Embrace the Bold: A Guide to Maximalist Decor

 How To Go Big In Your Home And Bring In Color, Pattern, And Texture 

This week, we’re going big, we’re going bold, we’re going maximalist. If you’re tired of coloring inside the lines or always being told only keep what you need, this decor style might be for you. Learn what maximalism is, what the elements are that make it up, and how you can bring it into your home. 

Courtesy of decoredoo.

Courtesy of ksenia-chernaya

What is Maximalist Decor

Maximalist decor is a style that’s best summed up by “Be vivid, be bold, and show off your passions! ” It’s the dead opposite of minimalism. It’s about pattern and texture, color and light, and most of all, it’s about showing off the interests of the homeowner. It’s about taking what you love and showing it off, making it the highlight of the room or your home rather than just on a shelf here and there.  

Maximalism can be said to have started in the Victorian era, although people argue about when and where exactly. Although it wasn’t called maximalism at the time, it was all about showing off your wealth by displaying treasures, luxurious fabrics, textures, and your collections. What’s important to understand is that although it was initially a way to show off just how rich you were, it has evolved beyond that point. It’s a fluid, individualistic style that focuses on your joy.  It’s about making bold decisions on color, pattern, texture, and form when it comes to your space, blending them together into something that represents you and is striking and playful. 

Some of the people most known for maximalism today are Kelly Wearstler, Martin Brudnizki, and Dorothy Draper.  All of them get that maximalism isn’t just about showing off something impressive and enviable but about creating a space that is fun and brings joy. 

What are some specific elements of Maximalist Decor?

- It’s clean and curated

Maximalism walks a thin line between showing off what you love and being a chaotic clutter.  It’s not about filling every available space, and it’s actually better if you keep working areas like coffee tables, desks, etc., relatively clear. This bit of practicality makes the space more practical to live in rather than just look at. Part of the joy of the style is the intentional curation, after all. 

- Having one or two leading features that will shape the rest of the room. These are the pieces that are going to catch the viewer’s eye. Whether it’s vivid furniture, ornate carpentry, a statement light fixture, or plant life, pick one or two to be the highlight of the room. 

- Coordinating layers. Layer in the things that you love around those fixture pieces so that they echo it.  It’s all about curation at this stage, so feel free to go slowly. 

-Go bold in your color choices. When it comes to colors and maximalism, it’s all about being bold. This doesn’t necessarily mean neons; instead, it’s about choosing rich and sumptuous colors. Patterns are also always a plus, especially if you can coordinate patterns. 

How can YOU bring Maximalist Decor into your home?

If you want to redo your home with maximalist decor, we suggest taking a 5 step process. 

- Stop and think about it. Look at the different inspiration pictures you’ve saved and consider if you would be okay with the entirety of your home being done that way. If the answer is no? Or you’re thinking you can just do a little bit in that direction? We suggest looking at a similar style but not maximalism. Maximalism doesn’t have a ‘light’ setting. It’s all or nothing, which is sort of the point. 

- Do you want each room to be a separate theme, or do you want everything to connect together? If it’s the latter, consider what your thread will be; what is going to be the same throughout every room? 

Courtesy of decoredoo.

- Pick out central colors and sort things accordingly. Whether you decide to have each room be different or have a common thread, you want the rooms to be cohesive, rather than dizzying or overwhelming. We know it’s a fine line to walk, but it can be done, and part of that is picking out your united colors or color palette. 

- Focus on comfort before anything else. You’re the one living here, you need to be happy with it. 

-Be vivid, be bold, and show off your passions!

What about you? Do you think you could go with the maximalist look in your home? Let us know why or why not on our Facebook page! 

If you wound up here because you need help with your appliances and not your interior decor, you’re still in the right space. Appliance Rescue Service serves the DFW area from Dallas to McKinney, from Coppell to Garland and everywhere in between. You can reach us by calling ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page. 

