Core77

Inspired by a viewing of a newly renovated kitchen in NYC, Akiko Busch, master of design-narrative, reflects on the tension between our consumerist desires and our longing for the minimalist aesthetic. Busch names our longing for minimalism as evidence that we are addicts who are in denial:

So as substance abusers in the most literal sense, we seem to do what most other addicts do when faced with the obvious: We go into denial. We spin. Often, that spin involves redefining excess as less. And for all the dangers implicit in the cycle of consumption and waste, I would venture to say that the cycle of indulgence and denial is even more dangerous, because it involves a level of self-deception, along with convoluted arguments of justification that allow us to do whatever we want.

and her advise to consumers and designers alike:

Make less, buy less, use less, throw away less.

Now that's minimalism.

Read the full article here.