• Order as a form of calm

    When the room breathes – and so do we


    What does it mean to maintain order? It’s not about striving for perfection or control, but something softer: a gentle structure to rest in. A rhythm that carries our days, our home, our thoughts. Since Norrgavel was founded in 1993, the simple and honest design language of the Shaker tradition has been a guiding inspiration for Nirvan Richter – a reminder that order itself can be a form of serenity.

    In the Shaker tradition, order was not an end in itself but a kind of spirituality — a way of living close to what is essential, and letting the superfluous fall away. Every object should have a purpose, a place, a context. One of their guiding expressions was:

    “A place for everything, and everything in its place.”

    peg rails in oak
    peg rails in oak with hanging objects

    The peg rail as a principle, not just furniture


    One of their most characteristic solutions became the long row of wooden peg-rail hooks that run along the walls in almost every room. The peg rail was not decoration, but a living tool. Here, one could hang the items used most often: clothes, tools, brushes — even chairs.

    When things are put away, the floor is freed, and the room can be swept and tidied in a single motion. Order is not something one “does” — it’s a habit, a flow, a breath. Surfaces remain clear. The eye can rest. The room can breathe.


    Storage and spatial peace


    As curator and author June Sprigg writes in By Shaker Hands:

    “If the last century was bent on accumulating, we are (now) equally insistent on getting rid of the clutter. (...) Our appreciation of space is one reason for our appreciation of the airiness and roominess of the Shaker style.” 

    Shaker homes built their storage into the very architecture — cabinets, shelves, and drawers followed the walls. Objects could rest behind doors: close to hand, but never dominating the room. This gave the interiors an unusual stillness, where the eye did not need to search, and everyday movements felt calm and minimal.

    Cabinets, bookcases, and chests of drawers become more than just storage: they become part of the room’s architecture. Thoughtful storage brings ease to daily life. Movements become fewer but more meaningful. The room feels lighter to live in.

    peg rail in oak

    Utility before ornament


    The Shakers pared things back — not to create emptiness, but clarity. If an object had a function, it remained. If not, it left the room. Objects became beautiful through their use. Form followed function. Materials were allowed to speak for themselves.

    What role should a place or object have in your home? That is for each of us to decide — but it’s a question worth carrying with us.

    Hos Norrgavel finns denna tanke med sedan länge. Inte som en stil, utan som en hållning. 

    At Norrgavel, this idea has always been part of our approach. Not just a style, but a way of being. In line with the Shaker tradition, we believe that true beauty arises when something is made with care and purpose. An everyday object should be easy to love — and even easier to live with.

    Order as presence


    For the Shakers, the home was the closest one could come to heaven on earth. When we draw inspiration from their principles in our homes today, it is not about recreating their world. It is about noticing our own. The ritual of putting things away. Returning what has been used, folding slowly, allowing silence to settle. Small gestures that create clarity — in the room, in the body, in the mind.

    Order as a form of kindness. Order as a form of peace. When everything has its place, the room can breathe — and so can we.