MINIMALISSIMO EDITED
What is good design? Product design is the total configuration of a product: its form, colour, material, and construction. The product must serve its intended purpose efficiently.
– Dieter Rams
What's happening?
Hello and happy new year to you. I'm coming into 2023 feeling fairly refreshed, but I do regret not switching off a little more deliberately over the holidays. Still, I took some time off work and slowed down, which was nice. Hope yours was of a similar vein and you're feeling energised and motivated. Recently, we've been doing some tidying up on the website with some minor adjustments to the homepage, new landing pages for SEO, and we also finally created a Pinterest account. Wild, I know. Although a lot more commercial than the likes of Are.na, I think Pinterest is such a fantastic tool for the web. Its essence has never really changed over the years, unlike most social networks (if you can even call it that). So we've imported a shit-load of images from the archive in an attempt to drive more traffic to the website and have all the great design we've featured in the past be discovered a little more easily. Engagement has been impressive so far, but time will tell if the site visits follow.
– Carl
Features
LOG TABLE
The LOG Table is archetypal and its clean lines and refined silhouette was conceived by designer Julien Renault, whose intention was to make a quintessential table for work or play. Both lightweight and robust, the LOG table is an attempt to reduce a product to its most versatile and timeless expression.
HUDSON VALLEY GLASS HOUSE
New York interior designer Magdalena Keck has taken a contextual approach to design a mid-century residence nestled in the picturesque Hudson Valley woodland. Designed by Robert Fitzpatrick and built in 1967, the house was recently acquired as a family retreat, its owners especially drawn to the rigour and organisation of its plan and cell-like glass facades.
KISU
Minimalism requires no ornamentation. Of course this is true, but some decorative elements can elevate an interior design (within reason). Kisu is the newest addition to the Eero Aarnio Originals collection, designed by Eero Aarnio himself in 2020. Kisu is a minimalist decorative piece of interior design suitable for both indoors and outdoors. This cat is made of polyethylene and available in two colours—black and white.
HOUSE IN USUKI
Located in the Japanese city of Usuki within the Ōita Prefecture lies an unusual minimalist dwelling for a couple. Designed by Atelier Kenta Eto Architects, this two-storey house has a striking yet unassuming triangular form with a dark grey panelled facade. The concept behind the design is to utilise the topography and difference in levels of the site going down from the mountains.
STRUCTURE FOR USE
Blurring the lines between art and design is the ongoing furniture series by Seoul-based South Korean designer Jeonghwa Seo, which began in 2014. Titled Structure for Use, the brutalist and minimal furniture pieces include book stools, benches, and the most recent iteration being a modular shelving system. Seo has utilised a variety of materials and configurations pairing cast aluminium with basalt and acrylic, and brass with walnut.
Supply spotlight
minimal product design made to own (and made by us):
M–SLM–613: DESKTOP
Download the perfect minimalist wallpaper for your desktop. A collaborative project between Minimalissimo and Studio Lenzing, SLM 613 is a collection of 15 light and dark desktop wallpapers with a minimal design language. If you’re a minimalist and enjoy simple visuals, then you might want to express this in everything—including the wallpaper on your desktop for sleek setup. These wallpapers also include dynamic versions that change automatically throughout the day.
Where next?
Discovery
other things for you to read, explore, and maybe even admire:
Minimalism book club: join us over on Literal for some minimal reading
Minimalism Life podcast: a micro podcast on simple living
Quitting: on being courageous enough to walk away by Manu Moreale
Minimalism vs meetings: Shopify's bold less is more approach to meetings
This monthly edition of the Minimalissimo newsletter was supported by aprile, the hanging chair
inspired by spring days and designed by Matteo Modica, aprile is a simple suspended chair that oozes elegance—a floating seat, shaped after spring petals, swinging gently. designed and handcrafted in Italy with artisanal love.
whether you're looking for visual inspiration or design insights, you can visit our gallery to discover the very best of minimalism in art and design.
minimalissimo.com