The Maximalism design trend is surging in popularity. And fortunately for many, it’s about to become a staple design feature in many of our homes. Minimalism is out, and Maximalism is in. After almost a decade of dreadfully neutral and drearily empty interiors, people want to fill their .
The Maximalism Design Trend Is Back With A Vengence
The Maximalism design trend is back with a vengeance – actually, it never left! Maximalism is a complex trend, a difficult interior style to execute well, but when it works — it works perfectly.
More so, it embraces excess and extravagance and focuses on quality and quantity in your home decor elements. I always believed my true style edged into the Maximalism trend for most of my adult life. For instance, I always felt the need to have better quality decor and as much as a room can stand. While I despise clutter and mess, I still found a way to make each room work with sass and style.
While some that follow the Maximalism Trend love the big, bold, loud, and colorful style, others find a way to make it work more silently. Moreover, I fall into the latter category and will stay that way.
In addition to utilizing bright colors and bold patterns, Maximalism often involves funky decorative pieces that catch the eye. And especially oversized artwork and fixtures. Sizing up specific decorative elements is exciting and engaging, but you should choose your oversized features carefully.
In particular, you should avoid oversizing any of the following items in your home, as it could have disastrous effects. Of course, when it comes to Maximalisms, you can make your own rules but keep an eye out for the following items below.
A/C and Furnace
Though not often considered a component of interior design, temperature control appliances like air conditioners and furnaces are nevertheless crucial to creating comfort in interior spaces throughout the year. The comfort of a room is essential to the success of interior style. Of course, no one will enjoy spending time in a room that is too hot or cold, regardless of its aesthetic.
Though some homeowners believe that bigger is better when it comes to A/C units and furnaces, the truth is that these appliances can be too large to function efficiently. When an A/C or furnace is too large for its space, it will turn on and off more often while remaining on for briefer periods, which uses more energy than necessary and reduces the appliance’s lifespan.
For example, suppose you need to replace your air conditioner or furnace as a part of your home remodel. In that case, you need to to the square footage of your interior space — not to your maximalist ideals. Regarding the Maximalism design trend, everything matters, even your HVAC.
Ceiling Fans – An Essential Maximalism Design Trend
Like air conditioners and furnaces, ceiling fans are fixtures that help improve the comfort of a space. In addition to increased airflow to keep a room feeling fresh, ceiling fans also adjust the perceived temperature of a space, which can reduce your reliance on your A/C and furnace to keep your energy bill lower. However, unlike A/Cs and furnaces, ceiling fans are always visible fixtures in the space. So you might be even more tempted to maximize their size to keep with your aesthetic.
Yet, as functional components of design, ceiling fans also need to be sized properly to maintain efficiency. You can understand what size of the ceiling fan will work best in your space based on your square footage. While we love the Maximalism design trend, we need decor elements to feel cohesive and work together.
If you have a large, open floor plan or a massive indoor-outdoor space, you might be able to . But in some instances, a larger number of smaller fans might be more efficient at keeping your areas cool. Regardless of your choice, your fans should never be closer to the ground than 7 feet or closer to the wall than 18 inches.
Rugs
Rugs are rarely fundamental and indispensable components of interior design, like A/C units or ceiling fans. But there are still risks associated with choosing a rug of the wrong size. More so, Rugs help create balance in interior design. Plus, they anchor larger pieces like furniture and help establish the space’s scale to the viewer.
Most often, amateur interior decorators guess at the size of the rug they will need to fill a space. And in doing so, they end up with a rug that is far too small for visual and physical comfort. However, a rug that is too large for a space poses problems, as well. If you intentionally oversize your rug, you might unintentionally dwarf the other decorative items in your room — if not the room itself.
You need negative space, even in the maximalist design trend. Before you purchase any floor covering, you should . Or you might need to to achieve the right effect.
Moldings
Various types of moldings are coming into style alongside Maximalism. Crown moldings, wainscoting, paneling, and more give a room elegance while hiding imperfections in walls and ceilings. Painting moldings with bright hues or using wallpaper in negative spaces are excellent ways to integrate these classic architectural features into the maximalist aesthetic.
Still, investing in oversize moldings to establish Maximalism in your home is a bad idea. Instead, moldings should suit the scale of your space. Larger moldings will only make your room feel unnaturally small, which will cause your maximalist décor to feel uncomfortably cluttered.
Furthermore, you should be careful to choose moldings that suit the architectural style of your home and avoid moldings that negatively impact the perception of space to ensure that you achieve visual balance with your interior design.
Designing a maximalist space is fun — until you make a major mistake that ruins the aesthetic effect. Fortunately, you can avoid the most serious mistakes by avoiding the urge to oversize the above elements of design.
