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Is Minimalist Design Dead?

4/7/2022

We’re all familiar with minimalist design, the trend that took the world by storm just a few short years ago. Plain walls, sleek interiors, and neutral furniture seamlessly blending into each other are just some of the things we associate with the trend. But, given the recent rise of maximalism, with its bright colours and stand-out furniture, it’s important to ask the question: is minimalist design dead?

We’re all familiar with minimalist design, the trend that took the world by storm just a few short years ago. Plain walls, sleek interiors, and neutral furniture seamlessly blending into each other are just some of the things we associate with the trend. But, given the recent rise of maximalism, with its bright colours and stand-out furniture, it’s important to ask the question: is minimalist design dead?

Maximalism’s rise can be cited as mainly due to the pandemic. As people were confined to their homes, the negative space of minimalism just didn’t seem to make the cut. People wanted their spaces to be busy, the exact opposite of the other areas of their lives at the time. Enter curved lines, bright colours and potted plants, whilst straight lines, neutral colours and seamlessly blending furniture were forced to make a pitiful exit.

Or so we thought.

Whilst the bare-bones minimalist look definitely lost its prominence over the pandemic, minimalism itself can never truly die. The timelessness of the look, its versatility and practicality all mean that there are still plenty of minimalist influences remaining alive and well, despite the maximalist rise.

For example, when it comes to interior architecture, minimalism is still very on trend. In modern apartment buildings, interior designers are still opting for a sleek, clean look for two main reasons. Firstly, maximalism design is great, but very personalised. You could never fully predict how to make an apartment to the taste of a wide variety of potential tenants following the maximalist trend. Minimalism, on the other hand, can appeal to a wider variety of audiences.

Similarly, the second reason for minimalism’s continued success in interior architecture is that the style itself reaps benefits that maximalism could never dream of. Minimalist design can help open up spaces, making rooms seem bigger, where maximalism fills space to make rooms seem smaller. So, it’s no surprise that city apartments still opt for a sleek minimalist look. Our concealed door closers are a brilliant way to ensure every apartment in a complex is still fire-safe, and without the need for the clunky, traditional overhead door hangers that have become commonplace. In turn, this helps modern apartments come together seamlessly for a sleek final look.

Minimalism has always been, and always will be, aligned with modernity. So, whether it be city apartments, offices or any other space, minimalism is the most obvious choice for a simple, fashionable look. To find out more about how our concealed door closers can help you achieve this look, get in touch today on 01772 796901 to speak to one of our team.

Case study: Denham Studios

3000 series concealed door closers from Astra are playing a starring role in making fire doors safe yet stylish at a prestige residential development of an iconic former film studio. Door manufacturer ABL Doors used Astra closers to help create sleek, elegant entrance doors for apartments at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire.

Developers Weston Homes asked doorset manufacturer ABL to supply wide range of cutting-edge door designs in the most modern finishes that would complement the development’s retro aesthetic, including 30-minute fire-rated doors for apartment entrances. “It was incredibly important for us to achieve an effective balance of modern functionality and old-style glamour,” says ABL’s MD Andy Williams. “The flat entrance doors needed to be Secured by Design accredited FD-30 fire doors that would function brilliantly yet look refined to suit their surroundings. We opted for CE-Marked Astra 3000 closers to avid the obtrusive institutional look of an overhead closer.”

In its 1940s and 50s heyday, Denham Studios was a thriving film production studio producing classic British films such as Brief Encounter and Great Expectations. The site has now been lovingly developed to provide 224 conversion and new build homes, including 154 one, two and three-bedroom apartments and 70 four and five-bedroom family townhouses. Features within the new development include a cinema with bar and a community hall/fitness space. The cinema – which was originally used to screen movies to Hollywood directors including Stanley Kubrick, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Steven Spielberg – has been refurbished and turned into a cinema theatre and club for residents, while the main Grade II listed building has been converted into 49 apartments.

In keeping with the high specification of the site, sleek aesthetics were a top priority for Weston Homes whose watchword for the development was luxury. This made concealed closers the obvious choice since they are not visible when the door is closed, avoiding the somewhat institutional and ungainly appearance of overhead closers. ABL selected the Astra 3000 series closers because they had worked very successfully with Astra before and because, with full adjustability, they were powerful enough to handle the doors’ weight and width. Every apartment entrance door on the project features an Astra concealed closer.

Astra's fully controlled concealed door closers are a range of ground-breaking products developed by Astra to offer all the adjustability and control of an overhead closer, even for fire doors.  Unlike other concealed closers on the market, the CE-Marked Astra closers are fully controlled and adjustable, making them a truly viable alternative to overhead products at a sensible price.