Minimal house paint: less, but never bland

What minimal colours are, and why they aren't just white

Minimal colours are quiet. They don't shout; they stay in the background and let the light, the materials and the things you love do the work. Mostly they are whites, creams, beiges, greys and stone tones. But the heart of minimalism isn't a small number of colours. It's choosing few, and choosing them on purpose.

A home painted stark white throughout rarely looks minimal. It looks like a dental clinic, because there's nothing for the eye to rest on. The minimal homes that look good have whites, beiges and greys that differ only slightly, layered together like a white T-shirt, a cream shirt and a grey jacket worn on the same day.

Warm white or cool white: choose by the light in your home

Warm whites have a hint of yellow or cream, like Ivory and Pearl White. They suit rooms with little daylight or warm white bulbs, where they make the room soft and welcoming. Cool whites like Snowflake look clean and crisp, and suit rooms that get plenty of sun or where you want a gallery look.

Most homes in Bangkok get fierce afternoon sun and use a mix of different lights. So the safest white is usually one that's slightly warm, but not visibly yellow. If you're still unsure, read our article on choosing a white next.

Three minimal colour pairings

You don't need to learn a lot of theory. Start with these three pairings. Each uses one main colour, one second colour, and lets the materials do the rest.

• Warm Japanese minimal: Oatmeal throughout, with Linen on the feature wall. Use pale wood and cotton.
• Cool gallery minimal: Snowflake throughout, with Marble or Soft Gray. Use black steel and glass.
• Raw concrete minimal: Wet Cement, or Mineral Finish in Charoenkrung Plaster, with Ivory white. Use dark wood and large-leaved plants.

Minimal with texture: plain walls that aren't boring

The fewer colours you use, the more texture matters. Voqe Mineral Finish is a smooth, seamless, matt mineral surface with hand-applied brush marks, so no two walls are the same. When light from the window falls across it, the wall carries small shadows that move all day.

The shades that suit a minimal home are Chill Beige, an easy-going beige; Quiet Luxury, a plain grey that still looks rich; and Pebble, the colour of river stones. They work on both walls and floors. If you want hard-wearing areas to last longer, add Voqe Mineral Sealer or Mineral Wax on top.

Start decorating in minimal colours without getting it wrong

Plain colours look only slightly different on a screen, but very different on a real wall. Two whites that look the same on your phone can turn out yellow-white and grey-white once they're up. Order 100ml sample pots at ฿75 each and compare them side by side on a real wall, both in the morning and with the lights on.

Voqe Wall Paint comes in a soft, smooth Eggshell and a shinier Semi gloss. Most minimal rooms suit Eggshell, because the surface doesn't reflect enough to steal attention. If you'd like to see every shade in real light, drop in to Voqe Studio (Bang Phli), Monday to Friday.