Minimalism with Meaning
Written by: Sashya Thind
As we enter this strange time of unpredictability, we are questioning our status quo. A few of us, might question our normal and how we might define our new normal. This will impact our work habits, family time and our environments. Others, may question our dependencies as we struggle to manage with less.
Our immediate environment, our homes..have definitely become the focal point of our very existence. Majority of the day’s activity is taking place within these 4 walls. For some, we are finally utilizing the spaces as they were planned and for others, we are improvising as we go..realizing the limitations and triumphs of each space.
Modernism and Minimalism, both movements, were introduced by Architects and Designers as a response to the Spanish Flu and World War 1 in the early twentieth century. They were a clear departure from the grand expressions found in public Architecture designed in the Renaissance style.
As architectural historian Paul Overy states in his book Light, Air and Openness. He studies the relationship between modernist architecture of the 1920s and 1930s and that Era’s preoccupation with health, cleanliness, fresh air and sunshine. His anecdotal evidence highlights the impact of this philosophy on the Modernist landmark buildings commissioned in Europe and the United States. To name a few examples, Richard Neutra’s Los Angeles Lovell Health House and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye.
Historically, minimalism is described as being sterile and cold. Although, its birth is in sanitorium design, the fundamentals are rooted in spaces promoting mental well-being. Fresh air, natural light and clutter free spaces, have both the physical and psychological impact on the occupants.
As we navigate the current narrative in the design community, creatives are exploring the balance between the stark white spaces and homes that reflect our experiences and personalities. It takes patience, research and a curator’s eye to assemble spaces that feel bright, open as they provide a canvas for objects of meaning. We push, pull and puncture walls to allow light to permeate through as a lighting director would control on a set. This also means investing in pieces that will last a decade or two and will outlive the trends. They stand in their own right, personal and purposeful and some may have a past while contributing to the present and future.
The design of a home is similar to that of a cinematic set, a sequence of spaces that are designed to be experienced at different times of the day by the actors in a play. As we create these ‘moments’, we are forming memories and with that, meaning. The minimalist approach, provides restraint as we question each piece or decision and, ultimately, we are only surrounded by objects that matter most. Isn’t that what we all crave at this time? To remove the clutter and be surrounded by the people who matter most and objects with most meaning.
REFERENCES:
Light, air & openness - Paul Overy
Fighting Disease with Design: Llyod Alter via Treehugger.com