Nº 11
Nº 10
SOUL HABITATS
Uncovering the desire to
create spaces that are
authentic expressions of
provide a refuge from the
outside world.
A word from our guest editor
JOSH RUBIN
Founder of COOL HUNTING
While maximalism is clearly popular these days,
so is minimalism. It’s no longer a question of which is
trending. Perhaps as a result of spending much more
time at home during the pandemic some people began
to accumulate more and others took the time to pare
down their belongings. In both cases it seems to have
been a time of deep reflection and the birth of a new
self expression driven more from personal desire than
trend alignment.
The common thread seems to be authenticity
of experience. People want their homes to
tell a story and to provide an escape from the
outside world.
Whether that’s achieved with a spartan aesthetic
or a more maximalist one, the goal is to create a space
that feels like an extension of oneself, a place of refuge
where one can feel safe and comfortable.
Sustainability is a word that gets thrown around a
lot and it can mean different things to different people.
For some it’s about reducing their carbon footprint,
for others it’s about supporting companies that are
environmentally conscious, and for others it’s about
using materials that will have a minimal impact on the
planet long after they’ve served their purpose in our
homes. The answer we all can agree on is that having
fewer, better things is a path to reduced consumption
and impact.
But how do we define “better?”
For starters, we want things that are made
so well they’ll last long enough to pass
on to younger generations. And we want
designs that are reflective of who we are
so that we’re not only passing down objects,
but also memories.
A passion for design classics and icons has fueled a
growing interest in collecting vintage pieces. In turn, this
increase in appreciation of a more diverse set of historic
designs has opened the door to reissued and reimagined
classics. Combined with modern manufacturing, these
vintage, soulful looking pieces are constructed more
robustly than ever and will last perhaps longer than the
memories they hold.
“Better” is also influenced by the materials used
– sustainably sourced robust natural materials promise
to last. Stone, glass and rattan have been used for
generations yet the products we see being made today
using these materials are being constructed with a new
level of engineering that only contemporary design and
manufacturing tools can afford. In turn, a rattan chair
made today, for example, is surely going last much longer
than our beloved ones of the late 70s.
In the world of lighting – one of the
most important elements of soulful living – the
revolution LEDs has enabled is remarkable.
Once a technology reserved for business and gim-
micky environments, today we see designers imaging
forms that occupy space and spread light in ways un-
imaginable only a few years ago. And the added benefit
of their lower power consumption and longer bulb
longevity makes everyone happy regardless of their
stylistic point of view.
Perhaps driven by the desire to reduce, reuse and
recycle, material innovation has exploded and evolved
to a point where we’re seeing gorgeous, sophisticated
and expressive materials made from unimaginable
source material – like leather made from mushrooms or
pineapples, plastics derived from potatoes or tomatoes
and particle board made from coffee hulls. All with the
warmth and emotion we crave plus the added bonus of a
new storyline to tell our friends and guests when
showing them around our homes.
Soulful living can be as much about
how we feel about our spaces as it is about
how we share them with our guests.
The pieces we choose to bring into our homes hold
stories ready to be told. Vintage indigo textiles found
on our many trips to Japan, that chair from an up-and-
coming designer who we spotted early in their career,
the re-issued mid-century lamp that’s just like the one
we grew up with in our childhood home. There’s a
growing appreciation for furniture and décor that has a
story to tell, that connects us to the people and places
that we love.
As we continue to spend more time at home it
seems we’re increasingly interested in creating spaces
that nurture our soul. We want our habitats to be an
authentic expression of ourselves, to tell our story and
to provide a refuge from the outside world. As designers
it’s our responsibility to create soulful furnishings,
lighting, accessories and spaces that inspire and embrace
the people who inhabit them and, in turn, create
opportunities for deeper connection to and storytelling
about our material posessions.
PHOTO BY CALEB LEE ADAMS
Creating our habitats is such a subjective process
that describing the contemporary trends is a challenge
to do with any sort of structure or methodology. That
said, given the range of categories we survey to find
stories each day for COOL HUNTING – a publication
that since 2003 has informed and inspired the creative
community that’s designing the future – we do see
emergent patterns and persistent underlying themes.
For decades we’ve witnessed the pendulum swing
between minimalism and maximalism, persistent
material innovation and the importance of narrative in
the way we create our spaces.
Aesthetic choices today aren’t dominated by any
particular trends so much as the desire for change,
personal expression and soul soothing.
Raisonné 02
ourselves, tell our story and
