The story below is from our September/October 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
How to embrace interior design’s boldest trends.
Just like fashion, the interior design world experiences trends. Influenced by everything from the economy to world affairs, how we decorate our homes is a reflection of our cultural mood and national zeitgeist. The 1920s saw the end of World War I and the flu pandemic, inspiring a booming optimism showcased in the opulent, rich colors and patterns of Art Deco. The very next decade brought the Great Depression, which restricted individual consumerism. Interiors became more open and spacious without decadent, decorative objects and rooms were oriented around the family radio –– a functional item treated like furniture. Machine-made, mass produced items like Fiestaware were affordable yet stylish options for families without disposable income. The residential building boom that came after World War II brought the first suburban neighborhoods, many featuring pine wood paneling due to the shortage of steel and other metals. The powerful economy of the 1950s meant waves of new styles, and the superhighways being built accelerated the suburban sprawl. With money to spend, families were filling their ranch-style homes with newly mainstream modernism trends like space-age furniture, terrazzo floors and bathrooms featuring floor-to-wall monochrome tile in teals, pinks or pale yellows.
As with all trends, these waves are cyclical, often swinging from one end of the aesthetic spectrum to the other. What was once considered out of style comes back in vogue with new generations. Which is what we are currently seeing now in interior design: a bold and optimistic return to maximalism.
What is Maximalism?
You know the phrase “Less is more?” Maximalism contests. While a minimalist aesthetic features descriptors like “clean” and “uncluttered,” maximalism is a celebration of color and texture, a look that invites surprising contrasts of styles displayed in inviting layers.
While the rules of minimalism are streamlined and uniform, maximalism thrives on disrupting expectation: Rather than displaying books in clean rows by size or color, a maximalist bookshelf is a jumble of well-loved books and other objects, resembling a cabinet of curiosity more than a library. Artwork and plants abound, often in unexpected places like over a doorway, offset by playful pots and whimsical frames. Instead of a table set with matching white plates and identical spotless glassware, an eclectic collection of colorful stemware might mix with traditional china. And the dining table might not only feature a printed tablecloth, but possibly two or three, layered like rugs in a Moroccan bazaar.
The benefit of this style is that it is more sustainable and forgiving. While dropping a kid’s school bag and the dog’s leash in a minimalist foyer can disrupt the aesthetic, a maximalist room would simply absorb it. Which isn’t to say that maximalism means “clutter” or “mess” at all –– in fact, the key difference between a room filled with stuff and a maximalist design is that all aspects of a maximalist room are beloved, not random. In a “more is more” design, everything is chosen and deliberately layered for a visual effect that is warm, inviting and reflective of the people who live there. This isn’t a home filled with just any stuff; this is a home with living history and well-loved collections.
Like any aesthetic, maximalism is a taste preference that won’t appeal to everyone. If floral wallpaper and royal blue wainscoting layered with art hung salon-style makes you feel claustrophobic, maximalism may not be for you! But if you are a collector or love mixing colors and textures, or you’re simply interested in learning how to make your inherited antique bed frame work with a mid-century modern dresser in your industrial downtown loft, then maximalist design might be worth checking out!
Form & Function First
It might seem counterintuitive to begin with practical application when talking about a design style that centers around beauty, but keeping a space livable is essential to preventing it from tipping into a hoarding situation. Having a functional layout that supports the way you actually live in and use the space must be the foundation for each room. So if you found the pink striped chaise of your dreams but it requires you to squeeze behind it to walk through the living room, or you bring home a solid oak pedestal dining room table but you keep knocking your knees against the fluted base every time you sit, it won’t be long before your love goes sour. No matter how long you’ve admired or wanted a piece of furniture, it won’t be a good fit if you can’t comfortably use it.
Start with how you use each room and be honest with yourself. If you love the look of a structured, tufted velvet sofa but you mostly use the space for lounging while watching movies, you might come to regret the stiff and unyielding edges of your couch. Do you host a lot of large, sit-down dinners? If you don’t, you might come to resent all the space your 12-seater dining room table takes up (especially if you have kids and you’re in need of play areas!).
