2020 has been quite the year: from wildfires, economic uncertainties necessitated by international tensions and a pandemic, to social unrests that have brought in even more economic woes, increased inequality and anxieties. It is little wonder that more and more people are looking to make their homes a safe and peaceful sanctuary.

The 5 c's for transitioning to a serene, minimalist interior — **More people are abandoning fussy, ostentatious designs for warm minimalist interiors. Image courtesy of Piqsels**

We have all basically become couch potatoes at this point, either because we are working from home or learning from home. And as we spend more time indoors amidst so much uncertainty, it is only natural that we want to make them as comfortable as possible to tune out the harsh realities that exist on the outside. Industry experts agree that this is the case, with a lot of people moving from brazenly loud interiors to cool and calm spaces devoid of excess furniture and accents.

If you are looking to make the transition from fussy interiors to calm spaces, these five c’s should guide you through:

1. Change colours: a simple switch to cooler tones could be all you need to do the trick. Blues, greens and purples fall under this category. You can take it a step further by mixing the colours with white (to get tints); with black (to get shades ), or with grey (to get tones. Tints and shades can also be mixed together to achieve this effect).

Additionally, repainting your home is not the only way you can change its colour scheme. You can also decide to change the fabric of your sofas.

2. Change furniture: we are spending so much time on our sofas that it only makes sense that they are as comfortable as possible. Changing furniture does not necessarily imply buying new sets: it could be changing materials to give us the comfort and space we need or introducing accessories like throw pillows.

However, if you suddenly find out that your furniture is so ostentatious as to induce claustrophobia, then you may want to consider buying a new set.

3. Consider accents: while the goal here is to ensure clean, minimalist, serene spaces, introducing accent furnishings can help to introduce these features. Most house floors are finished with either tiles or wood which is fine, but could leave our floors feeling cold.

Covering up with soft, plush rugs can infuse your space with the warmth and intimacy you need in times like this. However, they need not be in all rooms. Choose the space you spend the most time in, or the one you would want to be most comfortable in, and get rugs that match its decor to cover the floor.

4. Crop out the fluff: modern minimalist spaces do not necessarily advocate for stark, bare interiors, but they definitely do not include hundreds of ornaments littered everywhere.

As you try to restore some sanity to your space, get rid of furniture, accents or decorative pieces you do not need. If you have to keep any ornaments or art pieces, consider getting a wall shelf or an art chest where they can be kept quietly in a corner.

5. Consider lightening: take out floor or table lamps you do not need, and replace them with beautiful yet simple wall scones and low-voltage warm lights that you can easily switch as you transition from a workday to a quiet, restful evening.