When redecorating a space, a “less-is-more” mindset guides minimalistic styling practices. Using modern elements to enhance open floor concepts has been a goal for home and business owners for the past several years.
Creating your minimalist garage can be a rewarding process. Organizing, decluttering and storing the items in an average garage takes time, but leads to a unique space for everyone within the home. Follow this step-by-step plan to enhance your garage’s style today.
What Is a Minimalist Garage?
Minimalist for organization is the perfect opportunity to declutter your garage while establishing a modern style within your house. Minimalism combines organization with sleek designs to make your space come to life. Many homeowners opt to develop this style to minimize stress in one of the most cramped rooms in a typical living area.
A minimalist garage consists of two concepts — color and open space. This style focuses on creating neutral tones to highlight areas of interest, including vehicles, garage doors and tools.
When preparing for a new minimalistic garage, you might worry the space will look bland. However, minimalism allows for a unique aesthetic concept that stands out among other styles.
10 Steps to Declutter Your Garage
Clearing the clutter is the first step to achieving a minimalistic look. Many families use their garage as extra storage space. This strategy may seem like an easy solution for where to put the kids’ old clothes or that broken recliner you can’t seem to get rid of, but tossing everything into the garage soon creates a messy environment in your garage and your mind. An organized space and a clear head go hand in hand.
- Start with an action plan: No one knows your garage layout better than you. Before diving headfirst into unpacking old boxes and aimlessly moving objects around, visualize what your space could become. Start by mapping out designated areas in your garage to make space for specific items.
- Minimize the mess: Once you have planned where to put your belongings, it’s time to formulate a game plan. Lay out everything on the floor. This new mess may look hectic, but soon your garage will become the perfectly organized space you always imagined.
- Identify what to keep and what to throw out: Before placing objects in their newly designated areas, assess what you no longer need. If you have not used something within the past two to three years — besides items with sentimental value, of course — it’s time to say goodbye to the unnecessary clutter. Donate items you don’t need to someone who could use them.
- Organize the necessities: Once the space is free from clutter and distractions, organizing whatever you have left is the next step to creating a clean garage. Establish a theme that fits all items, so specific spaces can store things with a similar function or purpose.
- Invest in storage systems: Shelves and wall hooks are an ideal way to keep items off the garage floor. The goal is to leave as much open space as possible to enhance the minimalist look. You can use shelves to organize storage in a garage like gardening tools, cleaning supplies and a sports trophy or two.
- Use ceiling space wisely: Designating wall and ceiling space for larger items such as rakes, leaf blowers and bikes can create a clean, open atmosphere.
- Use vertical hanging plans: In organizing your garage floor, the last thing you want is to transfer all that clutter to the ceiling. Instead of hanging larger tools and objects in random spaces above, try opting for a vertical pattern. This minimalist storage idea allows the area underneath to appear larger and the ceiling to feel more open. Having a vertical hanging rack makes it easier to store items at a distance from the garage door for a more accessible space.
- Consider shifting storage each season: You probably store several seasonal items in your garage — like rakes for autumn, bikes for summer and snow shovels for winter. Store any items you won’t need for a few more months on hooks or shelves closer to the ceilings. Things you’re using right now can take up space toward the bottom of the wall for easier access. This system can rotate as the seasons change to make moving things around in your garage faster and easier.
- Label, label, label: At this point in the process, you have perfected your organizational skills. Take your practice one step further by labeling shelves, storage bins and cabinets to allow an easier search for specific items.
- Maintain a consistent cleaning schedule: Minimalism thrives in clean, open spaces. Ensure this possibility for your garage space at all times by setting aside a few hours each week to organize and clean anything that may have changed from your initial vision back in step one.
Organize Your Garage Space
Organizing storage and excess clutter allow the garage to function as open space. This extra room will also give you peace of mind now that you always know where everything is. Practical storage solutions make everyday items accessible, while hidden in plain sight.
The best tip for organizing a minimalistic garage is using shelves, wall hooks and ceiling space. As stated in the step-by-step guide above, removing as many items from the floor as possible is essential to achieving a minimalistic look. Installing these storage systems is relatively quick and painless. These can help liven up the space without the need to throw away anything you intend to use in the future.
Use storage systems consistent with the rest of the garage’s theme. Having consistent materials — such as wood, steel or plastic — throughout the space can provide a polished look. Metal hooks look best with metal shelves, wooden cabinets match wood paneling and so forth. Remember your styling choices when investing in organizational practices for your garage.
Use Negative Space Effectively
Negative space is one of the best benefits of investing in a minimalist garage. This strategy allows blank areas such as walls and ceilings to enhance other features in the vicinity. Think of your garage as a blank canvas. With a neutral background, there are limitless opportunities to show off the points of interest in your garage, such as your vehicle or tool rack.
Color palettes also play an essential role in a negative-space decorating strategy. Neutral tones such as white, gray, black and beige are subtle, but allow steel and wood cabinets to stand out due to their polished shine. Selecting a good color scheme to match your style can help you visualize the space you want to create.
Use your garage door as a starting point for using negative space. Whether your door captures a modern or traditional style, the color and texture can influence the rest of the garage. If you have a dark wood garage door, visualize a white tone for your walls to make the door stand out. Are you interested in installing a white garage door? Imagine your walls as a solid, smooth beige that makes the rest of the space come to life. Considering these styling elements when planning your minimalistic garage can enhance the room with as little effort as possible.
Display tools and other hangable items on the garage walls. This step allows objects to move from cardboard boxes on the floor to a decorative display that clears up space.
Contact Us for Your Garage Minimalist Goals
Kitsap Garage Door is the ultimate destination for quality garage door selections, installations and repairs.
Make your garage space yours by selecting from our growing inventory of residential garage doors. Visit our showroom in Bremerton to see these garage doors in action. Our staff can offer professional advice, from making the best use of your garage space to selecting a garage door that fits your style.
Contact us today to get started on your dream garage.