Domestic utility products are increasingly being reimagined as aesthetic lifestyle objects
Cleaning tools traditionally associated with domestic labour are increasingly being positioned within the broader field of contemporary design, as brands explore the role of visual storytelling, emotional appeal, and aesthetic integration in everyday household products.
One example highlighted in this shift is the UltraClean cleaning system by Joseph Joseph. Rather than presenting the product solely as a functional appliance, the company has developed it as a visually integrated domestic accessory designed to align with contemporary home aesthetics.
The product incorporates elements commonly associated with lifestyle-oriented design, including a muted “stone” colour palette, simplified geometric forms, and soft visual styling across campaign imagery. These features position the cleaning system within curated interior spaces rather than the traditionally technical category of household maintenance products.
The evolution reflects a broader change in how objects linked to domestic labour are perceived within design culture. For decades, products such as mops, buckets, and drying racks remained largely absent from mainstream design discourse despite their everyday necessity.
Throughout much of the 20th century, modern design narratives focused on furniture, lighting, storage systems, and later consumer electronics — categories often associated with innovation, status, and personal taste. By contrast, household cleaning tools were generally treated as purely utilitarian objects, commonly concealed in storage spaces and developed with limited emphasis on formal or aesthetic qualities.
The growing interest in redesigning these products suggests a shift in domestic design priorities, where even traditionally overlooked utility items are increasingly being considered as part of the visual and emotional identity of contemporary living spaces.
