The twenty-first century has already been one of enormous upheaval in how we live our lives. All of the feel-good positivity that framed most of the 1990s, with the end of the cold war and increases in living and social standards, has been eroded away over the last 22 years. 9/11, tension in the Middle East and Afghanistan, an economic crash, the development of the negative aspects of social media, Brexit and now mounting tensions and flashpoints with China and Russia, plus a massive increase in our living costs, has meant that the outcome seems bleak. Add to this the everyday evidence of Climate change and the effects this is bringing. So it’s no wonder many of us are looking for a more minimal feel in our homes.
Minimalism is where you strip back the house to have the bare minimum of items on show. There is no need to clutter up the living spaces with frivolous things. If we take the living room as the best example, the plan is to have just a single sofa and chair, the entertainment system of television, simple one-block colour on the walls and maybe a display cabinet with a coffee table. It’s at great odds with our ancestors, who liked to have all their possessions on show. This was partly because it was seen as a sign of great affluence and people wanted to show what they had to illustrate how rich they appeared to be.
However, as the 90s progressed into the noughties, it became clear that this was seen as vulgar, and a flaunting of wealth was not a look that sat well with designers. Increasingly, storage and declutter units have become the norm, almost in return to the days of the 1970s ladder racks that had proved immensely popular. These offered a modular approach to design and can be changed as needed.
However, if there is still too much in your home, at least you have the option of using something like a Self Storage Dudley based unit. These storage units have become an increasingly popular way of making sure that you have all the suitable space in the home for what you want to put on show and to keep the space free.