The White Elephant in the Room

Spark joy
Spread Joy
Live in a Refrigerator?

There…we’ve said it!

Perhaps these are extreme examples but probably not too far off from what comes to mind as the word minimalism is being overused in the design world today. Lately, it seems the theory is an all or nothing approach. To be fair to the authors of all the “less is more” approaches available…we agree with many of the points you make and do implement these into our designs. Clients hire us to help them achieve a more simple, yet impactful decor that reflects what is important to them. We love seeing the changes in their life when some of the “keeper of the stuff” burden is lifted. However, too many times, the dictate to get rid of everything that does not follow a certain rule is in itself causing strife.

So instead of minimalism we’d like to introduce the word enough. We like it so much more. It is not defined by a number. It is flexible, open to interpretation and can change with each situation. It’s a one size fits all kind of word. “Enough” will work with all the tidy little rules of living with less, downsizing, de cluttering, capsule wardrobes and reigning in our carbon footprint. Following this theory of management might just spark a little joy as you get to add something back in….self compassion.