Once upon a time, homeowners embraced minimalist interior design, the concept tracing back to the architect and visionary Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who popularised the phrase “less is more”. Minimalism focuses on creating clean lines and incorporating natural materials to create open and calming home interiors.
However, it seems London’s homeowners have become bored by the stripped back aesthetic of their homes and are longing for a change. They’re looking for something different and exciting.
Enter: maximalism. The “more is more” trend has swept through London since the arrival of The London Design Festival, bringing an exciting new era of bold colours, daring patterns, and lavish designs.
The rise of mix and maximalism in London’s luxury homes is an exciting one and the possibilities are endless.
What is Maximalism?
Maximalism is an interior design concept for homeowners who have something to say. Often reserved for commercial premises keen to create a particular vibe, maximalism is a design trend that has now found its way into London’s luxury homes.
In its own way, maximalism embraces the classic English style of stately homes, with its colourful patterned wallpaper, blend of antiques, mismatching prints, and gold leaf accents. It seeks to resurrect the opulence of the past and to celebrate self-expression.
What Makes Maximalism So Popular?
Maximalism is all about incorporating the things you love most into your home. It’s as simple as that, really.
Whether you love wallpaper with floral patterns, colourful feathered cushions, or collecting antiques, maximalism lets you embrace what you love and show it off around your home, creating luxury interiors that reflect who you are and what you enjoy.
Done right, maximalism can create richly layered and interesting home environments. And if you have a busy home full of people and pets, maximalism is a lot more forgiving than minimalism, where clutter stands out like a sore thumb.
Renowned decorator, Gavin Houghton, put it beautifully when he said, “I was always told the more layering there is in a room, the more relaxed it will feel […] A room needs to be like a person you’d like to get to know, which means it needs to be interesting and erudite, to have history and background. And collections of things tell you where somebody’s passion lies.”
How to Embrace Maximalism in Your Home Decor
Now that you understand a bit more about maximalism in the home, here’s how you can join this upward trend and embrace this design style for yourself.
Choose Dark Wall Colours
Colours are one of the most stand-out aspects of maximalism design. They grab your attention and create ambience. If you really want your home interior to stand out, choose dark wall colours.
Avoid neutral, bland colours and go straight for brooding colours, like forest greens, dark blues, and deep reds. These will help your space feel more intimate, creating a foundation that you can layer with patterns and textures.
Add Stand-Out Window Furnishings
To reflect the opulence and history of classic English interiors, traditional window furnishings such as heavy drapes and wooden shutters are the perfect way to add texture and style to your space. You can incorporate different colours, finishes, and patterns to draw the eye and offset the dark colours of the walls.
Layer with Textures and Patterns
One of the most important elements of maximalism is layering. When done right, layering can add interest, depth, and comfort to your space, helping it truly feel like home.
A great way to achieve layering is to pair wooden window shutters with vibrant curtains, add a textured rug to the floor, and use vibrantly patterned cushions on the couch. Each of these features draws the eye, adds texture to the space, and creates different levels of interest.
Decorate with Items You Love
One of the most enjoyable parts of maximalism design is decorating your home with items you love. Whether it’s your grandma’s old china set or your antique camera collection, displaying your favourite items is a lovely way to add your personality to your home.
Creating Luxury Interiors: The Benefits of Maximalism Interior Design
If you are considering embracing maximalism, here are some of the benefits you might enjoy:
Energised Home Interiors
Vibrant colours, patterns, and textures in the home inevitably make your living space an enjoyable place to be. Whether you’ve had a stressful day at work or a life event has got you feeling down, returning home to a space that looks and feels like ‘you’ is a true joy.
Embracing More of What You Love
Maximalism is a great way to unleash your self-expression and create a home that beautifully reflects your interests and passions. It allows you to create an interior that is uniquely your own.
Versatility and Creative Freedom
We mentioned above that maximalism is a forgiving style – that it can hide the daily messes and clutter of life better than other interior design styles. However, an added benefit is the versatility and creative freedom that it offers.
Maximalism allows you the freedom to incorporate different styles, colour palettes, furnishings, and antiques from various eras and cultures to create an eclectic mix-matched design that is colourful and defiant and uniquely you.
Creating an Inviting Atmosphere
Because maximalism as a concept sits in stark contrast to minimalism, many people assume it’s the opposite; instead of being clutter-free, it’s about creating cluttered and overwhelmed spaces.
However, this isn’t the case at all. In fact, a well-designed maximalist interior can incorporate many different elements and layers without feeling cluttered or overwhelming. Instead, it fashions a space that is friendly and inviting, welcoming people in.
Displaying What’s Important to You
The beauty of maximalism is that you can display collections and memories that are important to you. Whether you fill your house with framed photos, showcase your favourite antiques, or display your family heirlooms, nothing looks out of place in maximalism design, so you can really express yourself.
Designing Sustainably
Because maximalism is about incorporating the things you love, it promotes reusing and repurposing items from around your home. Whether you have your grandmother’s tablecloth or a vase from your mother-in-law, maximalism ensures that everything has a space. So, you can design your home more sustainably.
Final Words
The opulence and luxury of maximalism is hard to ignore. With so many colours, patterns, and textures – not to mention the freedom of self-expression – it’s no wonder maximalism has been sweeping through London’s luxury homes.
We hope the tips in this article have encouraged you to explore maximalism in your own home. After all, it could be a fun way to change things up.
