Retro Renovation

Remodeling, decor and home improvement for mid century and vintage homes

We help you remodel and decorate your home in mid-century and vintage style. Renovate your kitchen... or your bathroom... tour a time capsule... and share in a like-minded community passionate about their old houses. Read More.
  • Home
  • Be Safe!
  • Kitchen Help
  • Bathroom Help
  • Other Rooms
  • Decorate
  • Exterior
  • Culture
  • Pam’s Kitchen
follow retro renovation on facebook

  • Home » What to Collect » happiness » Open thread: Why is it so hard to be a “minimalist”?

    Open thread: Why is it so hard to be a “minimalist”?

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Newsletter

    Posted by: pam kueber • February 15, 2013

    wilson-houseI HAVE THIS THEORY that full-on mid century modern style never really takes hold and endures — because it’s just too spare for most people. It’s minimalist. And we humanoids are not. We like our ornamentation. We pouf our hair and bedazzle our ring fingers. We put bones through our noses, we draw on cave walls, we put feathers and arrowheads into cigar boxes, and we spend hours hunting down rare kitschy creatures for our collections of postwar Made in Japan salt and paper shakers but “animals under $5 a pair only”. It’s a magical, mystical, mesmerizing, magnetic pull — to accumulate. Above: The Wilson House is stunning, but still too… tidy… for me.

    I really don’t like to encourage ‘being a meanie’ [a key commenting rule here on the blog is: No one is to be made to feel bad for their choices], but for purposes of today’s Open Thread, I point to this website, Unhappy Hipsters, which lampoons the poses of not-too-happy-looking people in their bare, artful, modern houses. Should we get these folks some tchotchkes, stat?

    I spoke to none other than mid century modern design legend Vladimir Kagan recently, and we chatted about this very issue — the struggle to achieve the most noble philosophical aspirations of minimalism.

    Mr Kagan:

    My designs were influenced by the Bauhaus philosophy, “less is more” – I was raised on this. If you have a bigger piece of furniture, you need less seating elsewhere. The serpentine sofa seats eight people.

    Pam: Do you live “less is more” in your own home? (I knew the answer because I had seen the photos of Kagan and Wilson’s New York City apartment on The Selby.)

    Mr. Kagan laughs:

    Less is more. Except in my own home. Do as I say, not as I do.

    Pam: So why did you end up with more is more?

    Mr. Kagan:

    I wish I could be less is more. I have a yearning to move and start over. You end up with more is more because you like things. Erica and I traveled a lot, and we collected…. We have always acquired never eliminated. To create a clean space is a wonderful thing. I admire it and help create it for my clients. Unfortunately, emotionally I can not down-scale!

    So why is it, do you think, dear readers,
    that it’s so hard to be minimalists?

    Is there something very deep instinctual need to have our stuff?
    (Let’s set aside the extremes, please, for this discussion.)
    Should we give ourselves a break for being
    creatures of domestic comfort?

    Or, is there, and *should* we, strive for some sort of more “evolved” “balance”?
    Please be *compassionate* in this discussion, okay?

    Related stories

    1. Aneta, North Dakota, here we come
    2. Resist the Greige Nation
    3. Mid mod Austin, Texas’ Jennifer Perkins aka Naughty Secretary Club
    4. mamie eisenhower christmas card Merry Mamie Christmas

    Ad

    ​
    Comments 112
    Be-Safe-graphic2.3

    Comments

    1. Rebecca@MidCenturyModernRemodel says

      March 8, 2013 at 8:10 am

      I don’t even have to read the comments here to realize that many people that read this blog piled on and weren’t super fond of minimalism. I am. I am as an ideal and as a goal. I get tired of the stuff. I get tired of collecting the stuff. I get tired of dusting the stuff. And I get tired of not having money for retirement because of buying the stuff. Do I like the stuff? Yes!!!! But my house just isn’t that big. So the fun for me in minimalist goals is going through the house, selling what I don’t love anymore, throwing out the junk, and paring it down. I am no hipster (old by any standard), but the ideal and the aesthetic I can admire and appreciate. If I can keep the objects to a low roar, I can see them easier and appreciate them easier. So am I a real minimalist — NO…. but do I amass tons of stuff into my house without regard for how it all really looks (e.g. hoarding) ABSOLUTELY NOT!

      Reply
    2. Sandy says

      March 18, 2013 at 9:53 pm

      I too love this house and could live it in without adding more than a few things. I like “stuff” and have lots of it. However, I think the answer to your question is to have a big house with lots of storage space so that everything does not have to be out on display. I collect dishes amongst other things but keep them put away until they can be used for a dinner party for example. I know this is a very “let them eat cake” solution but works for me.

      Reply
    « Older Comments
    Note: All comments are moderated, generally within 24 hours. By using this website you are agreeing to the site's Terms of Use, which include commenting policies. Before participating, read them here in full.

     

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Midcentury-Marketplace-Ads3
    • BE SAFE / RENOVATE SAFE!
      Get informed and be aware about the environmental & safety hazards in old homes, materials and products. #1 RULE: Consult with your own properly licensed professionals. More info: See our Be Safe/Renovate page... EPA asbestos website ... EPA lead website ... U.S.F.A. – fire safety, etc.
    website-bottom-banner-pam-kateFINAL

    Important Reader Information

    • Terms of Use: By using this website you are agreeing to the site's terms of use. Read them here in full.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures: How I make money
    • Contact

    Copyright 2019 © Retro Renovation®, all rights reserved. Please do not use any materials without prior permission.