Organic Minimalist Puzzle Holder

For my main project, I decided to create something that had elements from Organic Minimalism. Personally, I find minimalism very aesthetically pleasing as it gives an appearance of elegance and neatness. However, organic minimalism appealed to me in particular because of its focus on incorporating nature and additional color palettes beyond just the typical neutral tones associated with traditional minimalism. Organic minimalism elements include natural materials, clean and simple lines, inspirations from nature, an interconnectedness with nature (greenery as accents or open spaces), and earth tones (which extend beyond just the neutral palette) [1] [2].

 

 

Alternatives that I considered for this project were Rustic and Biophilic aesthetics. In essence, these other aesthetics are not too different from what I selected and all have overlapping elements. The use of natural materials/influences and even the natural/earthy tones are very similar.

I considered Rustic since it is a common aesthetic to achieve when using wood, which I knew would be my main material. However, the Rustic aesthetic gives me cabin/camping vibes, which I wasn’t necessarily trying to achieve with this project (and doesn’t necessarily align with my personal style). I find the Biophilic aesthetic absolutely beautiful. However, with such a project as mine I felt that the heavy emphasis on plants may be difficult to achieve. Thus, I opted for Organic Minimalism, which not only commonly utilizes wood as a natural material, but also aligns closely with my personal aesthetic and felt achievable for my project!

 

 

 

Aesthetics that differ significantly from Organic Minimalism include Maximalism and Industrial.

Maximalism utilizes a lot of bright colors, various patterns, and an abundance of decor. Maximalism as a whole is seemingly the direct opposite to Minimalism, and thus not many similarities can be drawn between these two aesthetics.

Industrial can be aligned more closely with Minimalism, as Industrial Minimalism does exist. However, the Industrial aesthetic commonly utilizes concrete, exposed bricks, metal, industrial lighting, and man-made objects. Thus, the utalitarian feel that is typically associated with this aesthetic does, in my opinion, counter the feel/ambiance that is typically sought after with Organic Minimalism.

I decided to create a puzzle holder with drawers for my main project. I will discuss more in later posts, but the puzzle board design was influenced by Thrift Diving (both the step-by-step instructions and YouTube tutorial) [8].

The puzzle holder will be able to accommodate a 1500 piece puzzle (possibly even 2000 pieces) and have six drawers for puzzle piece organization and storage. I included some models of my design in various aesthetics- the Organic Minimalism that I intend to accomplish, Maximalism, and Industrial. I must say, I did think these contrastings aesthetics were still pretty cool. The Industrial would’ve have the color palettes shown and included more metal elements (as opposed to the natural wood). The Maximalist design was actually really neat, and I surprised myself with how much I liked the bright colors; however- for the purpose of this project- the business would probably be distracting from the intense puzzle action otherwise going on.

 

 

 

 

 

Featured image is what I am using for my inspiration (and as a tutorial) from Thrift Diving [8]

 

References:

[1] https://xsurfaces.com/blogs/stories/elements-of-organic-modern-design

 

[2] https://www.lorddecor.com/blog/organic-modern-interior-design

 

[3] https://www.rowabi.com/blogs/lab-of-wabi-sabi-blogs/organic-minimalist-interiors-design

 

[4] https://ericabuteau.com/2018/05/21/rustic-home-aesthetic/

 

[5] https://www.housedigest.com/1074271/the-ultimate-guide-to-biophilic-interior-decor/

 

[6] https://www.archdaily.com/986167/make-way-for-maximalism-gen-z-says-less-is-a-bore

 

[7] https://www.housedigest.com/990404/is-the-industrial-aesthetic-going-out-of-style/

 

[8] https://thriftdiving.com/diy-puzzle-board-with-drawers/