Minimalist home decor is often considered a backdrop for more dramatic features. Bright fixtures, unusual finds or striking textures are expected to dominate white spaces. The question is – what if white space was the central feature? These three home designs by Oporski Architektura exemplify spaces that have both character and white space at hand. Creating more effects with the standard white wall, they play with textures while tones of stark black and soft grey add definition and mellow out rooms. Paired with interesting lines and a feeling of calm, we have three interior design winners worth a second look.
Our first space uses all three often-secondary palettes in the one space. In the living room, a squared-off, L-shaped soft grey couch offers comfort, while the black-screened TV provides dramatic viewing. Full white walls transform into geometric shapes, which form sides of the staircase railing and intersect with a white wooden kitchen and dining floor. A grey brick wall stretching upstairs notices depth, lit with simple camera and box lighting. A black abstract art piece gives focus from opposite angles.
A side-lit staircase remains simple in grey and white, referencing the living room. Side-lighting forms a shape of its own, in a zigzag pattern.
Stairs lead to a home office, resplendent in the little details. Grey brick inlets mimic the walls that brought us here, while high-white cabinetry and a whiteboard offer thinking space. Matched by thick white-wood flooring and simply-shaped tables, an LED feature light finds a space between the two.
An all-white corridor is found downstairs, leading to the kitchen area. A space otherwise too small, an elongated kitchen bench and minimal white cabinetry keep it clean and spacious. Two black geometric chairs and a granite breakfast table unite, while a grey brick wall and LED line light carry through space themes.
The bedroom carries softness in its walls, while appealing to clean design. Grey brick walls are colour-matched by a grey futon bed, with bedding in the same colour. An art canvas similar to the lounge adds focus for the dreamer. A similarly-grey Roman blind lets the outside peek in, strip by strip.
The ensuite is also made roomy by minimalism. Using floor-length mirrors and white block porcelain, the space creates room within a feeling of calm. Simple chrome fixtures and all-grey walling give the bathroom depth. Simple features in the black shower head and zig-zag heated towel rail add sophistication without clutter.
Our second home would be almost monochromatic, if not for the ever-presence of grey. Living room and kitchen spaces flow together in a soft, yet dramatic, space. All-white walls in the lounge spread into all-white couches, which extend themselves with ottomans, floor-length chiffon curtaining and L-shapes. A black lacquer feature wall packs a punch in the middle of the space, supported by a set of black Scandinavian dining chairs. Storm-coloured cabinetry in the kitchen and lounge create harmony between the two.
A black-plastic dining table and chairs are both functional and surprisingly classic, especially when viewed against the black lacquer wall. A sprout of orchids amidst grey cabinetry and wooden flooring ties in the lounge. Seen from a grey-walled entrance, black square ceiling lights create a trail for visitors to follow.
Black lacquer walling dominates in the bedroom, too. An otherwise all-white space, a grey wall challenges the black’s authority. Light, dreamy chiffon and low-lying personal features create a space to relax and dream. Grey wooden flooring continues from the living room, while a leaning mirror extends the light.
This ticks off every single trait a minimalist bedroom should have.
White walls run through to the bathroom, through the use of high cabinetry. With an all-white porcelain bath and toilet, high-block sinks and splash-back wall, large-format slate tiles are a welcome break.
Depth and shadow are used to effect in our third space, which uses white, black and grey’s shadow-like properties for interest. In the living room, white, grey and black play off one another in couch cushions. A grey feature cabinet displays a black TV screen, matched by geometric, lacquered black dining furniture in the next room. Cabinets open to reveal black in-panelling and light draping. A white tree motif is the only piece truly bathed in white.
The dining area presents itself in a long, lean space, framed by ceiling-to-floor white drapery. Bordered by another white and grey corridor leading to light, it presents a clean space for talking and eating.
Further down the corridor, the entrance makes its first appearance. Hugged by the corridor’s grey walls, a small seating inlet backed by a mirror welcomes in first-time guests. A ringed tree trunk stump, an unusual shape in the space, sits fiercely on the incoming wall.
The bedroom blocks out black for a more relaxing space. Floor-length linen drapes reveal a white block bed with simple white bedding. Grey walling and a simple metal table shine rather than stand out. Grey wooden flooring precedes its flow.
Greys take on more concrete forms in the office. White walls with stark, geometric chairs resemble the dining room, while a full-length football player screams passion on the wall. Roman sheath blinding and long grey desking create visual space for a multi-coloured bookcase.
A red heated towel rail is the first to break colouring in the bathroom. Sitting flat upon amongst dark grey cabinetry and white porcelain fixtures, its presence is dominant, but not cluttered. A chrome towel rail and taps add pizazz.
