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Vibe Glossary / Minimalist
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Minimalist

"Remove everything that doesn't earn its place."

1960s – present

Minimalism as an aesthetic and philosophy eliminates the extraneous to reveal what's essential. In design, architecture, fashion, and lifestyle — the Minimalist impulse is toward simplicity, clarity, and the power of what's left out.

calmintentionalcleanfocusedsereneedited

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Minimalism's Philosophical Roots

Modern minimalism as a design philosophy emerged from multiple sources: the Bauhaus school (form follows function), Japanese wabi-sabi (the beauty of imperfection and transience), and American abstract art in the 1960s. It was a reaction against Victorian ornamentation — the idea that a well-designed object needs nothing added to it.

Why Minimalism Became a Lifestyle

The mainstreaming of minimalism as a lifestyle (rather than just a design style) accelerated with Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (2011) and the tiny house movement. Digital minimalism followed — app deletion, notification-free phones, and intentional technology use. The aesthetic argument and the philosophical one converged: less is genuinely more.

Keywords

#minimalist#simple#clean#neutral#intentional

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