Punk Shui: Home Design for Anarchists

Saw your sofa in half. Blow up your TV. Celebrate your creativity, because the old rules no longer apply. These are the driving concepts behind the intriguing new movement called punk shui. Here, anti-traditional designer Josh Amatore Hughes explains how our boring lives—especially the dull and obvious ways we arrange our living spaces—stifle creativity. To really break out of our rut, and to really rock, we need to introduce some chaos into our homes. So grab a chainsaw, turn up your stereo, and reinvent your idea of how to live.

Punk shui has no confines—it allows you to go in any direction that strikes a chord. Here are a few suggestions:

‧ Block your windows. As a wise man once said, “You can only see light from darkness.”

‧ Find things that don’t belong on a wall, and hang them. Whether it’s a broken guitar or a three-legged chair, hanging it up makes it art.

‧ Take down the shower curtain. There’s something freeing about being out in the open, naked, splashing water on the floor.

‧ Don’t spend a dime. Slash the chains of consumerism!

Whether you look at punk shui as a design concept, a way of life, or just a temporary jolt to your creativity, it’s sure to evict you from your comfort zone—and that’s not a bad thing. Change your design, change your life.

Anti-traditional design guru Josh Amatore Hughes is a set designer, furniture sculptor, and painter. He is the principal of Punk Shui Design in New York City.