Is minimalism making our spaces feel cold and interchangeable?
Minimalist design has become a badge of sophistication, but I think it's quietly making our spaces and products feel cold and interchangeable. Walking through a new apartment building last week, every unit looked identical—white walls, gray sofa, one pendant lamp—as if personality were a design flaw. Yes, minimalism reduces visual noise and forces clarity, but at what cost to warmth, identity, and even function? A home that looks like a showroom might photograph well, but I doubt it nurtures the kind of messy, lived-in comfort most people actually crave. Are we designing for people or for Instagram?