Rhema83's Minimalist Home

[floppy 4]

http://www.google.com.sg/images?hl=en&...sa=N&tab=wi

pictures are easier to describe the look. i must declare that im no expert, just that the house gives me a very cosy feel instead of a minimalist feel.

minimalism follows a set of prescribed ethos, of which, the most famous 3 words should be: "less is more".

minimalism is a celebration of bare forms and extreme simplicity; a reduction to basic shapes and defined lines (not necessary straight ones). it makes sure everything serves a functional need (or at least has one), while serving an interesting (or boring, depending on the side of the fence you are sitting on) visual purpose.

the original post renovations photos do have elements of a minimalist design: the dining table and tubular chairs; the tv bench, coffee table and sofa; and the ikea expedit (a designers' favourite). the picture of the living room could have been a good example (albeit with a different choice of curtain). pro photo shoots are staged events, the photographer can choose to remove elements that aren't fitting with the theme. unfortunately, we don't often do that when we snap around the house. besides, it is not easy to live out of a minimal home if we are not focused or used to keeping 'in character'. imho, the elements of the basic design are there, just that the owner may have found it hard to live with (or understand the design principles of) the theme. that's evident from the choice of the bedsheets, sauces on the kitchen counter top, soft toys and ornaments around the house.

ultimately, as long as the owner is happy in his own abode, doesn't matter it's a minimalist house or not

Edited July 4, 2010 by floppy

[gimz63251073 0]

my view is that the structural design does not enable a minimalist look. It does not allow the owner to keep things out of sight easily. For example, the kitchen, full height sliding doors to conceal everything would have made it look much more minimalist. Have seen quite a few of those full height cabinets in renotalk.

The bookshelf is anything but minimalist...unless there is nothing inside...hahah..

the only thing i agree with you is that as long as the owner is happy, thats good enough.

[d'lotus 0]

my view is that the structural design does not enable a minimalist look. It does not allow the owner to keep things out of sight easily. For example, the kitchen, full height sliding doors to conceal everything would have made it look much more minimalist. Have seen quite a few of those full height cabinets in renotalk.

The bookshelf is anything but minimalist...unless there is nothing inside...hahah..

the only thing i agree with you is that as long as the owner is happy, thats good enough.

True, that is why I ragged my brain to squeeze out every single inch of storage space in my little condo and put everything away from sight - a feat that requires constant housekeeping though

[floppy 4]

minimalist seek to thrive on simplicity in both content and form. there should be no (or minimal) signs of personal expressivity (which is why minimalism appears in the first place: a reaction against abstract expressionism). the objective of minimalism is to allow the work to stand out without the distractions of all the bells and whistles. hence, my understanding of minimalism isn't about hiding ornaments and keeping things out of sight. a true minimalist house doesn't need concealed cabinets or secret shelvings (because there isn't any).

conceptually, the owner should embrace the concept rather than trying to mimic it. building hidden doors to conceal it would have made it look like a minimalistic design, but, in it's essence, it is not. if the owner can't come to terms with the design or embrace it fully, at the end of the day, we are still trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. having said that, we all know that it's difficult (or close to impossible) to do that nevertheless, if the owner can keep the fundamentals to mind, the house won't look too disjointed.

i believe this house is literally minimal and spartan, but not conceptually minimalist. however, we can make use of the basic elements if the owners choose to exploit it. it definitely needs a bit of 'dressing up' (by reducing clutter and disposing of items that doesn't fit the concept). the expedit, consisting of only verticals and horizontals is, from a design perspective, a perfect minimalist work of art. in order for it to remain true to it's minimalist spirit, it can't be loaded fully. if it's for display, the owner can consider 1 shelf for 1 item only. an example (minus the branches).

perhaps rhema83 can retake the photos with the following changes and see how it turns out:

1. for the dining table: remove all the items on the table, leaving only the macbook on it. black/white photos or mirrors on the walls may improve the overall composition.

2. for the expedit, remove the soft toys (upper most rack and within the shelvings). rearrange the files/books based on height, remove the trays/'basket' and use only files and bookends. the computer and computer table is, unfortunately, out of place and doesn't fit in the design.

3. for the bedroom, since there isn't a comforter/blanket, consider changing the bedsheet to one solid colour and the pillow cases to another. you need to create a focal point (which there isn't now). the wall behind the headboard is a good place to start - a different colour with large/oversize picture/painting or some decals. clear the dressing table, leaving only the essential (i'll leave the perfume bottle and less than 4 other glass bottles without those 'loud' design/logo). set the bedside table next to the bed (as in bed side), and hide/clear the hair dryer. put a bedside lamp on it. and definitely hide the bin from view.

