I’ve been obsessing (a little) over the architectural interiors of Joseph Dirand. His attention to the details of space, light, form, materials, objects in the pursuit of what’s been called luxurious minimalism is a source of inspiration for me.

But the way in which Dirand refers to his work, claiming that he is not interested in style or design as a passing, temporal pursuit but instead is merely seeking to honor the traditions of the great minimalists (Rams, Le Corbusier) seems like an unnecessary denial of a natural ability as an accomplished stylist. Being a spiritual crusader in pursuit of aesthetic purity and a hip, style arbiter du moment do not need to be mutually exclusive.

The work I have been doing lately is spare, formal and restrained, and attempts to solve complex UI/UX problems within a business application that uses science to predict customer behavior (the perfect place to apply minimalism in it’s most luxurious form?). And within that framework of restraint, that essential need for ease of use and the expression of complex data points, there are abundant opportunities to add style, elegance and aesthetic purity.

(Initial screens for the Preact product redesign.)

 

(Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” – final scenes in an interior that juxtaposes classical and modern elements–cited as an inspiration for Dirand.)