Maximalism is a design style that emphasizes the use of striking colors and patterns to create a space that honors and celebrates excess. This style is perfect for collectors and hoarders, as it encourages the use of art, books, and other maximalist decor items. Rich fabrics like velvet, silk, and brocade are a hallmark of maximalist decor, bringing luxury and texture to the space.
To incorporate the maximalism trend into your home, use a common color palette throughout the room, from artwork to fabrics to furnishings. Create a strong focal point with statement pieces like vintage lamps or eclectic artwork, and ensure every item serves a purpose. Modern maximalism encourages the use of fresh, unique, and even oversized design patterns, showcasing strong individual personalities.
Bold wallpaper, whether floral or patterned, can be a great starting point to add bold vibrancy to maximalist interior design. Ornate mirrors and geometric sculptures will add to the maximalist feel of your space while incorporating a modern touch. Lampshades are another essential element in creating a minimalist atmosphere.
In summary, maximalism is a versatile design style that emphasizes the use of bold colors, patterns, and layering to create a space that honors and celebrates excess. By incorporating rich fabrics, bold wallpaper, and a mix of various design styles, you can create a space that truly represents your love for objects and collectibles.
📹 How to Decorate Maximalism | Is This the End of Minimalism?
In this video I explain how you can decorate your home in maximalism design style! I am giving you my tips on how to get a …
📹 HOW TO DECORATE DARK ACADEMIA STYLE – moody made easy! 🖤
This moody style has been really growing in popularity, especially online, with the hashtag #darkacademia having over 5 *billion* …
Holy Cow!!! Thank you for this breakdown. The idea of “dark academia” has only been crossing my radar lately….and now I find out that my home is saturated with it! Indeed, I’ve always decorated like this! The only thing I cannot do is paint the walls (rented apartment). I’ve always told myself that if ever I was to have a home/house of my own all the walls and ceilings would be dark, vibrant colours. Heck, even my sofa fits in! I bought it new 20 years ago…burgundy velvet damask. Now, it is vintage! Seriously, thank you for this article. Also, thank you for differentiating between Plaid and tartan. (also Canadian, from Scots grandparents…I take my tartans seriously). Again, thank you. 💖
I just painted my room a dark green (What I wanted was a green that reminded me of ivy growing in the shadows). I first painted my room a light robins blue when I first moved into my house, that was over 4years ago. I was so nervous because it was a really big difference. I felt like I grew and changed so much emotionally since moving into the house. As I was painting it sort of hit me that painting the room really felt like i was transitioning from the person I was to stepping into who I really was now. I struggled a lot with my mental health for like 10years, thankfully I feel so much more aware and confident in who I am now. The blue for me felt like I was at that time pretending to be really light and cheerful, the dark green just felt more cozy, grounded and just really sure in my decisions as a person. All this to say, color in a room can really have an impact on emotions or reflect how you feel. Sometimes if you choose to make a change you may be pleasantly surprised to realize how much you have grown as a person 😊
What I knew as decorating with earth tones in mind, is now dark academia. Ok. We tend to call things by different names just that I NEVER thought it as depressing or downing, just calming and peaceful. I bet that’s why the color pallets are used in studious settings. IMHO, the white bright “active and energetic” palette is a bit too much for me. I want to take it easy sometimes and every room in a white palette is like taking speed all day. For me.😊
Great article! My living room more closely follows English country with elements of dark academia (I like blending styles generally to make something new—or taking a style and doing something unexpected like light academics): chocolate walls and a sofa to match with two other colours often seen in English country in slightly lighter tone with black and dark wood furniture (same for the fireplace), including some antiques, and black and brass “academic lighting” that blends with more English country lighting. I love dark academia and would commit to that if not for the emotional attachment to all of the English Country decor items that has been gifted to me from my UK born relatives. I love the dark walls, but kept the white baseboard, crown moulding and ceiling and opted to paint the French doors black to tie in with the black elements in the furniture. Heck, I’m just a fan of black as a dominant accent and have been for nearly 40 years now.
This article is so timely! I’m just trying this look in my Study with a deep dark green and excited to see how it comes out. I love the Dark Academia look, and your article reminded of the beautiful book by Japanese author Jun’ichirō Tanizaki “In Praise of Shadows” a gorgeous reflection on Japanese aesthetics written in 1933. Thanks again for some great insights
You missed one thing: a cat. I promise you, there’s a cat lurking just out of sight in every one of the photos you showed – and if there isn’t, one will turn up and move in soon. I would say that Dark Academia is almost a British theme – not that it is overwhemingly the design style you’d find in Britain to the exclusion of anything else, it’s just very British in its whole aesthetic – a great deal of the photos used here and in moodboards and aesthetics are of Oxford, Cambridge, the libraries of stately homes and others. It has that worn-in, comfortable, cosy look that fits so well with the damp grey British weather – there’s nothing more cosy than being indoors in a cosy room with a real wood fire burning, a good book and cup of tea or coffee, a cat, and the sounds of the rain outside. (Ask me how I know!) I think this whole vibe is the slightly more intellectual version of the British cottage – there’s some of that same use of rich colours, texture, old furniture. It is inherently all about being cosy and comfortable, a lived-in look that is a contrast to so many of the minimalist spaces that have been popular in the past few years.
I love the academic looks and Boho so I made my living room boho academia 🙂 it looks great with ornate bookshelves and random old worldly things like an abacus. Patterns by Emma J. Shipley etc.. It ties the room together well. I haven’t seen boho academia done by anyone yet I may have started a new look 😂
Thank you for naming our style 😍 after years of calling it gothic THIS makes perfect sense. Our home is painted mostly limousine black and charcoal locust gray but weo love a wall of guitars, book cases and bright gemstone paces and my gemstone specimens + the leather chesterfield. For years I literally Cried over having white walls in our initial rentals, now painting the house black feels so good. Dark is relaxing and accentuating the stuff we have and display while white is reflective and so cognitively exhausting. Especially in Miami where we always have blazing sun ☀️ too much light causes anger and psychosis. That’s why Starbucks Dark and darker feels so soy, cozy and nice.
subscribed and liked! ive been searching for the right look to revamp a spare bedroom into my new home office. the DA look is definitely the vibe id like to go for, however that spare room has two windows facing south (about 6′ wide) and four facing west (about 10′ wide). im not sure if curtains would be too much in that space, for those size windows. any ideas? and the windows are about 3′ up from floor to bottom of sill, 9′ high ceiling.
Interesting… Although my aim is Victorian/Edwardian with a touch of Art Nouveau, it seems I’m just a fresh coat of paint away from Dark Academia. I already have the paneling, the Tuscan sofa with a paisley motif, the antic dark wood furniture and elements, the dark cherry walls, I just need to tone down the brass and the cream and that’s about it.