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12 Ways to Achieve the Muji Minimalist Living Room Style

What Is The Muji Interior Design Style?

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Muji is a Japanese concept that embodies an exquisite and minimalist living room style, influenced by the Japanese Zen religion. It is characterized by sleek minimalistic features, lots of organic elements, and subtle yet interesting hints of iconic design features.

A Muji-styled home is serene, organized, and welcoming. It’s the kind of home that you would surely appreciate after you get home from a tiring day at work. The fewer things you see, the calmer and more relaxed your mind can be. Here are 12 ways to achieve the minimalist Muji living room so you can experience the ultimate Zen aesthetic relaxation that this style offers.

1. Select Wooden Furniture

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If you look up “What is Muji minimalist living room” on the internet, you will see images of interior homes that usually consist of two primary colors. The color of wood, and white-painted walls and ceiling. The main element of Muji design is wood. From the flooring to the furniture and partition elements. Opt for wooden minimalist-style furniture pieces to achieve a Muji-styled living room.

2. Stick To Neutral Colors

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Since a Muji minimalist living room has a very simple and straightforward color palette, putting much play in your paint colors is unnecessary. As much as possible, stick to neutrals. Chose white for your walls and ceiling and perhaps a little bit of beige, cream, or pastel for certain areas to create an interesting transition and for added dramatic visual experience.

3. Pick Beige-Colored Fabrics

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For the furniture, select sectional sofas with beige-colored or neutral-colored upholstered fabric. Fabrics with the shades of gray, the color of cream, pastels, and beiges would look visually appealing and calming against the neutral minimalist backdrop of a Muji-designed living room. Keep in mind that creating a minimalist living room is also about color as it is about decors and furniture layout.

4. Go Organic

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Muji is inspired by the Japanese zen aesthetic. The organic design emphasizes minimalism and harmony between man-made features and the natural environment, drawing inspiration from nature. Natural forms and simple materials like wood and glass are promoted in organic home furniture design trends.

5. Declutter

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The key to achieving the perfect minimalist living room is to, of course, declutter. Little to no accessories and ornamentations in your living room is ideal. The goal of the Muji-styled home is to create balance and harmony through design and layout. The more organized and clutter-free a room is, the more composed and productive you get. Try practicing decluttering every day and you will notice a change in your everyday mood.

6. Incorporate Potted Plants

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Nature elements are one of the most important things that induce peace and tranquility in us. We love to be around nature and one way to do this is to add natural elements and greenery into our homes especially minimalist living room HDB.

The presence of plants accentuates wonderfully with the wooden elements in a Muji home It makes everything look vibrant and alive.

7. Create An Open Minimalist Muji Living Room Layout

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When you have an open layout, your living room can appear bright and spacious. If you are worried about having limited space, or if you are planning to redesign your minimalist living room HDB, you can always try to reconfigure the arrangement of your furniture to create a more open layout. Avoid bulky furniture and stick to Scandinavian-styled ones.

8. Paint Your Walls White

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We have tackled colors in the previous pointers, but here, I will reiterate again, the importance of the color white in a Muji-inspired home. White evokes calmness and tranquility.

You can pretty much add or decorate with any colors as long as the backdrop is painted in white. A white wall can serve as your canvas. It will be easier for you to complement the white with hanging decors and painting that if you have a bright colorful wall.

9. Paint Your Kitchen White

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A clean and white pristine kitchen is the epitome of minimalist living room designs. If you are a fan of Japanese smart home solutions, I am pretty sure that you have stumbled upon photos of minimalistic and innovative Japanese kitchens. Their kitchens top the charts when it comes to the cleanest and most technologically advanced kitchen designs. When aiming for the Muji style, use white as the backdrop paint color of your kitchen.

10. Opt For A Solid Hardwood Flooring

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The best acoustic properties are found in solid hardwood. With that being said, solid hardwood flooring is the best choice for a Muji-styled home since it is a great absorber of sound. Having wood flooring makes the interior look organic, sleek, and minimalistic but with a tinge of comfort and warmth. Almost all Muji minimalist living room designs also have solid hardwood flooring.

