Advertisement
Advertisement
Residential

5 Minimalist House Designs Prove That Less Is More

March 30, 2024
|
By 
Albert Aycardo

Our homes are the sanctuaries where we find peace and solitude. Minimalist design offers a way to achieve this by simplifying our surroundings and reducing distractions. There’s a certain appeal to the more refined and understated approach that focuses on the essential. It creates a sense of less is more. Check out these five minimalist house designs that have their own unique takes on the genre. 

Meadows House by VSP Architects

The Meadows House reflects its owner’s love of literature, gardening, and writing by prioritizing a connection with nature. The design takes a step back, allowing the surrounding beauty to take center stage. An intuitive layout, inviting courtyard, and skylights all enhance the home’s natural features and create a warm, inviting atmosphere. The materiality further emphasizes this connection: porotherm blocks, natural stone, and teak wood blend seamlessly together, creating a harmonious whole.

Zen Villa by Fikrr Architects

Drawing inspiration from traditional Kuwaiti courtyard houses, the Zen Villa boasts a minimalist design that prioritizes unobstructed views of the surrounding landscape. Palm trees and horse barns dot the property, further immersing the family in an equestrian lifestyle.

Advertisement

The key to this connection with the outdoors lies in the extensive use of full-wall windows in every room. This clever design choice allows the family to feel constantly engaged with the horses and the beauty of the desert surroundings. The interior design reflects the desert aesthetic too. It features a color palette of warm yellows, beiges, and greens that echo the natural hues of the landscape. This thoughtful approach creates harmony between the villa and its environment and infuses the space with a sense of tranquility.

Sjøhavn House by Lightbody Architects

Sitting by the Noosa River, the Sjøhavn House possesses a sensitivity to natural phenomena while still capturing the beauty of its water front site. The exterior is designed with only a few materials with an almost uniform palette, allowing its contrasting trimmings to shine. Furthermore, the linearity of its form creates a contrasting stability to the rounding landscape and swerving river. Greenery softens hard materials, like concrete and steel, alongside the design’s penchant for wood textures. Cantilevered outdoor areas are intermixed with high-ceiling interiors, giving residents a variety of choices in how they want to spend their leisure time along this natural feature. 

The Seasons House by MOST Monti Studio

The Seasons House is a clear embodiment of having more than meets the eye when it comes to design. Its parallel alignment to the beach allows one to enjoy the beauty of the sea through its spaces. The multifunctional villa contains a multitude of layers that form a cohesive arrangement of tropical greenery, residential abodes, generous guest spaces, and a wide variety of recreation. As one enters, they’ll find the structure’s general plainness gives way for other components, whether tropical gardens or boutique furniture pieces, to confidently stand as focal points. 

Advertisement

Viet Tri House by i.House Architecture and Construction

Formerly a narrow home, the Viet Tri House is a structure with a minimal form with stand out features that shine. With a lot that’s only 5 meters long, the designers decided to integrate nature through lush hanging gardens. The facade’s cream colored wall serves as a back drop for the stone finishes and greenery. One will find spaces that are crafted with depth whether it be in the floating stairs, drop ceilings, or recessed fixtures are crafted to form an intricate play of depth within spaces. 

Making Minimalism Work

Minimalist house design capitalize on the few architectural elements that are retained. Although these structures seem plain, there is an attention to detail and a craftsmanship involved to achieve these polished looks. Lastly, biophilic design features strongly suite this style as greenery complements the candid appearance of the structure.

Read more: Minimalist vs. Maximalist: Is Minimalism Better for the Future?

Photos by HAMDAN, Nelson Garrido, Brock Beazley,Andrea Ceriani, Hiroyuki Oki

Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls: A New Era for Philippine Design and Craftsmanship

On January 15, 2026, the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls opened its doors to take a bold step towards showcasing Filipino creative excellence. On that day, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., joined by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former First Lady Imelda Marcos, led the official opening ceremony.  Situated along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, its 8,000-square-meter […]

Advertisement

New Year, New Home: 2026 Interior Design Trends for the Filipino Home

As Filipinos embrace the new year and the changes it brings, they are also bringing an introspective look into their living spaces. BluPrint offers a list of interior design trends suitable for the modern Filipino home.  Modern Folk Modern folk blends traditional craftsmanship, cultural expressions, and natural materials with modern simplicity. This design style taps […]

Flow Restaurant

Flow: Where Filipino Craftsmanship Meets Culinary Artistry

“I would like Flow to hopefully turn into a place where artists can come together, collaborate and create an overall experience,” says chef Kevin Uy. This desire of his is manifested in different ways throughout Flow – a sleek, new restaurant he opened with his childhood friend, chef Gabriel Ong. Uy is full of ideas […]

Ciane Xavier

‘Sanctuary of Becoming’: Ciane Xavier and Sustainable Breathing Spaces in Design

Sanctuary of Becoming is an exhibition by Ciane Xavier at the deTour 2025 Design Festival in Hong Kong. The exhibition was selected by the curatorial team because of its “fusion of mycelium architecture, emotional robotics, and figurative sculpture,” as they sought more groundbreaking designs for their festival this year.  The deTour 2025’s theme was “The […]

Advertisement
Cloud Dancer by Pantone

How to Elevate Your Space with Cloud Dancer

White, when treated with intention, becomes architecture, atmosphere, and a soul piece. It shapes how we move, how we breathe, and how we feel with a space, quietly supporting life as it unfolds. In the Philippines, white has always been more than a color choice; it is a response to climate, light, and way of […]

Glorietta Welcomes IQOS’ New Immersive Flagship Store for Legal-Aged Nicotine Users 

PMFTC, the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), officially opened its new IQOS Boutique in Glorietta last December 2025. It introduced a multi-sensory flagship space that is designed to immerse legal-aged nicotine users in the innovative IQOS world fully. This latest expansion highlights PMFTC’s steadfast commitment to offering elevated experiences and accelerating its smoke-free […]

Download this month's BLUPRINT magazine digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]

To provide a customized ad experience, we need to know if you are of legal age in your region.

By making a selection, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.