October 05 to 08, 2023
“Design Trend: Maximalism.”
Maximalism? A great decorative movement that spices up everyday life and asserts its individuality loud and clear. In short, the exact opposite of an unattainable and often disembodied perfection. Marie Kondo, the queen of decluttering and sleek interiors, can kindly move on…While the “minimalists” militate against ultra-consumerism, the “maximalists” denounce the anguish of emptiness and a sad uniformity. Let the age of deco begin.
A cultural and temporal clash!
Madeleine Castaing was a pioneering woman in interior design during the roaring twenties. By 1930, she already combined the most audacious blends of fabrics, materials and colours. Later, the 70’s continued to embody a rich and diverse design culture. Fashion was lavish and not as rigid as it is today. Despite this, the hashtag “maximalism” is now approaching 150,000 publications on Instagram with photographs of fabulously creative and bold, sometimes even a little untidy, interiors bursting with colour. Inspired by this trend, the interior designer Laura Gonzales fully embraces the warm, classicist and unconventional style and applies it to many hotels and restaurants around the world. The same can be said about the star design duo who founded the “Dimore Studio” or the London couple Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle, who are very successful with their interior design brand “House of Hackney”. You should see their exuberantly patterned wallpaper!
Photo credit: House of Hackney > “we mix prints”
So, what is maximalism?
Packed book shelves, candleholders and fancy glasses, an elegant sideboard decorated with all sorts of bits and bobs, vases of all shapes and sizes filled with flowers, thick and heavy curtains framing the windows, wallpaper and carpets with extravagant patterns, in short, a room filled with life. Over are the days of empty and easy to copy minimalist spaces that have been hyped on social media…
However, creating a tastefully decorated, maximalist habitat is not as easy as it looks. To excel in this delicate art, we advise you to follow four steps: collect, accumulate, mix & display. Multiplying the details is key. There should be something to see everywhere you look! The biggest difficulty is of course trying to avoid the “too much” category. It is therefore a question of revamping your interior with a certain sense of proportion. Start off step by step, object by object, by selecting the elements that matter most to you, those that tell a story. The author of this article must confess that she has also developed a passion for maximalism. It all began a year after the birth of her son, when with a touch of nostalgia, she decided to place his pretty little rain boots under a glass bell, on the coffee table in the middle of the living room…
This decorating trend definitely breaks the rules established by sleek interior lovers.
Now it’s time to become creative, to dare and trust in yourself! You are your only limit.
Clutter does not equal chaos
Do you know what the famous Albert Einstein used to say about creative people with messy offices? He always supported creativity and mischievously wondered: “If a messy office is the manifestation of a disordered mind, then what does an empty office tell us?”.
Maximalism tolerates messiness, but must not be used as an excuse for it. In a room cluttered with all kinds of objects, your eyes won’t know where to look. That’s why, I recommend taking 1 or 2 minutes a day to tidy up whatever disturbs you, when you enter the room. This will save you the tedious chore of weekly tidy ups.
It is also a good idea to rearrange your décor from time to time: if you’ve had enough of one object, give it away or hide it in the basement until you miss it again.
You can also devote your time to creating themed “mini worlds”, which basically implies rearranging small elements in a new way, for example by stacking a pile of books on your coffee table and rounding it off with a candle on top, you can also spice up your sofa with printed cushions or place plants of all sizes on a threshold. The possibilities are endless. Remember, decorating is a journey!
* May the minimalist advocates reading this article see no offence. The minimalists’ asceticism is the only premise that allows the maximalists to accumulate even more!
Photo credit Christopher Sturman > a warm, talkative maximalist interior
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