Less is more … sometimes

Mies van der Rohe was a world-renowned architect credited for creating the design mantra "less is more." This was and still is a great philosophy intended for modern life.

In his 1929 Barcelona Pavilion, van der Rohe demonstrated how seamlessly architecture, structure and interior furnishings could complement each other with simplicity and restrained elegance. Current design trends reinforce this concept of simplicity to an elevated degree.

With Apple stores opening in every major city across the world, the age of technology has infiltrated the design language of almost everything and become mainstream. Take mobile phones for example: The new Apple iPhone no longer has plugs for earbuds, and cars from Tesla to Toyota use touch-pad screens, leaving dashboards void of any visible mechanical systems. How will we get cars started? By starting it with your mobile phone or with a digit recognizing system?

The age of the Jetsons has arrived. Homes are automated so that temperature, music, lighting and cooking utensils can be controlled via your phone or tablet … and some household chores can be done with machines such as the Roomba, a vacuum-cleaning litter-robot. In the last five years, homes have made a leap forward toward the same type of extreme minimalism found in the electronic devices. Entire kitchens have been consolidated into self-contained islands or walls that open up "transformer-style" to reveal the stove, refrigerator and sink.

Sleek bathroom fixtures have also adopted the less-is-more concept. Toilet tanks are now out of sight and inside walls, tub designs are now sleek vessels made from lightweight composite materials, faucets and shower heads are flush with the wall, and frameless glass enclosures seem to float above the floors.

It doesn't stop there. Everyone everywhere seems to crave uber-simplistic lines and virtually empty spaces. Glamorized by boutique hotels, interior designs have been equally simplified. A visit to any new residential construction, model condo or a quick flip through shelter magazines clearly demonstrate what has happened to interior design - I call it the white box syndrome.

In an attempt to adapt to the pulse of the current market, designers and homeowners have taken in the tectonics that for many years were the standard of clinics and hospitals. Sparsely furnished rooms awash in white upholstery, white gloss painted walls, white porcelain floors, and pure white quartz countertops. While this is appealing to look at first glance, these rooms are sometimes sterile and impractical for everyday life.

While I have done all-white design schemes at a client's request in the past, today's designs are taking the monochromatic oversimplified design idea to the extreme. In the quest to have rooms that are as simple as an iPhone, these interior designs have become ubiquitous and fail for lack of interest and a genuine point of view.

These stark white designs no longer surprise anyone and have made their way into the cookie-cutter category. Perhaps the home's views change how furniture is laid out, but these interiors seem to be generated by robots. Perhaps the desire is to be as minimal as an Apple store is counterproductive to creating a home.

In the end, design is not just what you see, but work that needs to be executed to make people feel unique. It's time to go back to the drawing board, not just your computers.

• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.

© 2016, Creators Syndicate