Designing for Use: When Neutral isn't Enough

When objects are kept, not chosen

Many homes contain objects that no one actively chose. They arrived as part of a set, were picked because they felt safe, or stayed because nothing about them failed enough to demand replacement. Over time, these objects become familiar without ever feeling right. It is often the result of designing to please everyone.

The problem with the middle

Products made for the broadest possible audience tend to settle into the middle. Moderate weight. Moderate softness. Moderate texture. Nothing too specific, nothing too demanding. On paper, this looks like balance. In use, it often feels unresolved. A towel can be thick enough to feel substantial and still take too long to dry. A bed cover can look neat when folded and still shift in daily use. A fabric can feel appealing at first touch and then require constant adjustment. These aren’t dramatic failures. They’re small frictions people learn to live with.

‘Fit’ is not an average

Homes don’t operate on averages because people wash differently, live in different climates, notice different things, and tolerate other kinds of inconvenience. Designing for an imagined middle ignores this reality. It produces objects that work reasonably well for many people and precisely for very few. At Oodaii, we start from a different place.

How we make decisions

We pay close attention to how things behave after familiarity sets in. Not how they perform on the first day, but how they hold up over time. That attention leads to specific choices. In some cases, it means reducing bulk even if it means giving up a sense of opulence. In others, it means choosing weaves that dry predictably rather than those that feel impressive at first touch. When it comes to prints, it often means scaling them down or spacing them out, knowing they will live across large surfaces and are seen every day. Each of these decisions accepts a trade-off rather than trying to hide it.

Clarity over broad appeal

We don’t try to make products that adapt to every preference. We make deliberate decisions about weight, structure, and surface, understanding that clarity in use matters more than broad appeal. Objects designed this way are not evaluated repeatedly. They settle into routines, stay in rotation, and stop drawing attention to themselves once they’re doing their job. 

What earns a place in a home

The things that last in a home are rarely the most impressive ones. They’re the ones that fold easily after washing, dry without effort, and are reached for without thinking. They earn their place by being specific rather than flexible. That’s the kind of design we care about, and that’s the logic that guides our decisions.