The blog will discuss that what incredible results you could get if you minimize before maximalizing your house and get remarkable results.
I believe there are two sides of every individual. There is a side of us, which is excited by lots of colors, interesting combinations, and layers of textures. And then there is the other side, which feels calm and in control in a decluttered, clean area, where the space breathes and one can focus.
Minimalism was a coping mechanism in response to so many factors like people accumulating a lot of unnecessary tuff, to industrialization, financial crisis and to shifting to new places/Migration(gharplans) etc. now maximalism is soon going to be back in trend, as a consequence of minimalism reaching an extreme.
Originally, there was never a limitation of using different colors in minimalism. But it got to an extent, where people stopped experimenting and dressing up in anything but neutrals.
Minimalism focuses on the unseen. Like the conversations in a sitting area, the goals, the objectives, the play of light through an opening throughout the day, and of corse the clutter, which is not there..onthe other hand,maximalism encourages the excess.
Minimalism or Maximalism! Which one to choose?
What gives you more pleasure? Buying a new decoration piece. Or throwing away something you have been hoarding for years. Perhaps both. Honestly, if we don’t go to an extreme, it should be about making the right choices according to our lifestyle and our space. In a Newyork apartment, you can’t survive without following the principles of KonMari. It becomes less of a choice and more involuntary.
By the end of this video, whatever you decide to choose, just make sure, it should ease your life and following the principles from any of these two lifestyles, should not complicate things more than they should be.
PRACTISING MAXIMALISM
In pursuit of minimalism, to introduce efficiency, and practicality to our lives, we all became similar and lost our identity. While minimizing, we lost all that, which makes us, us.
Maximalism is more like organizing the chaos. It should never be about accumulating more and more, as it is being advertised everywhere. Rather, it should be about minimizing the clutter and maximizing all that matters.
A maximalist derives energy from their surroundings. The tones, different colors, layers of textures are exciting and don’t let the eye rest anywhere. If you feel like you are someone, who would be happier, practising maximalism, or if it suits your lifestyle, then dive right in. But before going on a shopping spree, or ordering lots of boho stuff from amazon, you need to declutter and maximize your space for all the things which are important. And don’t forget. Maximalism has to be a process. It cannot be done in a day or a week. One piece at a time, so you will know, you are not buying stuff in a bulk, only to find yourself overwhelmed and not loving something you bought to just fill up the space. Don’t aim to fill your home with stuff.
Once you are done decluttering, here are some tips for you to make your home feel more personal and vibrant.
EMBRACE COLORS AND PATTERNS
The first principle, which you must already know is embracingcolors. Stop being scared of experimentation. You can start with any room, which isn’t used much. Pick a bucket of your favouritecolor and roll your brush over.
You can paint your walls, your ceiling or even your existing furniture to give it a new life. It might feel childish at first, but once you are at it, you can’t stop.
Paint your walls in any bright or dark colors, in different patterns, or stick a floral wallpaper. Even colors as dark as black and navy are also being used on walls.
EXTERIOR
The first thing anyone encounters in your house is the front. Be it a façade, or just a main door in case you live in an apartment. Now its your choice. If you want to leave it in neutrals and create a contrast with whatever is inside.
Or paint your main door or windows in a vibrant hue, and set the mood at the entrance. If not anything, it will sure arouse the curiosity of passers-by.
ENTRANCE FOYER
I would suggest adding ceiling light fixtures and mirrors to your entrance foyer. At the same time, don’t compromise on practicality. You can add a comfortable couch beside the shoe rack. Add a table, where you can unload, once you enter the house. Maximalism is all about adding comfort and luxury to your space. Don’t forget to provide a space to hang your coat, your umbrella or your mask beside the doorway.
FLOOR
Natural finishes like marble and hardwood are going to be in trend for flooring. If you want to switch to something exciting, try different patterns in tiles.
