The Upside of Mess: Conceptualising (Dis)order as a Dynamic Family Resource

Abstract

This study examines how domestic (dis)order emerges as shifting states shaped by everyday socio-material interactions. Drawing on assemblage theory and photo-elicitation interviews with 22 households, we show how (dis)order develops through dynamic relations among family members, objects, spaces, and temporal rhythms. We identify three assemblage capacities—transient, functional, and conducive—that shape how disorder materialises and is understood, along with three corresponding management strategies: restoring, tolerating, and concealing. Beyond the home, these capacities extend assemblage theory by providing a transferable framework for theorising how assemblages generate distinct emergent states across consumer and marketplace contexts. Reconceptualising (dis)order as an emergent assemblage property rather than an individual shortcoming, the study reveals conditions under which mess serves as a productive resource supporting household flow, functional efficiency, and relational harmony. The study also offers practical implications for flexible storage design, functional mess zone identification, and organisation solutions that support family wellbeing.