11. Decorate With Mirrors

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Mirrors give an illusion of a brighter and more spacious room. When your living room is small, having a huge mirror on the wall will help make your space look a bit larger than it really is. There are also many ways to decorate with mirrors. You can hang them on the walls in alternative to paintings, or lean them against the wall for a minimalist and effortless aesthetic appeal.

12. Have Enough Shelves And Cabinets for Storage

We talk about how decluttering is important to achieve the ultimate minimalist look. But how can you declutter and be organized without enough storage spaces right? Designate storage spaces and shelves in your living room.

Make use of your entertainment wall and inject a couple of cabinets where you can hide your excess accessories and open shelves for displaying the necessary ones. Don’t forget to integrate one in your foyer or mudroom as well.

Mudrooms can often get cramped with stuff especially when guests come to visit the house. Having a closet where they can store their bags, shoes, caps, umbrellas, and coats will be very convenient for them and for you as well.

We know that you are excited to create your very own Muji-styled minimalist living room. And we know you can do it on your own. Simply take heed of the tips we’ve gathered above and you’re good to go. However, if you don’t know where to start, it can really be a bit of a challenge. Decluttering and organizing along is a chore. If you need help, comment down below or end us an email of your concern.

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Muji Interior Design: Simple Yet Bold

With the increasing development of condos and other smaller residences, the need to live a simplified lifestyle has never been more in vogue. Minimalism is often the go to style for most of these small spaces, but there have been many homeowners who are slowly getting attracted to a more diverse and otherwise spiritual take on the minimalist style.

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It has been a proven fact that to live a minimalistic approach, one would require to invest in quality materials and pieces that are designed to last for a good number of years as well as adopt several habits when it comes to maintaining your lifestyle and interior. Luckily, there is a style that follows the principles of minimalism and practicality. And would you believe it shares its name with a well-known concept store?

Muji is a Japanese concept store that works on the philosophy of less is more. It promotes practical and functional products such as towels and hampers as well as clothes that are designed for every minimalist’s lifestyle. The concept of Muji’s interior is exactly the philosophy it advocates: practical, clean, neat, organized and above all, functional. It is not overtly minimal and plain, but rather minimal with a touch of elegance.

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So if the look of Muji appeals to your lifestyle, here are several ways you can try to have the Muji interior design in your home.

1. NEEDS VS. WANTS

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Before you start your design, take the time to sit down and think of what you want to have in your interior.

  • Consider the number of windows and how high your ceilings are.
  • Check also if you’re plumbing, electricals and overall interior structure are still in good condition. If not, you might want to consider having it fixed before you start your design.
  • It is good to take note of the needs and the wants so that you can gauge which has more priority over the other. It also helps you understand the philosophy of the Muji style which is functional aesthetics through simplified living and the use of quality and practical pieces.

2. CLEAN AND STRAIGHT LINES

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As stated before, minimalism uses simplicity and practicality. This is evident in furniture pieces that have straight lines. Simple tables with straight legs, bed boxes with storage drawers or trundle beds, stacking chairs and wardrobes are all ergonomically designed to adapt to the homeowner’s needs effortlessly.

When designing your home with the Muji interior design, always start with the goal to create a calm and sophisticated look. And as much as possible, resist the urge to have frills and curves. As nice as they may be, it would clutter up and even crowd your already small space

3. NATURAL MATERIALS

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Minimalism, believe it or not, takes most of its design inspiration from the natural forms of nature. As such, it is only logical that most of the materials used in minimalist design are all natural and sometimes locally cultivated.

Woods such as oak and teak are often treated thoroughly in order to be applied in many minimalist spaces. Not only are they sturdy, it is also used even in the smaller elements like hampers, benches and even desk storages.

Aside from wood, fabric and fibers are also part of the Muji look. Linen and cotton made from various plant fibers are often used in creating stunning and durable bedsheets that don’t fray; pillows that soften any sofa’s overall look; curtains that both regulate and block the natural light when necessary and of course, clothing pieces such as blouses, trousers and dresses.

4. COLOR PALETTE

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There is no question as to what are the colors in this style’s palette. The style relies heavily on the use of whites, grays, creams or beiges, taupes, khaki, light oaks and even olive green. This is due in part of the style’s philosophy which is creating an ambiance that is airy and organized. As such, the use of light colored neutrals as well as a few accent colors is what makes this palette unique to the style. However, one must take care of how much of the colors will be used. You wouldn’t want to have a predominantly white palette or a completely woody looking interior.

