Finding the perfect balance between form, function, and aesthetics is the signature of minimalist design. Last month, I took a look at some of my favorite contemporary minimalist artists. This month, I shine a spotlight on established and emerging designers. All creatives listed below share a common minimalist aesthetic and clean lines. They all focus on creating timeless pieces that are steeped in natural materials and craftsmanship to create a balance between innovation and tradition. This allows them to create unique and distinctive pieces.
Le Cann
Let’s start with Le Cann Studio, founded by the two interior architects and designers Raphaëlle Robert and Guillaume Fantin. The duo manages to create an effortless balance between clean lines, light, and texture. Le Cann’s design style is based on timeless simplicity, creating a dialogue between different artistic mediums and eras. In this way, the studio manages to bring warmth and emotion to its minimalist designs.
Jonathan Ben-Tovim / B-TD
Australian brand B-TD is taking the 21st-century design scene by storm with its unique line of contemporary furniture and lighting. Jonathan Ben-Tovim, the founder of the company, fuses the traditional values of material properties and functional needs with a minimalistic, modern aesthetic to create timeless pieces that are sure to complement any interior. Perfectly attuned to the ever-shifting nature of the world, the company’s motto is to “adapt and endure”.
Sanna Völker
Swedish-born designer Sanna Völker brings a unique search for equilibrium between rawness and refinement to her objects and furniture. Taking inspiration from architecture, brutalism, and human intervention in nature and society, she creates pieces with pure, minimalist shapes and a fusion of traditional materials and techniques. I had the pleasure of visiting her last year in her studio in Barcelona and was fascinated by her passion for design and craftsmanship. And you can definitely see this in her work.
Gabriel Tan
Based in both Singapore and Portugal, Gabriel Tan Studio is a design practice working at cultural intersections, reimagining tradition, craft, and technology. The design language of Gabriel Tan is rooted in elegant simplicity and a commitment to local crafting traditions. Tan’s works have won multiple awards and have been exhibited at design fairs worldwide. His holistic approach to design transcends beyond aesthetics to embody a design’s cultural and social impact through storytelling.
Dolores & Vettoretti / Unno
Abe Vettoretti and Maria Dolores, two creative minds with a shared admiration for the artisanal craftsmanship of their Latin maestros, have joined forces to create Unno. The design house combines the pair’s shared aesthetic of modern art and design with the ancestral materials that were sacred to the early cultures of their homeland (Mexico). The minimalist design language of the two captivates with timeless beauty.
André Andrade / Rervi
Rervi, the fresh Brazilian product design brand created in 2021, is a creation of designer André Andrade from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. With his studies at the State University of Minas Gerais, School of Design under his belt, and experience in Service Design and UX since 2016, André is on a mission to craft unique, Brazilian-inspired pieces with the brand. Rervi is modern design with a minimalist essence.
Material: Glass and Metal
Estudio Persona
In 2015, Emiliana González and Jessie Young, both born in Uruguay, brought ESTUDIO PERSONA to life. Meeting in Los Angeles, they began a collaborative process that resulted in their strong, distinctively neutral, and minimal design approach. Their designs are created through the combination of natural materials, used in contrasting ways to create feminine lines and sculptural shapes.
