During these past few months, there has been a daily questioning of what is essential. What can be shed? What can be done differently or better? In many ways, this closely resembles how we approach design. It is an act of distilling each piece down to its essentials.
They are pieces to live with and allow for space where the mind can wander. Our choice of woods and finishes reflect a causal, livable atmosphere, one that feels increasingly important to us now that we are spending so much of our time at home.
We live in a crazy time - things are poorly produced and meant to fall apart in a few uses at a meager cost, driving consumers to keep buying and replacing. And what is even crazy is for some reason, we agree and accept that things are crappy because they are cheap, and it’s okay to keep replacing them. But to be honest, that's not okay. On the ethical and sustainable side, it's crucial for all of us to remember that the objects we buy were made by real human hands somewhere in the world, and made of resources that we took from the planet.
Let’s call what we do at LITOOC ‘slow design’.
A slow-designed good doesn’t just take all of the above into consideration, it also considers where the product goes after production, how it will age, and how it will be lived with.
These objects are designed to age gracefully, to wear in, not out. By default this means a higher-quality object. One that can last a lifetime. This is not a piece that will break down or look terrible after a year of use. The piece likely costs more than the alternatives but you’re likely to be replacing it multiple times if you choose the lesser-made piece.
“Every purchase is an investment. You’re investing in the people who design and make it, the future of the planet by choosing quality products that don’t need to be replaced often only to end up in our landfills. ”
