Overview

Everyday Aesthetics is a relatively recent development in philosophy that shifts the focus from museum art and nature to the textures, objects, and activities of daily life. It argues that aesthetic experiences are not rare, isolated events restricted to galleries, but are pervasive in our mundane existence—from the way we arrange furniture to the satisfaction of a clean room or the feel of a favorite mug.

Core Idea

The core idea is that “aesthetic” does not equal “art.” We make aesthetic choices constantly: what to wear, how to plate food, which route to walk. These experiences are often characterized by their ordinariness, functionality, and integration into the flow of life, rather than the “disinterested” contemplation required by traditional art theory.

Formal Definition

Yuriko Saito, a leading theorist, defines everyday aesthetics as the study of the aesthetic aspects of our daily lives, emphasizing the “power of the aesthetic” to influence our quality of life and moral decisions. It includes the aesthetics of objects (design), environments (weather, clutter), and activities (cleaning, cooking).

Intuition

Think about the feeling of folding fresh laundry—the smell, the warmth, the neat stack. That is an aesthetic experience. Or consider the annoyance of a messy desk versus the calm of a tidy one. Or the pleasure of a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. These aren’t “art” in the grand sense, but they are aesthetic reactions to sensory qualities that shape our mood and well-being.

Examples

  • Japanese Tea Ceremony: A ritual that elevates the everyday act of making and drinking tea into a highly refined aesthetic practice.
  • Decluttering (Marie Kondo): The “spark joy” method is essentially an application of everyday aesthetics—evaluating objects based on the emotional and aesthetic response they elicit.
  • Urban Design: The aesthetic experience of walking down a street—the width of the sidewalk, the trees, the noise levels—affects how we live in a city.
  • Weather: Appreciating the gloom of a rainy day or the crispness of autumn air is a common, non-art aesthetic experience.

Common Misconceptions

  • It’s trivial: Critics might argue that worrying about the color of a toothbrush is trivial compared to analyzing a Rembrandt. Proponents argue that because everyday aesthetics is pervasive, its cumulative impact on our lives is actually greater than that of high art.
  • It’s just “design”: While it overlaps with design theory, everyday aesthetics also includes un-designed experiences (like the weather) and our active participation (like the act of cleaning).
  • Aesthetic Judgment: Everyday aesthetics challenges the Kantian notion that judgment must be “disinterested,” arguing that in daily life, function and interest are central to the aesthetic experience.
  • Environmental Aesthetics: A close cousin, focusing on the appreciation of natural and built environments.
  • Social Aesthetics: The aesthetics of social interactions—politeness, grace, and the “choreography” of conversation.

Applications

  • Well-being: Recognizing and enhancing everyday aesthetic experiences can improve mental health and satisfaction with life.
  • Sustainability: Saito argues that an aesthetic appreciation of “wear and tear” or aging objects (like wabi-sabi) can promote sustainability by reducing the desire for shiny new consumer goods.
  • Product Design: Understanding the tactile and emotional connection users have with everyday objects (like smartphones) is crucial for designers.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Definition Creep: If everything can be an aesthetic experience, does the term lose its meaning? Where is the line between “aesthetic” and just “sensory”?
  • Moralism: Some theorists link everyday aesthetics too closely to morality (e.g., “a clean room leads to a clean mind”), which can be prescriptive or culturally specific.

Further Reading

  • Saito, Yuriko. Everyday Aesthetics. Oxford University Press, 2007.
  • Leddy, Thomas. The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: The Aesthetics of Everyday Life. 2012.
  • Dewey, John. Art as Experience. 1934. (A foundational text arguing for the continuity between ordinary experience and art).