Interesting piece on the turnaround of minimalist culture. Though I think the minimalist influence might be slightly earlier from Japan's wabi sabi culture - that was derived from ancient Chinese philosophies Taoism and Zen Buddhism in the 1400s. The idea of this culture is to embrace simplicity, authenticity, and the beauty found in imperfections.
History has it that Zen priest Murata Shuko introduced this simplicity concept to Japanese culture in the 15th century by using simple wooden and clay tools for the tea ceremony (which is a big event) instead of fancy gold and jade. In the 16th century, Sen no Rikyu extended this ethos by creating a really low tea house door that even an emperor has to bow before entering, pushing this idea of humility across Japan (ironically Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513 - would have been interesting if these guys had internet back in the days and can chat with each other on their thoughts)