being home: The Minimalist

I've moved into my NYC apartment and am thinking about: interior design!  Following is an interview with the curators of a delightful online shop, The Minimalist …brought to you all the way from DOWN UNDER!    

1. How did The Minimalist get its start? 

I also run a small interior design consultancy called Collective Design Studio.  We were constantly being asked about different pieces and where they could be found here in Australia. The Minimalist started as a small side project to make some of our unique finds intended for our interior design clients available to others. 

2. What inspires you to sell home decor products? 

The store has grown quite organically from where we started.  It has become a collection of pieces curated in line with our ethos of unique, limited editions  made by the designers themselves. We aim to bring together pieces that are different from most other local stores and hold our own quirky aesthetic, with a focus on handmade without the kitsch.

3. Where/how do you acquire your pieces? 

We try to travel as often as we can so we can meet and discover designers in the flesh, which is how most of our relationships with the designers started. We also make many connections via word of mouth. We source almost everything from the designers directly.

4. Do you have a favorite piece in your shop currently ? 

That changes constantly! I absolutely adore every piece we have in store and have many, many, many of them in my own home. But right now at this moment our new Italian linen throws that each have a different hand painted detail and come all the way from Brooklyn, NY are my favorite. 

5. Describe the The Minimalist's aesthetic. 

Our upcoming winter collection is based around black, white and bold with hints of wood, concrete, metallics and a whole lot of geometrics!

6. Any current obsessions you would like to share? 

So many! They change weekly. But I have been experimenting with our new range of MT Casa which is Japanese masking tape in different widths and patterns for walls! Thankfully it comes off walls super easily - I put up one combination then change it again and again. 

7. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?  

If in doubt, make it white.

8. What is the one home decor piece you think is a “must-have” for every home? 

Linen! Good quality sheets and towels make you feel as if you were staying in a 5 star hotel every day.

9. Any advice you would like to give to aspiring shop owners? 

Do it! Even if you think your style is a little off beat you are sure to find more like-minded thinkers than you expect.

10. Any exciting plans for The Minimalist in 2013?

Yes! We have a new online store / sister site based in NY to make us more accessible to our US customers in the works for a July launch. We will be keeping our aesthetic, but bringing more Australian designers into the mix. 

To learn more about The Minimalist visit their facebook & blog pages.  Happy decorating!