The full specification table
The table below is the guide as printed — element, what minimalism requires, the specification and the cost band.
| Element | What the style requires | Specification | 2026 cost band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palette | Two shades maximum, both within one tonal family | Warm white #F4EFE6 and greige #C6BFB4 | Rs 38–55 / sq ft painting |
| Storage principle | Everything concealed; count cubic feet before drawing | Full-height joinery on one wall per room | Rs 1,700–2,400 / sq ft |
| Joinery form | Push-to-open, no handles, flush to the wall line | Push latches or gola; 3 mm shadow gaps | Adds Rs 120–280 / sq ft |
| Joinery finish | Super-matt, single colour, no grain variation | Anti-fingerprint laminate or super-matt acrylic | Rs 1,700–2,300 / sq ft |
| Flooring | One material across the whole flat, no thresholds | 1200 x 600 mm matt vitrified, 2 mm joint | Rs 160–260 / sq ft |
| Ceiling | Flat, single level, no cove; light from linear slots | Gypsum flat with 30 mm recessed profiles | Rs 140–210 / sq ft |
| Lighting | Linear and recessed only; no pendants, no lamps on show | Profile light 3000K, trimless downlights | Rs 1,400–3,200 per point |
| Doors | Flush, floor-to-ceiling, same finish as the wall | Concealed hinges, aluminium frame, no architrave | Rs 28,000–75,000 per door |
| Skirting | None; a shadow gap at the floor instead | 12 mm aluminium shadow-gap profile | Rs 320–750 / rft |
| Textiles | One fabric, one colour, floor-to-ceiling drapes | Linen or wool blend, recessed track | Rs 900–3,200 / metre |
| Objects | A strict count: three objects per surface, maximum | — | — |
| What to avoid | Open shelving, visible cables, more than two materials per room | — | — |
How to use the guide
- Count your possessions in cubic feet first. Measure what you own, add 20 per cent, and check that the joinery in your plan actually holds it. This step is what separates minimalism from a flat with things on the floor.
- Specify the recessed skirting early. A shadow gap at the floor is a wall build-up decision, not a finishing one, and it cannot be introduced after plastering.
- Choose push-to-open or gola, and commit. Mixing handleless systems across one flat is visible at every junction.
- Run one flooring with no thresholds. A single material carried through every room with no transition strip is what makes a small flat read as one volume.
Three mistakes this prevents
- Minimalism without the storage. The flat looks correct on handover day and is covered in objects by the third month, because there was never anywhere to put them.
- Open shelving. It is the direct contradiction of the style; anything on display has to be curated daily and almost nobody does.
- Ordinary downlights with visible trims. Twelve chrome rings in a flat white ceiling is what stops a minimalist ceiling reading as designed.
Download the style guide (PDF) →
See residential interior design and read storage solutions for small homes.
Frequently asked questions
Is minimalism cheaper?+
No, it is usually more expensive per square foot. There is less ornament but considerably more joinery, and the details that make it work — shadow gaps, flush doors, trimless fittings, push-to-open mechanisms — all cost more than their conventional equivalents rather than less.
How much storage does a minimalist flat need?+
Enough for everything, since nothing is on display. In practice that means full-height joinery on one wall of every room, which is roughly 15 to 20 per cent more joinery than a conventional scheme. Measure what you currently own rather than estimating; the estimate is always low.
Does minimalism work with children?+
It works if the storage is planned for how children actually use a room, which means accessible low-level storage they can put things into themselves rather than concealed high cupboards. What fails is adult minimalism imposed on a family, which simply produces a tidy adult area and a chaotic child one.
What is push-to-open and is it reliable?+
A sprung or magnetic latch that opens a shutter when pressed, removing the handle. Good mechanisms are reliable for years; cheap ones lose their spring and leave shutters ajar. It adds ₹120 to ₹280 per sq ft of shutter and is worth specifying by brand rather than generically.
Can minimalism work in a 1BHK?+
It suits one particularly well, because a small flat cannot afford visual clutter. The constraint is that a 1BHK has fewer walls to give over to full-height joinery, so the storage calculation matters more, not less. Done properly it is the style that makes 450 sq ft feel generous.