A good balance in the palette would be to have at least 40% of the light colors mixed with 60% of the neutral colors. An example would be a white colored wall with taupe or light gray upholstered sofas and a light oak or teak custom cabinet.

You can even use an equal amount of white and neutrals with a singular pop of color like olive green, teal, aquamarine or even maroon.

5. FURNITURE PIECES

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With the space being limited, it is wise to consider what you need rather than what you want when it comes to furniture pieces. When choosing furniture pieces, go for pieces that have a more streamlined look about them. (hotcanadianpharmacy.com) You can go for beds that have a basic design or beds with built in storage. As much as possible, opt for beds that fit your space as well as your needs. You can even have box beds with pull out trundle beds if you would like to have guests over.

For sofas, you can choose to use a 2 seater sofa if the space is quite restricted or a 3 seater sofa if you have ample space. Another living room piece to invest in, especially if you have a small space to begin with, is getting an L shape sofa. While L shape sofas are considered excellent space savers, you can go the extra mile by getting an L shape sofa that has storage as well as open out to a bed.  You can also opt for the classic sofa bed if the L shape is not your cup of tea. Choose sofas that are light in color or has exposed all natural wood.

Dining sets are something with a little bit of a personality in a sense that you can choose to have the chair of your choice. Go for rectangular tables as they take up little space and can easily be placed on against a wall. You can also go for round tables provided there is ample space for it. Choose chairs that are light, but sturdy in structure. Wooden chairs that evoke designs similar to the Scandinavian style are high favored pieces since they are timeless, practical pieces that can easily adapt to any interior.

6. BUILT-IN ORGANIZATION AND STORAGE

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The premise of the Muji style is that you are designing a space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. As such, having ample storage is vital for any Muji interior design space. As much as possible, try to make the most of every corner of the room. If your stairs have space, you can opt to have some cubicle shelves built under so that you can store either your shoes, your books or even some linens.

Instead of buying large TV cabinets, why not mount your TV on the wall and build a simple and practical storage cabinet that can hold your remotes, game consoles or even your WIFI router.  You can even install a few floating shelves to display your books and knickknacks in a carefully arranged manner. If you want a definitive piece of storage that is a guaranteed conversation starter, you can design a full length cabinet with equally spaced cubicles for all of your thinks. This cabinet can even serve as a divider between spaces like your living room and dining room.

The same can be applied if you are considering building a built in bed; you can opt to include special features like storage compartments at the bottom. There are no limitations to what you can create; the only thing you must always consider is making the most of your chosen area.

7. ACCESSORIES

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Even if the style is somewhat minimalist in nature, that doesn’t mean you can’t play around with accessories. The point of using accessories is that they soften the overall look of an otherwise severely rigid style. Pillows and other linens are one of the most versatile accessories ever. You can soften up an otherwise dull looking sofa by placing several pillows on top of them. You can even drape a linen throw or blanket across the sofa for that added comfort. For tables, you can place a vase and some flowers and a few books neatly stacked and laid out. You may also invest in storage accessories such as bins and baskets as they can also serve as organizers for just about anything you can think off from stationery to even shoes.

As much as possible, opt for accessories that are simple in design and uniformed in color and size. You wouldn’t want to have a completely cluttered look, do you?

8. PRACTICAL LIGHTING

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Last, but not least, the style also requires comfortable and ample lighting. If you have windows, consider getting curtains that can regulate and provide natural light. If your ceilings are just right, you can have some track lightings to help highlight certain parts of the area or you can have penlights with LED bulbs as they emit a powerful light source without taking up so much energy. You can even have cove lightings if and when your ceilings are quite high.  You can even hang simple pendant lights as focal pieces or even ceiling fans in order for natural air to circulate.

If this breakdown of the popular style suits you entirely, then you have no problem in rolling your sleeves and creating the iconic Muji style. Just remember that maintaining your Muji interior design should never be considered a chore, but rather a calming and elegant lifestyle. After all, less is more and by embracing this soothing style, you are ensured to live an organized and joyful life.

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