The designer and the commonplace.

Having grown up in a culture where people had little, I’ve always had an old-fashioned, time-consuming relationship with the things in my life that seemed to be at odds with American material culture. Designers may notice the thought that went into banal objects, but for the most part the public was blind to this subtle beauty. Things have changed however as the desire for simplicity, smallness, and clarity has become loud and clear in these lean years. Recently I’ve come across several voices in design, singing praises for the commonplace.

KIOSK, a tiny store that carries small objects from around the world in a curatorial format, is as hip as it goes in New York City. I found its wares more moving than those of any other high-design showcase (though Moss was very stimulating). I bought this bird caller of wood and metal, an object of simple construction that does something unexpected. I loved the description of this wooden comb.

“… It’s all very idyllic and every time I use the comb I think of me in New York and them working away in their workshop. I believe objects either harbor their own being and give off an energy or we instill a certain energy within things. These combs provide a daily dose of tranquility, they radiate happiness and satisfaction.”

In a similar vein, Sam Hecht has the “Under a Fiver” collection—objects costing less than five pounds ($7) that caught his eye, such as the two-headed nail above, sponge bottle washers, and other humdrum things that most people might go “huh?” I would love to see this collection in entirety.

Going beyond found objects to designed objects, Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukusawa talk about the philosophy of “supernormal”: “It’s about unsensational-looking objects that perform in a sensational way. In fact, it may take time for you to notice how well they work.” Morrison gave an example of a chopping board that took him five years of use to appreciate. And what creates the “hook” for these objects? “That’s the most interesting thing about design: knowing what to put into an object to make a good atmosphere. Supernormal objects all have that  ability to make good atmosphere.”

This is not news in design of course, the buzz around Hecht, Morrison and Fukasawa have been huge for years and they have their identifiable style. But their words and intention speak to something larger, that is striking a cord with many.

Do designers instinctively want to make objects in their own image, to create icons? Perhaps. But to design a mundane object well is to see the universal and connected in yourself, rather than the idiosyncratic and standout. To design not for the ego, but for service. It would be good, fulfilling work.