Minimalism can be defined as the perfect feeling that emanates when the content of a work is reduced to the minimum. When all the parts, details, and connections of an object are reduced and compressed to their essence, it acquires this characteristic, which is the result of removing non-essential elements.

Minimalism emerged as one of the most important modern art movements of the 20th century in the 1960s. Its design follows the "less is more" principle and has had a profound impact on many artistic fields, including architecture, decorative design, fashion, and painting.

The fast-paced and overloaded modern life, along with the massive fragmentation of information, makes people increasingly anxious and eager for inner peace, relief from mental stress, and aesthetic fatigue. The rationality, practicality, simplicity, clarity, and elegance of minimalism perfectly meet people's spiritual needs, and are increasingly sought after and loved by the general public.

For example, the Nordic style, Japanese-style design, flat design, and the "discard, rearrange, and organize" lifestyle that people now admire are all essentially minimalism.

Although minimalism is known for its simplicity, in fact, minimalism design does not blindly pursue the simplification of design forms but rather seeks a balance between design form and function. That is, on the premise of achieving the design function, remove non-essential and unnecessary decorations, use clean and smooth shapes to present an elegant and pure feeling, reduce people's cognitive obstacles, and make it convenient for people to use and appreciate.

Just like the famous architect Dieter Rams' design philosophy "Less, but better", the core design philosophy of minimalism is also to bring people a better sense of use through simple design, that is, simplicity but with significance.

To achieve this, what minimalism needs to do is not just to simplify and remove elements but to be precise and determine the functionality. Therefore, under the simple appearance of minimalism design, there are hidden complex design processes.

The design principles of minimalism are as follows:

Functionality first

The purpose of minimalism design is to highlight the design's functionality. Only by determining the specific purpose of the design can the external design be determined. Use a simple and clear appearance to convey clear and intuitive information to the audience.

Humanization

Minimalism pays great attention to humanization. The design strictly follows the principles of ergonomics and meets the physiological and psychological needs of humans in terms of shape, material, and other aspects.

Limited color

The color of minimalism design is relatively simple, with single colors or a few colors combined. Generally, it avoids using multiple colors or strongly contrasting colors, complex and gorgeous colors, and opposes the combination of complex and colorful patterns. The color should convey a sense of peace, relaxation, and introversion.

Simple shapes

Minimalism design mostly uses straight lines, squares, or simple geometric shapes, removes all unnecessary elements and details, has precise proportions, and presents a simple, bright, and clean feeling as a whole.

Use of blank space

Blank space is a common technique used in minimalism to emphasize the essence of the design, create a strong contrast, and create a space of imagination.

Minimalism furniture:

• Clean and simple lines: Clean and simple lines are the most obvious feature of Minimalism furniture. The lines of Minimalism furniture are usually simple, with only straight lines and right angles for cabinets, sofas, bed frames, and tables. There are not too many curves, and the shapes are simple and contain a sense of design or philosophy without being exaggerated.
• Diverse materials: The diversity of materials is also an important feature of Minimalism furniture. Wood and leather are the main basic materials for furniture, but in Minimalism furniture, new modern industrial materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber, plastic, and high-density glass can be seen, which add various possibilities to the furniture, such as waterproof, scratch-resistant, lightweight, and transparent.
• Mostly monochromatic: Minimalism furniture is mostly monochromatic. Black and white are representative colors of minimalism, while primary colors such as gray, silver, and beige, without prints or totems, bring another low-key and peaceful feeling that is calm and restrained.
• Complex functionality: Although the lines and colors are simple, Minimalism furniture is not simple in functionality! For example, modular combination sofas can adjust the number and direction of sofas according to the needs of home space and home scene, making home life more convenient.