Throughout the past decade or so, there has been steady popularity of the minimalism trend. Minimalism, meaning the push to simplify and declutter the home has had both its supporters and its critics. For many people–especially those with large families or children–minimalism is not always conducive to their lifestyle due to its rigidity which is why maximalism has recently made an appearance in the interior design scene to an array of support and excitement. If you’ve never heard of maximalism and you’re wondering what it is and how you can incorporate it into your custom home, here’s the rundown.

What Is Maximalism?
Maximalism is not a new trend perse, in reality, maximalism has been used in arts, literature, and music for centuries as a way to include both beauty and opulence into one creative medium. Maximalism doesn’t necessarily mean overwhelming clutter or conflicting aesthetics, it basically means including everything you want in one space and optimizing what you have whether that means multiple themes in one text or multiple colours and textures in one room.

What Does Maximalism Mean In The World Of Interior Design?
If maximalism has been used in arts and literature for many years, how do homeowners apply it to their interior design? Understanding what maximalism is in interior design is important to execute the style correctly. Maximalism in interior design is the daringness to be bold, unique, and colourful in your decor. This means filling your space with what you love to see every day, including art, sculpture, colour, texture, and patterns. Where minimalism might tell you to throw away thrifted knick-knacks, hide books and records, and avoid bright colours and patterns, maximalism is all about embracing them.

How Is Maximalism Different From Clutter?
Critics of maximalism may lead you to believe it’s all about clutter, collecting, and hoarding unnecessary items. This is a very common opinion of those who do not understand what maximalism is. In reality, maximalism encourages the homeowner to create a space that is representative of their personality, urging homeowners to ditch the greys and beige and use their favourite colours on the wall, buy funky rugs, and display their most beloved items for the world to see. Where clutter is unruly, messy, and unpleasant, maximalism is intentional, vibrant, and clean.

How To Use Maximalism In Your Home
If you’re still trying to figure out what maximalism is and how you can use it to enhance your home, don’t worry. The experts at Omega Homes have come up with some really easy and beautiful ways that you can incorporate maximalism in your home as a beginner to the trend.

Add Colour
Maximalism is about maximizing your space by adding everything you love and enjoy together. Your home should feel like a sanctuary honouring yourself, and a great place to begin is with colour. Colour is a great way to bring vibrancy and strength to your home, plus, deep and rich colours on the walls help to cover scuffs and marks in a better way than greys and whites can.

For homeowners just dabbling in maximalism, try an accent wall of blue, yellow, or orange. For homeowners who are a bit more adventurous, try a whole room in your home painted with your favourite colour. Navy blue, mustard yellow, and burnt sienna are all very popular colours in maximalism.

Prints Make The Space
For an even more extravagant and personalized look, try your hand at adding prints to your space. Prints and patterns can be found anywhere from local artisans to big box stores, and they can be added to your home in the form of wallpaper, rugs, pillows, blankets, or even furniture! Prints with birds, flowers, checkers, and paisley are all popular in maximalism and can create a fabulous dimension to any room.

Texture Is Key
When homeowners who are new to the trend are interested in learning more about what maximalism is, many of them start with texture. Where minimalism looks for smooth surfaces, plastics, stones, and tile, maximalism embraces texture like wool throws, shag carpets, embroidered pillows, and plush furniture. When exploring maximalism for the first time, don’t shy away from texture, embrace it because it adds a new level of dimension to your space in a way that smooth surfaces just can’t.

Art Everywhere
Most homeowners’ favourite part about maximalism is the beautiful art that is all over their homes. Not only does maximalism encourage the presence of art, but it also encourages the presence of multiple art styles, aesthetics, and mediums. Some homeowners believe that to have a cohesive home you have to choose one style of art, but maximalists say life is too short to enjoy just one. Adding several different styles of art to one space including baroque, pop art, and renaissance can create a beautiful and engaging aesthetic all on its own.

Shelving Is Huge
Maximalism encourages homeowners to show off their most beloved possessions, whether that means art, sculpture, knick-knacks, books, records, or all of the above. A great way to make your collection look more intentional is to install many shelves around the home. Wall-to-wall bookshelves are always popular in this aesthetic, and so are small and simple shelves. Anywhere that you can find a place to display your most loved items, you should.

Design and build the maximalist home of your dreams with Omega Homes.
Your dream home is just a phone call away!

About Omega
We don’t just build you a house, we build you a home. We assemble the top architects, designers, and trades personnel to work in conjunction with our experienced and licensed staff in order to make your dream home a reality. As a Tarion Custom Home Design-Builder, we feel it is our responsibility to be adaptable to each client’s individual needs. There’s no job we can’t handle, and we will do whatever it takes to meet your requests with high-quality results. Our architects and designers are always looking for new and exciting challenges, so the only limit is your imagination.

If you’d like to see photos of our completed custom home projects,
follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.