Unmasking Minimalism
A white couch with understated beige pillows on a hardwood floor dusted with glass end tables and the occasional plant in the corner. So simple yet so polished, the minimalist aesthetic and mindset has taken over today's era of design because of the ease and harmony it creates, but has the perfection that accompanies the desired look and way of life created a bigger issue. Has minimalism been taken over by a maximalist amount of effort and material creating the opposite effect?
The start of minimalism was a true effort to cut down on the things people own down to the actual bare necessities as a way to cut a carbon footprint, or to simply live a more efficient and easy life. At a time when people are obsessed with “flex” culture and extravagant living, minimalists wanted to combat that by living in a way that has just what you need and nothing more. The Wall Street Journal published in 2011 that Americans spend over 1.2 trillion dollars a year on things that were not essential to daily life. Although the beginning of the movement showed high hopes, there is now a drastic change in how minimalists go about the “sustainability” that was once thought to be the center of their philosophy.
The entire mindset has collectively shifted from an urge to limit consumption from the earth to something that is strictly for aesthetic purposes. Brands started to market and profit off of the aesthetic and it has become something associated with an expensive or “boujee” way of living. The top brands that profit off of minimalism are Restoration Hardware, where lamps are over $1000, CB2, with nightstands over $700, Ikea and Muji also offer a similar look for a more wallet friendly price. The point is, something that is supposed to limit a single human's earth consumption should not cost some people rent. The simple act of wanting to spend that much money on a single lamp completely contradicts what the main goal of minimalism really is. As the mindset goes that as humans we only need what is essential, a $1000 lamp does not seem like something that fits into that standard.
The minimalist reality has become a cover up to the maximalism that people in society crave. Flex culture is no longer flashing a Rolex watch on instagram, but rather how many white plates in different sizes can fit into your white fiberglass cabinets in your stainless steel applianced kitchen. A total flip from the true message and goal. Times have not changed as much as may have been thought when in reality, the human nature to match a certain aesthetic for certain groups of people for a specific image of yourself being presented as your facade will always take over. There is nothing wrong with liking the aesthetic of neutrals and a limited amount of art on the walls, but the minimalism that is known today is not true to the standard. Minimalism has become a cover up for people's maximalist mindset, the images just do not reflect that anymore.
