The Minimalism Meme
Minimalism has been a hot trend in interior design the for last couple of years. From the likes of Marie Kondo, Instagram influencers who crank their saturation slider to -47, and dudes who post closet tour videos to show off their 5 light blue oxford shirts and single pair of Common Projects on YouTube, the trend hit the ground running and gained plenty of traction. Nowadays, you cannot go without seeing pictures of spaces (sparsely) filled with Swedish furniture, unstained wood shelving, and bare kitchen countertops on design blogs and websites like Pinterest when searching for interior design inspiration. It sucks. Though I will admit, I fell into this trap myself.
As someone who was finally moving into his first apartment several years ago without having much money to spend on furniture, I discovered minimalism and thought it was the perfect match for me. Browsing through minimalist Instagram pages, everything looked so neat and orderly, the colors (or lack thereof) complimented each other, and it drew my dog-brained 22 year old self in. Additionally, as someone who gets anxious quite easily, having a clean and bare space made perfect sense for my mental well-being. I decided to go all in. I logged on to IKEA and Amazon to buy only what I explicitly needed: One mattress, with frame, a single nightstand, a dresser, a sofa, and lastly, a TV and stand. No art, no plants (sorry, Cody), none of the nonsense that I didn’t think I needed. At first when it was all said and done, I was satisfied with my decision. My apartment was clean, tidy, and calming to look at, but as time went on, it slowly morphed into a cold, callous pit of misery, as desolate as the Mojave and empty as my soul, which in turn started to negatively affect me mentally. I would find myself reluctantly having to go back home every night to something that didn’t feel like home at all. In fact, after I had moved out, I realized my mistake when hotels I stayed at during my cross country trip from Virginia back to my home state of California felt like home even more so than my own. This is where I believe minimalist design goes wrong.
He had a point.
While minimalism as a lifestyle is something I believe in and fully live by, the Scandinavian brand of minimalist interior design has become the bane of my existence. The muted tones, empty spaces, and general blandness just strike me as inauthentic, sterile, and lacking any character whatsoever. I cringe whenever I come across a new minimalist apartment tour on YouTube, and I often find myself staring blankly into the dull combination of colorless furniture and empty spaces while listening to the painfully monotone narration. And every single one of these videos is formatted in almost the exact same way: one gray fabric/brown leather sofa, either a light grain wood or out of place Mid Century dinner table with three replica Eames molded chairs, barren kitchen countertops to “keep the look clean and organized” (who are you kidding, you have nothing there to organize), and a bright white bathroom filled with Aesop products that probably cost more than their toothbrush, most of the time presented by someone wearing a CDG Play t-shirt and grid patterned trousers. To the uninformed viewer, these spaces may seem nice and refreshing, but imagine having to stare at a blank white wall every single day while eating your Frosted Flakes with Oat Milk. It becomes mind numbingly boring and soul depriving. Hell, I’ll even go as far as saying most other things designed with minimalism in mind are terrible as well. For example, “minimalist” fan made movie posters that have been constantly posted on Reddit that look like a 4th grader could have done a better job with? Yeah, those fucking suck too, but I digress.
It hurts me that this style of design has been catching on with the general public, usually by way of celebrities, such as the Kardashi-Ye’s. This in turn has altered the modern perception of minimalism into somewhat of a luxurious and opulent aesthetic. Maybe, if a prison with its concrete walls and metal toilet were considered as high echelon living. If you are looking for interior design inspiration from someone rich and famous, I suggest watching Dakota Johnson’s and Liev Schreiber’s Architectural Digest Open Door videos for homes that aren’t complete shit. While I myself am not a fan of certain design styles, such as Mid Century Modern, or Bohemian, they are infinitely better as they emanate the feeling of a home that is actually lived in, and not an exhibit you would stumble upon at an art gallery with a “Do Not Touch” sign placed nearby. I am a firm believer that interior design, like fashion, is a tool to be utilized to express one’s individuality, but when you decide to fall in line with a generic trend, you lose your own uniqueness and individuality, and just become another brick in that trend’s wall.
In about two weeks from now, I’ll be moving into my second apartment, and I think I’ve just about learned my lesson. I just need to add some art, a couple of plants, a variety of colors, and maybe I’ll have a place to call home that won’t make me want to hang myself. Though I might try some Aesop soap for myself to see what all the fuss is about. Just keep in mind if you’re looking to adapt to the minimalist lifestyle by decluttering and downsizing all of your belongings, your home doesn’t have to look boring as shit as well.
Now, THIS is interior design.