Less is More: Minimalist Design

To strip something of its embellishments is to beautify it.

Mies Van Der Rohe would agree. In fact, he might respond with “Yes, after all, ‘Less is More’”. This architect, and many other Minimalist designers believe this to be true.

These Minimalists believed in stripping everything down to the most simple of elements. Although simplicity is often considered to be cold and personality-less, the opposite is true. Minimalist style makes a statement! Stark whites and clean lines are striking. Sparing pops of bright color and accents of geometrical patterns make this style bold.

Designer Amy Lau said that “restraint calms the eye and gives everything a sense of purpose.” This is especially true for this Minimalist style. The addition of a piece to a room is a weighty decision, as each lamp, each table, each work of art must make a statement, without clashing or being too overbearing. Because of this, artwork chosen for these Minimalist settings should be of a similar, sleek style. Artists, like Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol Lewitt, Kenith Noland, Barnett Newman, Ernesto Riga, Davide Polla, and Nicolas Le Beuan Benic, have mastered this stark style, capturing the clean lines and clutter-free elements of Minimalism.

At MAP ACTE 3, we do believe in the beauty of this simplicity, and believe that in design, less can be more. Because of this, we have dedicated a portion of our line to this Minimalist art movement. Our fine art prints collection includes the work of the Minimalist artists mentioned above, and many more. Their clean, bold art works are available on our website as beautiful museum quality open edition silkscreens, art prints and limited edition prints on Plexiglas. With one, bold Minimalist piece you could make a simple, yet strong statement in any sleek commercial or residential interior space.