Simple, Elegant & Functional
In a world of over abundance and hence over consumption, we increasingly fail to discern between what is truly beautiful and yet functional and the cheap or vulgar alternative.
Consider three simple objects we use around our homes, namely a pencil, a flower pot and a tea towel. So pedestrian and mundane are these articles we fail to appreciate that their elegance lies in their very simplicity and their functionality. They do not shout for attention but wait patiently to fulfil their purpose.
The Pencil
The pencil - as in a piece of graphite encased in wood - was first invented in Italy by Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti in 1560. Designed to make fragile pieces of graphite easier to handle without breaking by encasing the graphite in an oval timber casing. Two pieces of juniper wood were glued around a graphite core - the basic method still used to this day.
It wasn't until 1795 that the pencil was redesigned by a French scientist and army officer in Napoleon’s army, Nicolas-Jacques Conté. During the Napoleonic wars a naval blockade by the British cut off the supply of high quality English graphite. To overcome the problem Conté mixed graphite powder with clay before baking it in a kiln.
Varying the proportion of clay to graphite enabled makers to vary the hardness or blackness of the lead. Today pencils range from 9H to 9B with a sweet spot of HB blending hardness and blackness for everyday general use. There is also an F (firm) grade which, to my mind, is superior to HB and great for drawing.
Even today in the digital age the pencil has much to commend it, being superior to the Biro and felt tip for sketching as it is more flexible. Lines can be heavy or faint, whilst shading can be delicate or harsh.
The Clay Flowerpot
Dating back to 4000BC the Sumerians were using unglazed clay pots to grow plants as they enabled soil usage to be managed and water to be regulated. The Romans adopted the clay pot for the growing of herbs and ornamental plants indoors.
By the 18th century earthenware was being used to make pots to grow and transport exotic plants and by the time of the Industrial Revolution clay pots were being mass produced in different sizes and shapes.
The traditional tapered flowerpot is of particular note as the tapering permits the soil to heave or expand upwards depending upon on the weather or season.
My garden is littered with pots of differing shapes and sizes. Plants can be grouped as desired and elevated as necessary. They age naturally and become more beautiful over the years. The plastic equivalent has no place in the garden with those that try to emulate terracotta being the worst offenders.
The Linen Tea Towel
The only tea towel worth having.
The hollow flax fibres absorb moisture more efficiently than cotton and they dry more rapidly than cotton towels, avoiding musty odours and a build up of bacteria.
Linen becomes softer over time with washing, whilst still maintaining its strength and looks. Linen tea towels are, for the most part, plain relying only on contrasting colours for the border stripes.
Linen is a poor fabric for printing on whilst cotton, due to its tighter weave, makes an excellent cloth for printing purposes but then quite what the point of printing an image on a tea towel is escapes me.
In 1896 the American architect, Louis Sullivan, coined the phrase form ever follows function in an article about the design of skyscrapers. He argued that the design of an object should follow its purpose. These three objects are father to this concept in that they do precisely what they are designed to do without elaboration.
Three simple objects and yet the technology in making them to a high standard has its own degree of sophistication. Three objects that have stood the test of time and continue to do so.
These objects do not need redesigning or fancy makeovers as they are already the pinnacle of design perfection.
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About the Author:
Nicholas Engert is the founder and creative director of Nicholas Engert Interiors, a studio known for its timeless, elegant and understated design philosophy. With decades of experience in interior architecture and design, Nicholas brings a refined eye and a wealth of knowledge to every project, blending form, function and character with a deep understanding of client needs. Every product featured in the studio’s collection is personally selected to meet exacting standards of quality, design, and aesthetic integrity.