kon mari method

We should probably credit the Kon Mari method, read more about Kon Mari here,  movement for the new value consumers placing on their homes and its possession.  The fast-fashion trend that was infiltrating our spaces is long dead, instead, we want possessions that are reflective of our personality, often quirky and most certainly unique. Possessions that speak about our lives, the people we are, the experiences we’ve had, the places we’ve been.

In case you’ve lived in box this previous year, Kon Mari took off post-2011 tsunami. The book acted as a tool to help people identify the items in their home that really bring happiness (as well as those that cause distress) by making swift, instinctive decisions on whether possessions ‘spark joy’. Kondo’s book editor Tomohiro summarized

“The Japanese people suddenly had to ask themselves what was important in their lives. What was the true value of sentimental items? What was the meaning of the items they’d lost? What was the meaning of life?”.

The Kon Mari movement has been credited with the growth of second-hand resell markets (including apps), higher than ever donations to charity shops and the popularity of a fashion movement focused on spending more and buying less.

If you have followed Kon Mari method you might have already attempted to understand what sparks joy – is it nostalgia? is it aesthetics? Ultimately we are all subject to different triggers but the majority of us are drawn to items that provoke memories in a beautiful way. What provokes the most nostalgia? Experiences! The time you met our soul-mate and the location it was in.  The holiday that will stay itched in memory long after the sand has washed away. The city you lived in when you first left home. Locations are engrained on us in a way that is hard to capture with mementos.  That is, until now.

We aren’t talking about holiday postcards stuck to a fridge (unless they really do spark joy!) but unique items that are reflective of your history, your experience – poster maps, with a difference.

Maps have long since been used as a decorating tool, a way to tell a story of where we came from, where important events took place, or even where we are going. However, the problem with maps is they haven’t really found their way with design, still favoring old-school atlas formats which aren’t in keeping with today’s contemporary homes. Finally, as a solution, Grafomap create custom map posters that spark conversations – simply pick your location (a place you’ve been, a place you yearn to go) and pair it with colors that are reflective of your home, of your personality, of your experiences.

How about peppering a collection of map posters on a wall alongside photos to create a statement of joy that Marie Kondo herself would be thrilled with?