Idea for April 2025: kanso

New to me, this is the Japanese aesthetic principle of simplicity. In particular, kanso is the elimination of clutter - an ideal that’s close to my heart.

Kanso seems to be one of the seven principles of zen, alongside Fukinsei (asymmetry), Seijaku (silence), Shizen (naturalness), Koko (austerity), Datsuzoku (freedom from wordly attachments) and Yugen (subtle profundity).

It’s much used, of course, in interior design.

And it’s also the name of my friend Dan Morris’s new consulting business. Kanso offers strategy advice, particular to startups, that helps strip out complexity. Which seems a wise model.

By coincidence, I ran a workshop last week at the wonderful Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge. This photo shows a small moment from the house at Kettle’s Yard, which itself offering (if I’ve understood it right) a nurturing version of kanso.