Mass personalisation is a big trend across the board at the moment. Designers are looking at many ways of providing the items that people want, but giving them just enough of a personal touch to make them unique. This approach fills the gap between mass-production and bespoke craft, and appeals to the desire for individuality that people are increasingly showing.
When it comes to homeware, this approach to production can be even more compelling for people, because it allows for individual style and functional benefits. The “kit of parts” approach to products gives people the ability to fit a product to their space requirements, usually taking the form of modular items that can be configured however the user wants.
International Design
This approach is being seen in international design and in offerings from local companies. The Grid sofa, by French brand Pool, for example, is made up of separate pieces, allowing the owner to create a look unique to them. Locally, we’re seeing the same thinking in items such as the Honeycomb shelf by Leg Studios. This system of geometric shelves and clips lets people build a storage system in any shape and size, making it appropriate for any number of spaces and uses.
Navigating Design
As technology allows for more nuanced production methods, we’ll see this kind of personalised approach become increasingly common in the future. There is a constant tension in people’s lives between being an individual and being part of a community (having the same stuff as everyone else), and this approach to design helps people to navigate it.
See for yourself:
Words: Chris Reid
Images: Pool / Leg Studios
