Minimalism in the homeware industry
Hyper-minimalist interiors are beautiful, but after what is almost two years of a pandemic and spending lots of our time in our own homes, we have come to the realisation that hyper-minimalism isn’t necessarily the most practical way of living for us. Unless of course, you are extremely clean and structured, in which case we salute you. But for us mortals, a shift to a more relaxed take on minimalism is much anticipated. Soft minimalism, if you will. A home where objects are welcomed, because they bring us joy. A space where we find the softness we all desperately crave.
In the age of consumerism and commodity fetishism, maintaining a minimalist approach towards how we make sense of our surroundings seems to provide a sense of modesty. The type of modesty which, or so it seems, lacks from all the other aspects in our day-to-day lives.
Considerably, there is nothing modest about having access to the world’s inventory with a mere click and accept, and there is definitely nothing modest about the way we are bombarded with the constant flux of novelty. Minimalism is how we arm ourselves against the loud voice of consumerism. It’s how we, albeit in slight arrogance, claim a different strategy and decide not to partake in the craze of commercials and ever-changing collections and launches and sales.
So as we explore the intersection of consumerism and minimalism, we would like to maintain a maximalist treatment of minimalist values. Or, as @bymalenebirger so beautifully puts it: “a maximalist’s take on [..] minimalism”. To us, that means embracing the tangible sphere of consumerism, whilst also understanding the impact of our consumption behaviour. Simply put: buy and cherish.
Trends are valuable and they are creative interpretations of our contemporary times mirroring societal and historical conditions, but they are also the reason why brands feel inclined to continuously renew their collections, and as we all know: with renewal comes waste. It’s why we opt for a more timeless model in which our products surpass temporal value, and in doing so, ensuring that we can offer our collections for longer periods of time. And while we realise we can’t change the massive industry, we firmly believe we can do good by doing what we do, as good as we can. It’s how we create change, one product at a time.