THE MORE CHAOTIC THE OUTSIDE WORLD BECOMES, THE MORE I FIND MYSELF WIELDING CONTROL OVER MY IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS. PERHAPS THIS IS NATURE TEACHING US ABOUT BALANCE—AN INSTINCTIVE CORRECTIVE MEASURE WHEN EVERYTHING BEYOND OUR WALLS FEELS UNMOORED. I HAD A SIMILAR IMPULSE AT THE ONSET OF COVID, THAT SUDDEN HUNGER FOR DOMESTIC PERFECTION WHEN THE WORLD CONTRACTED TO THE SIZE OF OUR HOMES.
THE SPRING CLEAN ISN'T THE CLICHÉ WE THINK IT IS. WITH THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW SEASON, WE NATURALLY REASSESS OUR ENVIRONMENTS, AND THERE'S SOMETHING GENUINELY RESTORATIVE ABOUT CLEARING OUT BEFORE SUMMER ARRIVES. THE ONLY CLICHÉ IS THE NOTION THAT THIS SHOULD HAPPEN JUST ONCE A YEAR, AS THOUGH WE'RE BEARS EMERGING BLINKING FROM HIBERNATION RATHER THAN PEOPLE CONTINUOUSLY INHABITING AND RESHAPING OUR SPACES.
THOSE OF US WORKING IN DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, AND CREATIVE FIELDS HAVE ALREADY SPENT EARLY JANUARY VISITING TRADE SHOWS, ABSORBING NEW COLLECTIONS, PLANNING PROJECTS. JANUARY HAS ALWAYS CARRIED THIS PARTICULAR ENERGY—NOT JUST THE NEWNESS AND LAUNCHES FROM BRANDS, BUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AFTERMATH OF CHRISTMAS AND DECEMBER, THAT COLLECTIVE DESIRE TO BEGIN THE YEAR WITH FRESH CLARITY AND PURPOSE.
READ ANY NEWSPAPER OR SCROLL THROUGH ANY FEED THESE DAYS AND THE NEWS OVERWHELMS. FROM DAVOS SUMMITS TO CELEBRITY SCANDALS, FROM ENTRENCHED CONFLICTS TO EMERGING CRISES, THE RELENTLESS CHAOS—IN OUR LIVES, IN OUR DIGITAL FEEDS, ON TELEVISION, CYCLING ENDLESSLY THROUGH OUR PHONES—CREATES IN ME AN ALMOST PHYSICAL NEED TO EDIT.
TO EDIT OUT WHAT ISN'T NEEDED. TO REFRESH THOUGHTFULLY. I'VE JUST ACQUIRED A SET OF MIDCENTURY SWEDISH CHAIRS THAT I'M CONSIDERING KEEPING RATHER THAN SELLING—THEIR CLEAN LINES FEEL LIKE VISUAL SILENCE. I'M ALSO LOOKING AT UPHOLSTERING A PAIR OF FIRESIDE PIERRE JEANNERET CHAIRS IN A LUSCIOUS SUEDE, SOMETHING WITH TEXTURE AND WEIGHT. I'VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THE BRUTALIST PIECES RICK OWENS AND MICHELE LAMY CREATE IN THEIR HOMEWARE RANGE—OBJECTS THAT ACKNOWLEDGE DARKNESS AND BEAUTY SIMULTANEOUSLY.
I SEEM TO HAVE DEVELOPED AN ACUTE NEED FOR FILTERING. IN THE NEWS, IN DAILY LIFE, AND ESPECIALLY AT HOME. DOES THAT RESONATE WITH ANYONE ELSE?
IN MY KITCHEN, I'VE BEEN SLOWLY REPLACING RANDOM ACCUMULATED PIECES WITH MORE INTENTIONAL DESIGN—BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED COOKWARE AND TABLEWARE THAT WILL ENDURE. MY FAVORITE FINDS ARE JAPANESE, AND TIME & STYLE, AN EXTRAORDINARY STORE SHOWCASING THE FINEST JAPANESE HOMEWARE, HAS OUTPOSTS IN AMSTERDAM AND MILAN. ONE DAY I MAY APPROACH THEM ABOUT A COLLABORATION, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE CARRY SOME BEAUTIFUL JOHN PAWSON PIECES—THOSE INCREDIBLE CERAMICS FOR THE OVEN WITH MINIMALIST WALNUT LIDS ARE IMPOSSIBLY CHIC—ALONG WITH NUMEROUS VINCENT VAN DUYSEN DESIGNS.
THE ACT OF CURATING YOUR SPACE ISN'T SUPERFICIAL. IT'S A FORM OF SELF-PRESERVATION, A WAY OF ASSERTING THAT WHILE WE CAN'T CONTROL THE LARGER FORCES SHAPING OUR WORLD, WE CAN AT LEAST DETERMINE WHAT WE ALLOW INTO OUR MOST INTIMATE SPACES. EVERY OBJECT WE CHOOSE TO KEEP OR REMOVE IS A SMALL DECLARATION OF WHAT MATTERS.
IF YOU'RE READY FOR A HOME OR KITCHEN EDIT, I INVITE YOU TO EXPLORE WHAT WE'VE GATHERED AT PLATFORMD.CO AND GENERALGOODS.NET—BOTH SPACES DEDICATED TO THE KIND OF MINIMALIST DESIGN THAT CREATES ROOM TO BREATHE RATHER THAN CLUTTER TO NAVIGATE.
IN THE MEANTIME, STAY WELL AND FILTER TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT. THERE'S WISDOM IN KNOWING WHAT TO LET IN AND WHAT TO LEAVE OUT.