Less but better - the modern day 'tough love' mantra

You’ve heard the saying ‘Less is more’ repeated time and again but have you heard ‘Less but better’? Dieter Rams coined the concept of ‘less but better’ design, meaning as little design as possible in a product, eliminating the non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

It’s hard to get back to simplicity, especially living in consumer-driven America. But once you’ve felt the power of walking into a big box store like Target and walking out with nothing, you’ll become addicted. I try to commit to not bringing anything into my house that I don’t really love. It’s not easy I’ll admit and often times I fail.

But sometimes I make great purchases that would make Dieter Rams happy. Like these Extos electrical cords from Conway Electric. I finally decided to replace my ugly cords with these and they make everything look better and more importantly they are USEFUL. The design is pure and simple, containing only the essentials to make electricity happen. The one extravagance? The yummy colors. Mint and Candy Pink.

And this lamp from Menu. Glass, concrete and metal – all of my favorite materials. It’ll never go out of style and it’s distilled down to just the pure essentials.

Not every decision is as easy as those though. But being thoughtful about what we buy can feel so empowering. With every purchase I make, I spend time thinking about if it is worthy of bringing into my minimal modest home. Does it have a purpose? Does it have a story? If something doesn’t make the ‘less but better’ cut, then it doesn’t make it inside. #Toughlove