While minimalism has been doing the decor trends for a while, maximalism has been hot on its heels for the last few years and, with Ikea stating that 2022 is the year for a trend that they’ve termed ‘cluttercore’, the tides are finally turning against the less-is-more decor mindset.

This is great news for those of us who could never quite strip our belongings back to a level Marie Kondo would be proud of, but it does pose some technical issues of its own. After all, as much as it might make our lives easier, maximalism doesn’t mean handing our homes over to an avalanche of belongings. Instead, it means a gentle approach to redecorating your home in the following ways. 

Step 1: Continue to centralise cohesion

Cohesion is one of the true joys of minimalism, but if you think that you’ll lose this when you embrace maximalism, then think again. Admittedly, colour schemes might not be quite as clear cut here, but that’s not to say that your house should become a cacophony of styles that don’t work together. Instead, you need to make sure you’re continuing to centralise cohesion by sticking to things like earthy/red/cool tones, and also points of unity across all rooms. For example, if you’re going for all-out bright colours, then adding things like throws and pillows that incorporate shades from elsewhere can still help to bring things together for results that work on the whole. 

Step 2: Ensure a dedicated space for everything

Just as maximalism doesn’t mean throwing out the colour rulebook, it also doesn’t mean leaving clutter to pile up in the name of style. Rather, this interior focus is all about keeping more stuff in a stylish way that complements rather than distracts from decor overall. With that in mind, it’s fundamental that you make sure there’s a clear and dedicated space for everything you own and want on display. This means plenty of storage everywhere, including well-suited bookcases, black pipe shelves that fit well with your overall colour choices, and so on. Then, you need to make sure that you’re using these additions to display your most personal items neatly and effectively, rather than just shoving them in any old place and hoping for the best. 

Step 3: Don’t be afraid to go bold

Diving right into maximalism after some relatively gentle years of a muted minimalist focus can feel undeniably daunting, but this isn’t a style that you can get right if you tentatively dip your toes. Instead, maximalist styles that work well rely on your ability to go bold with choices here from the off, including loud patterns, seemingly clashing colours and, of course, plenty of personal belongings out on display. Luckily, if you follow the other tips in this article, you can at least ensure that your boldest efforts result in some pretty impressive results. 

Maximalism is doing the decor rounds and for good reason. Make sure that it works for you by putting these trend pointers into action.