January 14, 2026
Minimalism burnout incoming?
Simple to Ornate and Back Again (2024)
From Monk-Lite to App Baroque: Are We Craving Glitter Again
TLDR: The article argues design always cycles from simple to flashy, and software will likely swing back to ornate styles. Comments split into minimalists defending calm, and maximalists craving joyful decoration—turning UI debates into a meme-fueled culture clash over what makes apps usable and fun.
The internet is treating this history-meets-software essay like a mirror held up to our app obsessions, and the comments are gloriously unhinged. One camp swears the clean, distraction-free look is sacred—think the monk vibes of vi and the chill minimalism of iA Writer. Another camp is begging for a comeback of full-on ornamented chaos, clowning on the gray sameness of modern tools and romanticizing the old-school flair of Microsoft Word toolbars and skeuomorphic leather calendars. The hottest fight? Whether software design is destined to swing back to “Rococo”—like how architecture went from simple Romanesque to decorative Gothic to sleek Renaissance, then blasted into Baroque—and whether today’s clean macOS 14 aesthetic is just a calm before the confetti storm. Minimalists call clutter “focus theft,” while maximalists clap back that ornament is “joy” and “legibility in a loud world.” Memes flew: “Every app is either a monk or a peacock,” “Dark mode but make it stained glass,” and “Give the settings gear a chandelier.” The drama peaked with Notion and Figma getting labeled “proto-Rococo,” and someone demanded a “glitter slider” in system preferences. Internet court is in session, and the verdict is… vibes.
Key Points
- •The article proposes a recurring cycle between ornate and minimal design across arts and software.
- •Architecture examples move from Romanesque (simple) to Gothic (decorated) back to Renaissance (simple), and later to Baroque/Rococo (ornate) and back again.
- •In software, the progression is exemplified by vi (1978, minimal), Microsoft Word (feature-rich), and iA Writer (minimal).
- •A recent version of Mac OS X 14.0 is cited as reflecting a return to clean interfaces.
- •The article predicts software design will shift back toward more ornate styles, potentially on faster cycles than in architecture.