Love art? Love lighting? You'll be delighted to hear that Artfinder has teamed up with designer lighting company, Pooky to recommend artists whose works would fit perfectly in particular design styles.
So, let us begin by chucking out the chintz and getting minimal.
What is minimalism?
Minimalism is a mid-20 th century cultural movement which developed the reductionist ideas of Modernism, paring design elements down to their fundamental essences: solid colours, geometrical shapes, simple forms and functions.
The concepts of minimalism influenced everything from architecture and sculpture to music and theatre (think Philip Glass and Samuel Beckett). But in today’s interior design, minimalism is really all about creating a simple space that minimises clutter and provides a sense of calm and peace.
Minimalist interiors will typically have:
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The minimum amount of furniture necessary for comfortable living
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Zero clutter – which means employing cunning storage solutions (like furniture that doubles up as a place to hide things)
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A clear floor – usually bare floorboards or even concrete, with a single rug in the centre of the room
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A simple colour schemes using muted tones, with one or perhaps two solid accent colours
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A small number of striking objects, items of furniture or artworks, each making a statement or providing a purpose.
Choosing art for minimalist interiors
Because a minimalist interior by definition won’t have many artworks on the walls, selecting the right ones becomes all the more important. In a minimalist scheme you’ll generally want a single artwork on an otherwise bare wall to provide a focal point for the room. It could be a large canvas, but sometimes a relatively small picture in a simple black frame is just as effective.
We’ve had great fun browsing the hundreds of fantastic independent artists on Artfinder, and we’ve selected four who are all different, but whose works we feel are perfect for a minimalist scheme….
Fintan Whelan
Fintan Whelan is a Dublin-born, German-based artist living in Germany who makes large, bold, striking canvases in pigments and oils that would look stunning on an otherwise bare white or grey wall.
We love the fluid nature of his works, with their multiple layers of light and texture. They seem to suggest deep oceans or ice floes or perhaps even volcanic lava, and would contrast beautifully with furniture using sharply defined angles and lines.
Nadia Attura
We’ve picked out this desert scene by London-based fine art photographer Nadia Attura’s work for a minimalist scheme because the red would be perfect for introducing an accent colour to a room.
But many of Nadia’s other pictures could work just as well – we love the way she layers multiple photographs to create a poetic, dreamy feel – almost but not quite reality.
Don Bishop
Don Bishop’s pictures are somewhere between impressionist landscapes and abstract colour paintings.
He paints the countryside near his home in Portland, Oregon, and we love the way he distills the scenes to their essences of light and colour – a very minimalistic approach.
Ellie Cryer
Ellie Cryer’s gorgeous pencil drawings really stood out for us – they’re relatively small so would be ideal in a flat, or perhaps above a desk in a study area.
Again, they’d be perfect for adding a bit of fun into a minimalist scheme.
Pooky have lots more interior design tips, ideas and features on their blog – and they also make some rather lovely designer lamps and lamp shades!
Like these? For more inspiration take a look at our Minimalist Interiors collection.
Hero Image: 'Aqua Series I' by Fintan Whelan
