The days of minimalism in interior design
may finally be coming to an end, with home-owners demanding more colour, extra
vibrancy, and a greater degree of individuality in their living spaces.
Maximalism can be defined as decorating with lots of stuff, with designers in
2018 getting excited again about things like colour combinations, mismatching
styles, and good old-fashioned personality. Let's take a look at the state of
maximalism in the modern home and see how you can spice up your interiors in
2018.
For many years now, minimalism has been the
benchmark for refinement in the world of interior design. We were told to do
more with less, design around the space, and use colour as a highlight instead
of a focal point. Slowly but surely, however, people have become tired of clean
white lines and polished concrete floors, with highly decorated interior spaces
de rigueur once again. While it's difficult to define exactly what maximalism
is, at the end of the day, it's about being bold with your choices and filling
space effectively with well-chosen items and colour combinations.
According to interior designer Brett
Mickan, the return of personality is the main catalyst for maximalism in 2018:
“I think there’s a real resurgence in individuality in interiors - people want
to make it about who lives here... That bit of a clash of styles and colour and
patterns gives a place that style and personality. A space needs to be
somewhere you can switch off and I don’t think that’s always a stark, white,
minimal space. It needs to be an escape. Clients have been getting braver and
there’s more of a trend towards individuality and statement pieces. I want the
space to look like they have gathered all of their favourite things and thrown
them in a room and somehow made it work. By doing this eclectic collection of
things, it doesn’t really fit in with any particular period.”
While maximalism might seem messy and
unrefined on the surface, within this seeming disarray you often find deeper
levels of order and control. This new style might look like an accident at
first glance, but closer inspections highlight deeply layered and well
thought-out multi-dimensional spaces. The inclusion of patterns and motifs is a
great way to bring order to the chaos, with repetition another great tool for
getting your point across. Just as white spaces and breathing room became rigid
rules in modernist and minimalist interior design, the new paradigm is about
combinations, patterns, and functional relationships between people and things.
More than being eclectic, maximalism is
about life and the simple wonders that come from having lots of your favourite
stuff together in the same space. Geometric lines have become an important part
of this new trend, as have baskets and open storage solutions, playful colour
combinations, and alternative lighting fixtures. Maximalism gives you a licence
to mismatch styles and design eras, so why not go crazy and create the perfect
modern vintage mash-up. Blending the old and the new always makes a statement,
so feel free to combine your favourite modern furniture with decor from
flea-markets and garage sales. Maximalism does come with a degree of
responsibility, however, so don't forget to take a step back and analyse your
choices or get some help from the experts before you get too carried away.
Image source: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock