The End of Minimalism: Needing More From Your Home

I love minimal interiors.  They promise a life I think I could have if I didn’t have such a needy personality when it comes to my home.  I need things from my environment besides the basics of shelter.  I feel reassured by family photographs.  I feel like myself when I look at favorite books and art.  I am comforted by quirky accessories.  I get satisfaction from looking at an antique.

I really like things even though they can metaphorically weigh me down sometimes.

I’ve been reading design articles all year proclaiming “The End of Minimalist Interiors!”  I never was greatly affected by this trend, except for a modest amount of pining over modern, minimal Australian homes in est living (this sounds random, but it’s really not).  There’s a lifestyle that minimal interiors sell and it’s quite attractive.  I think it’s why movies like to show an eligible bachelor living in minimalistic splendor.  It’s a lifestyle that’s seemingly unencumbered by memories.  It is untouched by family “heirlooms” and the overt displays of emotion or human need.  The hoarding nature of a small child is not at home here.  Neediness of any kind is unattractive.

I think minimalism also tries to sell simple living.  It’s a soft whisper of: “Don’t buy anything else.  Enjoy your life as it happens.  You will think better in a clean, empty space.”  I like this aspect of this design style – I imagine a lot of people do.  I think human nature catches up to most of us and after a while we revert back to our needy, comfort and memory seeking selves.

Here’s what has been making my design heart pitter pat recently – some of these are trendy and some are old things that I’m coming back to right now:

This is more mundane, but it touches on the idea of the eligible female character in film interiors.  These tend to be comfortable places that are memory and object filled.  I don’t think that this is a female or male style, I think it’s just an easy visual shorthand for moviegoers to digest.  Needless to say, I find it very appealing.

I can see why our collective “dream of minimalism” is waning.  I know there will always be people who love this type of environment and I think most of us will take away a few things learned from this aesthetic.  However, the rest of us will always have room for one more book, one more photograph, one more piece of art and one more fluffy pillow.

“My personal decorating style is cozy, romantic and a little rustic, with a sense of whimsy.” Kimberly Schlapman