Useful Is Not Enough
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.
John Keats
Numerous gadgets in my kitchen have not made my life miraculously better; instead, they clutter drawers or take up way too much space. As part of my attempt at living a simpler life, I have been assessing the room often called the heart of the home.
The garlic press. It did not make cooking easier or quicker, but it did add time to the cleanup. A knife and cutting board do the job much more efficiently. Also replaced by a simple knife: the banana cutter (which made my husband cringe), an avocado slicer, a mandoline (too cumbersome), and a fancy square-grid cutting device that made uniform potato chips and created loads of potato waste. And do not ask me why I had a pasta measurer. (Insert eye roll).
Then there were the pie maker, the juicer, and the food processor. Ugly. Bulky. Tedious. And any time saved in preparation or cooking was lost during cleaning.
The coffee pod machine was another that did not earn its place in my kitchen. It was too large, awkward to clean, and made mediocre coffee. It sat on my kitchen bench like a posh levered box, a geometric eyesore.
My silver Bialetti espresso pot makes better coffee, is kinder to the environment, and takes up less space. I use this espresso pot daily. There is something ritualistic about it.
A couple of years ago, I saw that Dolce & Gabbana had collaborated with Bialetti and created a stylish espresso pot. They had me at the name ~ Sicilian Cart Collection. I wanted one. I cheekily asked my tea-drinking, half-Sicilian husband if he would like one for Christmas. Yeah, nah, that didn’t work. One of my children said, “Buy it for yourself, Mum.” An extravagance? Yes. Do I regret it? Not for one minute.
Every time I use it, I admire the colours and the pattern. It makes me smile. It is a utilitarian item that sits on my stove and looks decorative. Stylish. I recently purchased a gorgeous ceramic olive oil bottle that meets the same criteria.
My tea towels are the same. I have a tightly packed drawer full of printed tea towels, each one useful and beautiful. Nobody needs a plain white tea towel; it doesn’t do its job any better than a patterned one. A tea towel’s job is to dry things, mop up spills, protect a bench, cover dough as it proves, shield hands from hot dishes, and wipe flour-covered hands. A beautiful tea towel does its job and looks nice hanging off the oven door or over the side of a sink while it waits for its next assignment.
Some would argue that appliances, tools, and linens in a kitchen simply need to ‘do their job’. I can’t see why something cannot be useful and beautiful. And individual, too. The decisions we make when purchasing pieces for our kitchen help give it character; we add our own voice. The more I mull this over, the more I realise this isn’t only about function. Perhaps that is the distinction I have been looking for: the objects that make us unique, spark conversation, and hold interest.
Sterile minimalism is increasingly being seen as dated, and I am relieved. Don’t get me wrong: I have a polished concrete benchtop and quite like the subway tiles I see in friends’ kitchens. But show me textures, colours and unusual details, and I find not just the kitchen interesting but also its owner. Decorate your table with contrasting linens and colours that create visual intrigue, and I am pulling up a seat, ready to settle in.
That is probably why surface pattern design suits me so well; I enjoy designing for kitchen linens. Tea towels, placemats, table runners, and tablecloths all serve a function, but the ones with a pretty design make a statement and add character to the space.
My Nelly and Isobel tea towel designs are extra special. They are another item in my kitchen that makes me smile. I often look at them with pride. Pride in knowing I created the pattern. Pride, too, in what I have achieved as a surface pattern designer.
After years of hearing that ‘self-praise is no recommendation’, I have this ingrained sense of social etiquette that says I should never be boastful. But looking at the Nelly and Isobel tea towels sitting on my kitchen bench next to the Dolce & Gabbana espresso pot, each giving my kitchen a good dose of character… well, that makes me beam.
Turns out simplifying and decluttering isn’t just about having less; it’s also about making room for everyday things that make me smile. I guess I don’t want unnecessary things around me. But I don’t want a life stripped of character and interest, either.
