Contemporary Design

How much is enough?

by Jonna Rutanen
Thin branch on grey wall with glass sphere above text saying “How much is enough?”

When I work with my hands— with clay, fabric, wood—time disappears. My mind goes quiet. It feels like a childhood play. That’s the feeling I keep chasing.

Could living with less give us more of what we actually want? How much money do we really need to survive—and to feel alive? Would we be happier if we spent less on things that don’t make us happy?

Imagine a workshop where “waste” is raw material. Offcuts become wearable art. Cracks become mosaics. Knitwear is mended so beautifully it’s more yours than before.

“New” isn’t the goal—“good” is.

Close-up of tangled brown plant roots with thin twigs against a plain light background
Large clay kiln with orange flames and smoke rising from several square openings indoors
Orange and white koi fish in a pond, tree branches and raindrop ripples reflected on the water
Small glazed balcony with bench, striped cushions and dry branches in a jug, overlooking apartment buildings

More Reflective Practices projects:

Orange and yellow traffic cone marking a small hole in a grey pavement by a building wall

The Beach and the Bitch

by Venla Hämäläinen

Contemporary Design
Rocky construction site with red markers and a trench, forest and metal fencing in the background

The story of a table

by Olli Majalahti

Contemporary Design
White text on a black background: “Public spaces should be accessible to everyone, but are not.”
Contemporary Design
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