MINIMALISSIMO EDITED
This newsletter is supported by aprile, the hanging chair
We’re just two people making lots of stuff. We like it that way and don’t want to grow. Growing means being responsible for the livelihood of more people. That’s more overhead, more managing, and less fun. With all the incredible software and hardware out there, we’re in a golden age of getting things done. Two people can get a lot done. More importantly, two people can move from concept to product faster than a boardroom full of gremlins.
– CW&T
What's happening?
I'm just back from a punchy visit to Lisbon. Very cool, albeit super hilly, city. Not exactly minimal, but that's OK. While travelling, I took Craig Mod's advice and did my best to fly like the Dalai Lama. That is, to arrive early and let the typically hellish airport experience be a little slower, calmer, and organised. I'd be lying if I said there still wasn't some kind of stress during the outbound and inbound flights, with the latter including a short layover. Yet, I did manage to shut out a lot of the noise, listen to an audio book, watch films, and begin writing a design ethos. I'd never really considered writing an ethos before. Not sure I ever needed to. I still don't. But I recently felt it would be a good writing exercise where I can reflect on the work I produce, the foundations I apply, and how I arrive at certain solutions. It will also be a living ethos that will evolve as I do as a designer. If you've written one, I'd be really interested to read it.
– Carl
Features
PEEL CHAIR
Designed by studio blond, the Peel chair takes inspiration from the natural phenomena of bark peeling from trees, as well the iconic and timeless plywood furniture of modernist Marcel Breuer. Peel's design plays into the illusion that it is constructed from a singular sheet of formed plywood that has been peeled back and folded into shape.
NOX LAMP
Argentinian and Switzerland-based designer Alfredo Häberli is the maker behind the wonderfully simple Nox lamp for lighting company Astep. Named after the Latin word for 'night', Nox encourages the user to move it around to embellish and brighten up a space both indoor and out.
SNOW OWL
L'Abri is an architecture and construction firm based in Montreal. The workshop specialises in ecological, healthy, and sustainable construction and their project Schnee-Eule (Snow Owl) is a minimalist forest dwelling outside of the village of Morin-Heights, Quebec. The design language of the chalet is borrowed from Austrian Alpine architecture, an inspiration that also lends itself to the project's name.
SUPER CHAIR
Brooklyn-based designer Nicholas Baker worked on a chair design that could be easily recognisable from a simple black and white silhouette. The result is a free-flowing form bound by an iconic linear frame. The Super Chair—composed of 100% recycled polypropylene—is produced by Damiano Latini and was presented at Salone del Mobile 2023.
DYPTIQUE
Situated within the rolling hills of Quebec's Eastern Townships, the Dyptique project by Matière Première Architecture is located in the quaint town of Stanstead and is characterised by a monochromatic aesthetic, presenting a black wood exterior contrasted by its white interiors. The project is positioned on a diminutive plateau, meticulously placed between a narrow stream and a pronounced rocky slope.
ANALOG TASK LIGHT
California-based industrial designer Chris Granneberg imagined a happy task light to help him focus throughout the day. Inspired by his daughter's Lego and the soft, geometric shapes he's returned to again and again, Chris began stacking 10cm cubes to form three friendly lights, produced by Gantri.
Supply spotlight
minimal product design made to own (and made by us):
M–OWL
Owl is a minimalist website theme powered by Notion and Super for photographers and artists alike. By removing the non-essential, we have created a fast, simplified, and more focused site design that puts your work first.
Where next?
Discovery
other things for you to read, explore, and maybe even admire:
how to start an agency by blank
the laws of simplicity by John Maeda
minimalism documentary by The Minimalists
005 smartphone mockup by 099 Supply
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.
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