Some additional links you might enjoy 

Pantone Color of the Year

Hollywood Regency Decor

Art Nouveau Decor

Viva Magenta! Pantone Color of the Year 2023

A Showstopping Color That Gives Rise to Bold Expression and Comfort Simultaneously

It's that time of year, when everyone is excited about the new Color of the Year from Pantone.  Pantone influences many different fields including beauty, marketing, and most importantly to us, home decor and design.  

Before we show off the new color though, how does Pantone choose the color? Just how did they decide?  According to Laurie Pressman, the Vice President of Pantone Color Institute, "To arrive at the selection each year, this global team of color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, aspirational travel destinations, new lifestyles, playstyles or enjoyable escapes as well as socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention." Pantone created a color language that everyone across many different industries can use to ensure that everyone knows exactly what color they're talking about, and more importantly how to replicate it. They also do research across many different cultures to  find how and why colors affect us the way they do. All of this together means that they are very good at choosing colors. 

What Is The Color? 

Credit: Pantone

All of that said, this year's color is a showstopper. This year's color is Viva Magenta! (18-1750) A vibrant and stunning red that according to Pantone "encourages experimentation and self-expression without restraint." It is a balanced tone between warm and cool colors. Viva Magenta is a modern color for the Post-Pandemic world but one that is deeply rooted in the past.

What Does It Draw Inspiration From? 

Viva Magenta is a riff on carmine red. This is one of the most expensive and valued dyes of the natural world. It comes from cochineal insects, and their shells. Hundreds of thousands of these beetles would be collected and ground up in order to create the color, for dyes and paints. Carmine was once a major export from the Americas, and is again a rising economy in that portion of the world. 

What Colors Does It Pair Well With? 

Apartment Therapy (one of our favorite places to look for trends) put together four different palettes that they feel Viva Magenta would work well with. The first, called Resonance, is a sumptuous selection of colors that give a very rich and elegant feel to a room. Looking at them, they make us think of soft velvets, a warm fire, and a glass of wine. The second, titled Ignite, is all soft hues that Viva Magenta splashes into the middle of. If you're usually one for calmer, more relaxed environs, this might be the palette for you. The third palette is one aptly named, Family Ties. This is a palette built around the shades both brighter and darker than Viva Magenta, pinks, reds, maroons, and a soft red-grey color that we didn't think we could like and have been surprised. This one brings to mind the dining room and kitchen, with warm tones that evoke friendship, family, and community. The final palette is one titled Equilibrium, and while the other palettes have had Viva Magenta as the star, this one balances the color with others of equal vibrancy. This one is all about rich hues in very tropical tones with two softer colors to keep it from exploding into a riot.  

(Credit: Apartment Therapy)

All four of these palettes are only the beginning of what we expect to see over the next year, or more, as people play and experiment with this color. If you've already got ideas, why not show it off on our Facebook? 

Places It Might Look Good Around The Home

We think that Viva Magenta can be great just about anywhere, depending on how you balance it. If you've got a room that needs a bit more pop to it, throw in a few blankets and pieces of decor. If you're looking for something louder, try painting a wall or painting the trim in it. We could also see this as a way to paint your ceiling if you're not wanting to change up the walls but still want to add some heat to a room. There are SO many different ways that this beautiful red could fit into the home that we aren't really seeing a place where it wouldn't fit. 

An interesting side note for those of you who enjoy speculation on colors. Originally many suspected that the color Digital Lavender was going to be this year's color.  While many experts, including MSN & Architecture Digest both, reported early on this was the color, it ended up not being the case. We will say that the calmer grey-hued lavender is a very nice color, but we find that Viva Magenta is very fitting for this year and the hopes that many are bringing into the year.  

What about you? What are your thoughts on Pantone's color of the year? Will you be bringing it into your decorating? Your furniture?What about your appliances? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

If, on the other hand, you're more worried about the health of your appliances rather than what color they are, we can still help with that. Reach out to us on our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We'll work with you to find a time and date that work for your schedule and send one of our experts out on the day you choose. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again.