Edited July 5, 2010 by floppy

[gimz63251073 0]

minimalist is so hard to achieve...we all need many things in our daily lives, pots, pans, woks, rice cooker, ovens, laptops, etc....too many to name.

there are items that we would use daily and would be a hassle to clear everyday only to take it out again the next day. So hidden storage of such items would make our lives easier while having a minimalist look. To be truly minimalist would not unrealistic unless we never intend to stay at that place. Hence, hiding things away appears to be the most realistic way.

but anyway, we say until got dragon got tiger, threadstarter also never come in.

[d'lotus 0]

minimalist is so hard to achieve...we all need many things in our daily lives, pots, pans, woks, rice cooker, ovens, laptops, etc....too many to name.

there are items that we would use daily and would be a hassle to clear everyday only to take it out again the next day. So hidden storage of such items would make our lives easier while having a minimalist look. To be truly minimalist would not unrealistic unless we never intend to stay at that place. Hence, hiding things away appears to be the most realistic way.

but anyway, we say until got dragon got tiger, threadstarter also never come in.

Guys' take - why keep.... gotto use it again for dinner.... etc (sounds familiar)

In my household.... u'd better keep everything immediately in their right places (and I mean RIGHT places)... else.... lecture!! Sianz....

But I agree it makes the whole place looks neater

[floppy 4]

but anyway, we say until got dragon got tiger, threadstarter also never come in.

[Guest rhema83]

but anyway, we say until got dragon got tiger, threadstarter also never come in.

I'm here I'm here...

First thing first, my ID Peter did not call it minimalist. He would have called it "simple", "elegant" or perhaps "modern", but not "minimalist".

After hearing your comments, I think "minimalist" is not the right word. I am not very artistic when it comes to my humble abode. But we did try to keep our renovation simple and most importantly, practical. My wife and I are both engineers, so it's an occupational thing. For example, we only installed lights that we will use regularly, and have cabinets that ended up filled but not packed. The end result is minimal stuff strewn around (at least in the beginning) and maximum living space.

Then again, I have to admit that I eventually got lazy and started leaving things around. The soft toys are a good example. My wife likes to cuddle them and I grew lazy of tidying up the living room. Same for the dining table which I used to clean with Kiwi glass cleaner after every meal. Now I use the glass cleaner only once a week.

It's quite hard to be both neat and convenient, but I think I've achieved a good balance for myself.

[Guest rhema83]

@gimz.... I am also wondering how minimal is minimal when in comes to minimalist?

It is... one glance..... straight lines, not many colours, no clutter?

Exactly what I was trying to achieve.

[Tobey 0]

Hey Rhema83

I was just gg through your reno journey and enjoying it... until I saw the cost of your whole reno.

$27,500 for a 5I? Why so low? I don't know what to make of it, because I have recently paid a deposit to EI for reno of my 5I too. And the cost is nearly twice as yours! Yet from the looks of your pics, I don't think I did v much more than you to be honest? Or @ least I cannot immediately tell where the additional $27,500 would have gone to???

I have a sinking feeling now... yet in my discussions with EI I never really felt anything was really wrong... just that I thought a major overhaul for a 5-rm would cost along this range.

[d'lotus 0]

Hey Rhema83

I was just gg through your reno journey and enjoying it... until I saw the cost of your whole reno.

$27,500 for a 5I? Why so low? I don't know what to make of it, because I have recently paid a deposit to EI for reno of my 5I too. And the cost is nearly twice as yours! Yet from the looks of your pics, I don't think I did v much more than you to be honest? Or @ least I cannot immediately tell where the additional $27,500 would have gone to???

I have a sinking feeling now... yet in my discussions with EI I never really felt anything was really wrong... just that I thought a major overhaul for a 5-rm would cost along this range.

@Tobey... it's not what you do that counts... pricing depends very much on the materials used, eg... black glass vs normal glass = 3x more exp.

Another one is partitioning using wood vs gypsum board, and of course, the tiles used

[Maitena_Baby 0]

Guest room

Study room

Hi rhema,

Really enjoyed viewing your blog. Less words more pics

Your house is really nice. Love the wall colours and how u've matched with the furnishings.

Thanks for sharing...

[missyling 0]

Living room

Dining area

Hi rehema83

May i know where you bought your console & furniture from? Cos i'm also looking for similiar console and might sharing how much u pay for it.

Thanks.

[morgulboy 0]

In my opinion, Minimalism needs a wide space with very minimal clean cut furnishings. In SG, many of us are either living in HDBs or Condos with very cramp spacings. So most of the time, Minimalism cannot fit into these. In-fact these so call Minimalism themes in SG are actually either called Contemporary or simply just Modern.

If you are living in wide spaces like private housings, or maybe even the old jumbo HDBs, Minimalism theme will work. I seen many TS in Reno t-blog describing their theme as Minimalism, when I looked at their pictures, usually a big sofa in the cramp living room makes their Minimalism not Minimalism. No offense to them, most of them still looks awesome in my view.

Sorry for randomly placing my 5 cents thought about Minimalism here.