Main Project: Minimalist Wooden Light Fixture

After thinking over the last week about my project and the final purpose it would fill, it finally hit me as I sat it my terribly lit living room while eating dinner. I would like to make a lighting fixture and further more I would like for it to resemble the minimalist wooden aesthetic.

As you likely already know, the minimalist aesthetic is characterized by simplicity, cleanliness, and a focus on essential elements. It emphasizes functionality and purpose, often featuring clean lines, neutral colors, and uncluttered spaces. Minimalist design seeks to eliminate unnecessary details and decorations, resulting in a streamlined and understated look that prioritizes simplicity and clarity. It often draws inspiration from modernist art and architecture, promoting a sense of calm, balance, and harmony through its restrained approach to design.

I personally adopted the minimalist aesthetics and lifestyle a while back likely do to the household I grew up in leaning more towards maximalist. I have very little clutter in my current living space and I find the things that I wear to be simplistic. It is not that I don’t like more extravagant things, I just personally don’t like to overcomplicate things and I frequently seek out efficiencies in my life.

There are many 20th Century design movements that lead to the current popularity of minimalism including: Bauhaus, De Stijl, modernism, etc. The Bauhaus movement, founded in Germany in 1919 by architect Walter Gropius, aimed to unite art, craft, and technology in pursuit of functional and aesthetic design. It emphasized simplicity, geometric forms, and the use of industrial materials. The De Stijl movement, originating in the Netherlands in the early 20th century, sought to reduce visual elements to their essence through geometric forms, primary colors, and a limited palette. All of these movements steered away from over the top ornamental elements and closer to functional and practical design.

Because I enjoy simplicity and my home aesthetic is minimalist, rather then try something new I would like to stick with this aesthetic so that I can then implement it in my bedroom or living room. Below is a set of wooden bar lights that I have based my design on. My goal is to hang my final product of this light over my bed or couch to be used like a reading light at night rather than having my room completely lit up. While I do not have a sketch or design thought up currently for my recreation of this light it will likely mirror the long thin profile of the light below. In terms of construction, the main body of this piece will be routed from a thick, high quality piece of wood. It will then be sanded and stained. Next I will purchase a thick sheet of plastic which I will likely laser cut to the size to enclose where my lighting system will sit. I intend on using battery power so that there are no wires showing causing clutter and taking away from the minimalist aesthetic.

References:

• https://thermory.com/blog-and-news/warm-minimalism-embracing-the-timeless-beauty-of-wood/
• https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-bauhaus-art-movement/#:~:text=The%20Bauhaus%20is%20a%20German,and%20geometric%2C%20with%20little%20ornamentation.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Stijl#:~:text=The%20De%20Stijl%20movement%20posited,in%20an%20arrangement%20of%20non%2D