Minimalism causes maximum damage
Fuelled by books like Marie Kondo’s The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up, decluttering and minimalism have been held up as the path to household harmony. But, if the latest Ikea catalogue is anything to go by, we should embrace our stuff and stop stressing with the effort to attain perfect, minimalist interiors. ‘‘More is more,’’ is the catchphrase of the 2018-2019 catalogue.
Espousing the theme of ‘‘more’’, hall stands, bookcases, cabinets and tables are overflowing with books, clothes and crockery and crowded with ornaments and other household treasures.
Messy paperwork, half-open books, and a daggy work bag are some of the unashamed props in a study, that looks – dare we say it – lived-in (gasp), while kitchens and bedrooms burst at the seams with stuff and clutter, words so many of us have come to relate with failure and guilt.
Although obviously staged, there’s something deeply assuaging about this defiance against minimalism. So what’s behind the backlash?
The Swedish furniture retailers’ latest Our Life at Home report found that our household possessions are a double-edged sword. ‘‘Having too much stuff is the single biggest cause of stress at home,’’ says the report.
‘‘But, paring down too much might actually cause more anxiety than relief. Many of us feel under pressure to live with fewer things, but our belongings represent our memories, hopes and dreams.’’
The report, which surveyed more than 21,000 people across 22 countries, revealed that 27 per cent of people felt under pressure from society to live more minimally.
It’s a phenomenon also driving arguments and disharmony in the home. Globally, 49 per cent of those surveyed said different ideas about mess were the main cause of spats at home.
People in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia were the most likely to battle over it, those in Norway and Japan least likely. And 19 per cent had secretly thrown out something that belonged to someone they lived with.
Common tensions are how to balance the pressure to declutter with the importance of meaningful objects, and the need for personal space with the ability to ask for it.
Interior and building designer and Zen expert Anthony Ashworth reveals that the way minimalism is applied in modern design is a corruption of the original principles of Zen.
‘‘The so-called application of minimalism to our homes should be called steril-ism,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s all so very masculine when our homes need to be feminine.’’
It’s all about striking a balance between meaningful decoration and succumbing to mindless consumerism, with meaningless clutter and stuff everywhere, Ashworth says.
While an overfeathered nest can cause stress, we also shouldn’t torture ourselves trying to attain to the ideal of a perfect home.
‘‘For some of us, merely feeling a need to apply minimalism can feel stressful or even counter-intuitive,’’ he says.
‘‘Our homes and our stuff are key to our identity. Having to compromise our values around how we decorate and the quantity of commodities we have, may bring up feelings of being unsafe, lack and fear to the point of genuine anxiety. For some it can trigger deep-seated issues around scarcity.’’
He suggests warring partners try to make it fun and allow each person creative input. ‘‘This may avoid feelings of resentment that inevitably comes out in another area of the relationship in time,’’ he says.
Compromise and prioritising is key. Start the decluttering process in an agreed part of the home, such as the family room or lounge, he advises. Allow the other party to retain their clutter in another part of the house.
Start on something small, such as the worst drawer or cupboard, and work outward from that. Ashworth advises his clients against overly minimalistic interiors. ‘‘It’s ideal for interior design magazines, or staged houses. But not so good for a real home.’’