simplified your space, don't be afraid to splurge on premium hardware, fixtures and furnishings, if your budget allows. You're buying fewer things and the items you choose to include in your heavily edited space will hold much more visual weight, now that there's less clutter to compete with.

If you, like us, love a gallery wall, we’ve got great news. You don’t have to forgo your gallery wall dreams for the sake of minimalism. Sure, gallery walls often give off busy, maximalist vibes, but the trick to giving your gallery wall the minimalist edit is to keep it simple and curated. Think smaller footprint, complementary pieces and nothing too loud or overly colorful.

Knick-knacks, tchotchkes and other decorative objects seem to effortlessly collect on our shelves. Can you relate? If so, this may be a hard pill for you to swallow. If you’re after the minimalist look, it’s time to have a serious conversation with yourself about what stays and what goes.

Okay, okay — we don't expect you to just trash every item you've ever bought. For those must-keep items and treasured vintage finds, utilize tall shelving to maximize and better style your space. A shelf like this only takes up a few square feet of floor space and offers tons of pretty and practical storage. Pro tip: To cut down on the visual clutter, find some cute baskets and bins for the shelves, then fill them with the items that don't match your intended aesthetic.

Swap traditional, bulky nightstands for something slim and simple like this elegant, wall-mounted piece. Sure, it’s smaller, but that’s kind of the point. Long gone are the days of cluttering your nightstand with devices, half-read books and unnecessarily large lamps.

Once you've cleared away excess color and decor, bring back that homey feel by incorporating more natural materials. Wood, leather, stone and other natural materials effortlessly lend a cozy vibe without an overwhelming visual effect.

When establishing your apartment's minimalist color palette, start with a soft, neutral base, then build out from there.

While a minimalist interior works best within a limited color palette, the same can’t be said for patterns and textures. If it fits within your curated color palette, don’t be afraid of pattern and texture in the form of pillows, rugs, throws, curtains and more.

If you're after the minimalist look in your apartment, be intentional with your accent colors. Too many accent colors or overly bright colors can quickly overwhelm an otherwise minimalistic design.

To bring the serene, minimalist look to your bedroom, we recommend simplifying your bedding however you see fit. You could cut down on the extra pillows, nix the patterns, simplify the color palette or anything else you can dream up, as long as you keep it simple.

Another way to warm up a neutral, minimalistic space that risks being overly cold and unwelcoming is by incorporating some warm metallics like copper, bronze, brass and gold. The key to this design tip is to stick with muted and tarnished pieces rather than polished, shiny pieces that may stick out like a sore thumb.

In a small apartment, natural light is your best friend, so don't cover it up! Unless you have to black out the window to get some sleep, we recommend opting for sheer curtains whenever possible.

Don't be afraid of incorporating fun shapes in your apartment. Once you've simplified and cleaned up the visual, you have more room for unique furniture shapes. What would once overwhelm, and ordinary space now feels like a welcome addition of fun.

Lots of small paintings, pictures and other artwork on the walls can crowd the visual and overwhelm a minimalistic space. We recommend treating your walls like an art gallery and swapping multiple small pieces for one or two carefully curated large art pieces.

Whether it be a sconce or a task light, mounting light sources on your walls frees up floors and furniture and helps create a cleaner, decluttered visual. Plus, no need to worry about invasive wiring. Just opt for a fixture that plugs into an outlet.

Admittedly, many self-proclaimed "minimalist" interiors are nothing but dull and lifeless. Yes, you should carefully curate and simplify your space, but this doesn't mean you have to trade beautiful for boring. That's why we love wood furniture, especially live-edge wood. Natural wood practically oozes character, bringing back the beauty and liveliness your interior is missing.