The useful life of an object

The objects that stay with us do not compete for attention. They become part of the background of a life: a chair that knows the slope of your back, a pen that gets better as it wears, a lamp that makes a room feel like home.

Designing for longevity begins with a modest question. What would make this worth repairing? The answer is rarely a new feature. More often, it is a clear structure, an honest material, and the chance for a person to form an attachment.