Move Over Minimalism, Maximalism Is Officially Back In

While minimalism held the reins over most home decor and fashion trends over the last decade, maximalism is finally coming back to us, as people are looking for more colour and personality in their lives. 

The minimalist trend had everyone going for the same white walls, clean countertops and monochrome furniture for quite a few years.

Now, the pendulum is swinging back to maximalism, as people are finding ways to express their own unique personalities and passions through their homes and their outfits. First, let’s talk about the appeal behind maximalist interior design. 

Why Do We Want A ‘Messier’ Home?

While a house full of random knick-knacks on the shelves, endless photos on the walls and questionable cushions tossed all over the couches might be someone’s worst nightmare, to many people these things are all necessary for having a space where you really feel at home.

Whereas minimalism seems to rid a house of any authenticity in favour of a clean, sleek look, emanating luxury, the maximalist design requires you to fill your surroundings with your own personality. Through maximalist techniques, your house is uniquely and unapologetically your own, and your personality is reflected in it.

Your home should tell your story, and nobody else’s, so don’t be afraid to ‘clutter’ it with souvenirs from your holidays, cheesy family photos, fugly rugs that you found at the market, and leopard print wallpaper if that’s your thing. 

That is exactly why people are embracing maximalism again because it allows them to live in a space that they actually enjoy being in.

Minimalism is often an attempt to make our lives look more put together, organised and clean. But it’s okay to not be organised all the time, and if waking up and seeing a massive multicoloured tapestry hanging across your ceiling makes you feel good, then who cares about how tidy it looks!

Maximalism In Fashion

Home design isn’t the only way maximalism has become popular again.

In the last year or two, many fashion trends embracing maximalism have emerged, particularly across social media platforms. Fashion has recently become a lot more experimental, and people aren’t afraid to mix different colours, patterns and textures together to create outfits that, again, reflect who they are.

These types of outfits might not appeal to a lot of people, but they do remind us that the purpose of fashion is to express yourself.  While colour and maximalism have made their into potential micro-trends such as jerseys, bows and excessive chunky jewellery, the gradual turn to maximalism has made it a lot more acceptable to curate outfits that are unique to you, even if they don’t follow current trends.

Picking an outfit every morning is a lot more fun when you’re not just putting on clothes that make you fit in, but actively being yourself instead.

Blame It On The Pandemic

We know, it seems like everything we do now can be traced back to the pandemic. Being cooped up at home all day made a lot of people really think about the space they called home, and whether or not it really felt like a home.

If you’re going to be stuck inside your house, might as well make it as enjoyable as you can. And that’s what people did. The need for a bit of joy in those tough times, combined with the new spare time a lot of people had resulted in a lot of DIY home projects as people put their own twists into their surroundings.

The same thing happened in the fashion sector too. Lockdown made us all have a deep think about ourselves and what really mattered to us.

For a lot of people, this resulted in the decision to stop trying to ‘fit in’ so much, and to just be happy with who we are. Fleeting fashion trends and overspending seemed a lot more trivial than before, and so many people turned to being happy with the clothes they had and what they really enjoyed wearing. 

Fashion and design trends will always reflect the events and ideas of their time, and it’s safe to say the pandemic was just not such a fun time for anyone. So, when it was over, our relief and happiness to be free and safe again seeped into the clothes we wore and what our spaces looked like. More colour, more patterns, more accessories, all of it was a projection of how we felt. 

So, although maximalism can seem “too much” for a lot of people, it should be taken seriously and appreciated for what it is; a celebration of life and our own unique identities.

Words by Aicha Chalouche

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