At the end, whichever finish you have or you choose, just layer it up with textured and colourful rugs. You can have rugs of different shapes or can even have a neutral base of a carpet to boast off your hand woven Persian rug spread over it.
FRAMES
There is no such thing as empty walls. Paint them or keep them neutral, but don’t leave them bare. You can adorn them with a combination of paintings, your old photographs or even empty colorful or vintage frames. Although, the motive is to fill the wall with frames, you don’t have to do it at once. You can do it over months or even a year, if that’s what it is going to take you to gather the stuff you love. The more time you will take, the diverse the collection to display on the wall will be, showcasing your adventures and experiences.
Identify a wall, you want to use as a gallery. It could be the wall of your living room or your entrance foyer. Or even your bedroom, if you feel like it. Start from the middle and spread outwards. Keep the spacing between the frames uniform. You can add photo frames of different shapes and sizes, mirrors, vacant vintage frames, posters, along with any hanging sculpture or an indoor plant you own.
MORE IS STILL LESS
When it comes to indoor plants, it’s always less. No matter how many different types of plants you own, it’s never enough, never overwhelming.
If you are a true maximalist at heart, you can paint the pots and have a beautiful composition with the play of different plants and pots, sometimes with wooden or metal stands. If you follow this one principle, it alone can bring so much life and vibrancy into your space. But do consider planting low maintenance plants like aloe Vera, snake plant, spider plant or succulents.
LIGHTS
The good thing about maximalism is, you don’t have to make hard choices, if you like this light fixture enough to buy it or not? Will it fit in rest of the setting or feel overwhelming? Because the objective of this lifestyle is to feel “overwhelmed” You don’t have to worry about the proportion of decorative fixtures with rest of the setting. The main principle is, you like it, you have it.
Talking about the light fixtures, it’s okay to not settle on just one pendant light, when you can have a few more in your space. If you have multiple lights, make sure to group and balance them properly.
As a rule of thumb, you should not have more than two types of light in a room. One for the ceiling and the other wall mounted. So it doesn’t end up looking like a showroom.Or you can go for one oversized sculptural light fixture in the middle.
If you already have lamps, you can paint the shades with some bright fabric colors to add a more personal touch.
BOOKS
The best part about following maximalism is, you don’t have to store anything in the storage boxes anymore.
Display your books on the bookshelves, and when you run out of space, stack them on the window sills, side tables, your coffee table, or the space over the door. Although maximalism focuses on filling every inch with something to display, but it is better to keep table tops and other surfaces bare to be utilized, when required.
FURNITURE
There is no rule to match the furniture set in any space. Even if you are not so keen on following maximalism yet, still the trend to have the matching sofa set or a bed with matching nightstands is outdated. If you are reluctant on accumulating different styles in one space, try following a color theme or a style.
If you feel like your existing furniture falls into a more minimalist category, try layering up your living room furniture with cushions of different fabrics and textures, along with a warm throw. The more the merrier.
If you are bored with your current furniture, you can always paint it in some vibrant hues, or try chalk painting to give it a vintage look.
ACCENT PIECES
You cannot be called a true maximalist, unless your house is flooded with a ton of accent pieces.
Yes, you should have a collection of multiple styles, like vintage, modern, or even minimalist, so it gives your space a sense of timelessness.
Again, don’t order all your pieces in a single sitting when you are bored, rather collect them from different trips and different places you go to.
When it comes to accent furniture, don’t compromise on the comfort. It will only be as useful as it is comfortable, otherwise it will just eat up your precious space.
CONCLUSION
Although more is more, but still I will never be able to cover all the aspects of maximalism in a single video, I will just wrap it up with a little message. Your home doesn’t have to be perfect.
It just has to be your happy place, with all the stuff you cherish or can associate a memory with. And while you are at it, remember, all the stuff you are putting up there, will demand your energy and attention, as maximalism comes with a whole package. Make sure you are ready for it. Or just take baby steps and see if it works for you or not.