We’ve been in the process of renovating for over a year now, and it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. This project has been an incredible ride! I’ve learned so much and done things I never would’ve imagined myself doing just a few years ago (laying concrete countertops myself, anyone?!) We’ve run into our fair share of frustrations - as is the case with any renovation project - but I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to have created a minimalist home that feels truly right for our family. I love it!
Check out some of the changes we’ve made to turn this into the minimalist home of our dreams:
I knew that I wanted my minimalist home to feel open, light, and full of space - so creating a flowing floor plan was crucial. In one of the most radical moments of our renovation journey, we knocked out the wall dividing
the kitchen from the dining room!
Replacing the upper cupboards with shelves has really opened up the room and helped us to achieve the sense of airiness I was looking for. Now the light from the window streams through the whole room, instead of being shadowed by blocky woodwork.
Installing deep drawers has made storage so much easier. I love being able to pull out the drawers and instantly see everything I’m working with. No more rooting around in dark cupboards!
One big step towards creating a restful minimalist home is reducing the number of different textures at play in a room. In the kitchen, that meant that we tore out the tile backsplash and went for smooth walls, chose drawers without knobs or handles, and poured concrete countertops. This last one was an adventure I’d be happy not to repeat - smoothing concrete by yourself is more stressful than it sounds! - but I’m thrilled with how it turned out.
With brickwork, boards, and trim, the busy
front of our house initially felt like a far cry from any kind of minimalist home. I’m a big believer in white, so that was a given for the walls - including the brickwork - but after umming and ahhing for a bit, I couldn’t ignore the voice of inspiration. I took a risk and went for white trim, too!
Sometimes the popular choice just isn’t the right one, and in this case, I think my little risk definitely paid off!
When we first moved in, the backyard was a wild tangle of vines and tumbled river rocks. Not exactly a picture-perfect minimalist home! The
pool was fenced in close and eye-rest was thin on the ground. It took a lot of hard work, but I love what this space has become!
We did have some hiccups on this project, however. One day, we tore up flagstones expecting to find concrete beneath them and we were left staring at dirt! But we found a solution to every setback and ended up with a totally transformed space - serene and welcoming.
We poured a load of concrete and decomposed granite to extend the pool area and create the kind of peaceful deep breath we were looking for in our minimalist home. Now I love sitting out there under my DIY pergola while the kids play in the pool.
The dramatic before-and-after shots here just go to show how far a few furniture choices and some paint can go towards crafting a minimalist home. After knocking through the wall to the kitchen, we painted the formerly-beige walls and ceiling moulding white. I can’t believe how much more restful this room has become!
This might be the room that I’m the most proud of. Gabriel and I took a while deciding if we wanted to take the plunge and go for the completely concrete look, and I’m so glad that we did. It’s a refreshing change from all the whites and woods of the rest of the house!
Replacing the old tiles and sidings with smooth concrete has instantly made this room feel unfussy and sleek. I decided to maximize the sense of space in here by installing a much smaller sink unit than the previous one.
A hot tip to consider in your own minimalist home is to keep as much of the floor visible as possible. Sounds random, right? But having a sink unit that hovers, rather than one that covers the floor, really increases the sense of space! Keeping floors visible makes rooms feel bigger.
Another trick to keep the concrete from getting too oppressive and to make the room feel bigger was the large mirror above the sinks. I love how this acts as an understated focal point for the room (and now Gabriel can’t hog the mirror!).
Sometimes it’s the smallest changes that will completely transform a space. For the living room in our minimalist home, I painted the brickwork around the fireplace and, wham! The color balance shifted and the whole room brightened.
Is our renovation process over? Absolutely not! As I look around my minimalist home, I know there are so many exciting ideas I want to try and little projects I still mean to complete. But alongside all the dreams for the future, I am also incredibly proud of how far we’ve come. Together, our family has created a space that is a relief to come home to - somewhere both beautiful and restful, thoughtful and simple. At the end of the day, that’s what creating a minimalist home is all about.
Working on a minimalist home of your own? Check out our Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home here!
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