When most of us see a clean wall, our urge is to cowl it—with pictures, posters, artwork, or coloration. However within the inviting residence of Maria and Paul Le Mesurier, the founders of UK furnishings firm WoodEdit (see our story about it here), there may be not a touch of wall artwork to be discovered, neither is there a lot coloration. “I can by no means see the purpose of utilizing numerous completely different shades of paint,” Maria, who acts because the model’s artistic director, tells us. “Each hour of day by day of each season, the sunshine modifications on a regular basis, so the white partitions do, too—which, for me, offers a lot variation in itself.”
Despite the couple’s minimalist tendencies, there’s loads of arresting visible curiosity inside their Seventeenth-century abode. As an alternative of coloration, Maria and Paul (an osteopath-turned-furniture-maker) depend on discovered foliage to breathe life into rooms. And in lieu of patterns, they emphasize textures, prioritizing pure supplies like linen, terra-cotta, sisal, and wooden of their residence. They might be residing in a brick-clad former steady in a West Sussex property with 5 youngsters, ranging in age from 4 to 18, however their residence exudes a quiet, sunny serenity that feels extra Mediterranean than English Channel. (Maria’s father’s household hails from Madeira, Portugal.)
“We reside fairly minimally, I don’t like having numerous issues— simply what is required. I discover it calming,” says Maria. The important thing to sustaining a tidy minimalist residence with kids who might not share the identical targets? Layering. A lot of layering. “There are spills and stains in all places. I throw numerous jute rugs in all places to cowl the worst bits. As for the sofas, I layer them with linen throws and blankets.”
Learn on for extra nice recommendations on make minimalism work in a family with youngsters.
Images by Maria Le Mesurier.
