Peace, balance, and simplicity are the new luxury

We live in an increasingly busy world. All kinds of stimuli make people long for peace and quiet, including in their interiors and kitchens. For me, luxury lies in experiencing serenity as soon as you step into your home. Silence, balance, and simplicity. A design that doesn't scream for attention, but radiates harmony.

I notice that the kitchen industry is primarily concerned with trends: contrasts, colors, handles, materials that follow each other in rapid succession. This is understandable because trends sell, but they are fleeting. I believe more in a style that evolves with you and does not become outdated. Timelessness requires depth: thinking about materialization, harmony, and what a space really needs. I believe that a kitchen that brings comfort and tranquility feels richer than a kitchen that wants to impress.

As a designer of interiors, but also of products, I know how complex it is to create simplicity. The less visible something is, the more thought needs to go into it. Sockets, lighting, appliances; everything has to be just right, without demanding attention. That self-evidentness, in which everything works without explanation or excess, is the ultimate luxury for me. In the Netherlands, the kitchen is the heart of the home; it's where you want to be together, without distractions. It shouldn't be a showpiece full of stimuli, but a place where you feel zen. Yet I often see designs that try to show too much, losing sight of the essence.

I notice that minimalism is a difficult concept for many people, or has negative connotations: cold, sterile, empty. Whereas simplicity can actually bring warmth and doesn't have to be boring at all. It's not about how much you see, but what you feel. In natural materials and tone-on-tone colors that create a sense of calm, in the layering of materials and in the use of the right lighting. A well-thought-out concept is a feast for the eyes. Just like art: the longer you look at it, the more you appreciate it.

That requires craftsmanship and sensitivity. I find that many kitchens are aesthetically unsettling, lacking in thoughtfulness. The industry should pay more attention to this, for example by involving designers with a sense of aesthetics more often. Because when a space feels intuitively right and you don't have to think about where things are, you know that peace and energy are in balance. We tend to fill our kitchens with cabinets, stuff, and functions, but it is precisely the omission of these things that creates space and therefore luxury. Decluttering is what consumers should be doing.
Not a trend, but a mindset that brings balance.

However, I would like to challenge not only consumers, but also the kitchen industry. Make tranquility tangible. Not by showing more kitchen designs, but by taking consumers on a journey of discovery. Let them feel what balance does for them, rather than overwhelming them with choices. A visit to a showroom should energize them, not drain them. Do we dare to choose based on feeling, or do we follow what the trend dictates?   

Mariska Jagt
Founder & Designer at Yume Atelier by Mariska Jagt