In addition to use, it’s important to be honest about the limitations of the space itself. If your vision for a maximalist living room includes large-scale framed artwork but the room is short on wall space, you will need to start thinking outside the box to bring your vision to life. Maybe this means painting a mural on the walls or even the ceiling instead; or maybe this means hanging the artwork in an unconventional space, like layered in front of a bookshelf, or even resting on the floor, depending on its size. Don’t be afraid to experiment! The beauty of maximalism is that trying something a little unexpected is the name of the game. And as long as you are able to continue to move comfortably through the space and you aren’t trying to do something at odds with your lifestyle (a fragile framed painting resting on the floor in a room where the kids play fetch with the dog might not be ideal!), your unconventional approach might hit just the visual note you’re looking for.
Going Bold with Color, Pattern and Texture
As the open-concept, farmhouse minimalism style of home improvement TV begins to fade from fashion, we are also seeing less of the shades of beige. But moving away from the white side of the paint chip wall to the seemingly endless rainbow on offer can feel extremely daunting. How do you choose the “right” color? And how do you mix and match colors for an effect that feels warm and inviting, not suffocating and tacky?
Start with taking stock of anything you already have that you know you love and want to keep as-is: the royal blue bedding in the guest room, the gold gilded oversized mirror above the mantelpiece or the multicolor Mexican rug might all be a focal point around which to build a color palette. If you don’t have anything like this, you can also always start simply with colors you’re attracted to.
Here’s a very basic crash course in color theory to use as your guide (search “color wheel” for a quick visual reference!): Primary colors (red, yellow and blue) each have a complementary color, or the color that is their best companion. Red and green, yellow and purple and blue and orange are complementary colors, sitting opposite from one another on the color wheel. In their purest forms, they can be rather jarring and institutional-looking paired together, but working within the color families can be quite helpful in decorating. If you have lavender curtains, for example, and you’re trying to choose a paint color for the walls, check out the yellow family, which include shades like marigold, lemon, butter or mustard.
Analogous colors are the groups of colors that are close to each other: A family of greens, like jade, emerald, mint, sea or lime, are analogous colors. These colors tend to be quite harmonious together, while still giving you lots of room to play with contrast. Matching and contrasting the same hue (another word for the dominant color family, like blue or green) in different shades and tones (darker and lighter versions), is an easy way to explore color pairings for beginners.
Don’t be afraid to think beyond solids: Maximalism thrives on pattern play! Look for patterns in the color families that you are interested in, and mix and match to see what calls to you. Make a mood board, either digitally or on a corkboard, to give yourself space to try out ideas and see how things work together.
And don’t forget that color isn’t just about the walls! Plants bring pops of green as well as texture and movement into a room. Painting the ceiling to contrast (or even match!) the walls, trim and floors can also have a powerful visual effect (and don’t forget to consider the paint finish as a textural component!). And if you have throw pillows or blankets made from interesting materials, they might have a higher impact if they are used in a single color family rather than getting lost in an explosion of colors.
So in other words, you don’t have to be a master of mixing and matching ten colors with ten prints of various textures… and somehow display all your things on top of this well. Limit your focus in each room to one element so that you can make decisions that let another really shine.
Busy but Beautiful and Most Importantly: Beloved!
So how to walk the fine line between maximalism and overwhelming chaos?
All design is about creating balance within style preferences. Maximalism, which is a celebration of bold abundance, works best with some strategic restraint. Whether that means working with a limited color palette or using a single wallpaper on the trim, walls and ceiling in a powder room, some small limitations can be the difference between a space looking intentional or not.
A narrow stairwell packed with a floor-to-ceiling gallery can work from a few approaches: Uniform frames can create cohesion of kids’ art, black and white family photos and original paintings. Or an entire wall of black and white family photos might take on new life from mismatched styles of frames in different sizes, some matted in dramatic scales or with bold color. An art deco or tropical wallpaper could offset antique oil paintings of landscapes and domestic still lifes. Or, if the mix of art and photos is completely eclectic, a neutral white or cream wall (yes, back to the shades of beige!) could be just what they need to look their best. Making rules to limit your choices can paradoxically help your creativity and make your final pairings really pop.
Maximalism is a style that appeals to those who love their things, and the design reflects this not by burying books and objects and textiles in an over-the-top rainbow of random color, but by thoughtfully finding ways to store, display and use these beloved things together. It is a living process, allowing you to rearrange and shuffle things around as you like, finding new ways to experience old things. The perfect maximalism room is a mix of your tastes, after all. Everything from the wall color to the potted plants should be signs of your own interests and passions. Taking your time and building your spaces will produce the best effect.
The story above is from our September/October 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!