Maximalist Design vs. Minimalist Design

Both maximalist and minimalist design utilizes space, just in different ways. Whereas minimalism focuses on creating more empty or “white space,” maximalism focuses on adding to the empty spaces. They are opposites in interior design.

Maximalism decorates space with various colors, textures, layers and patterns. Curated items, bold even saturated colors and excessive collections – although it sounds unappealing, for many, they prefer to surround themselves with many, many things they love.

But don’t get us wrong, maximalism isn’t about hoarding. If you’ve ever walked into someones house and there is so much clutter, including trash that hasn’t been disposed of, dusty trinkets, piles of clothes and other things strewn about – this isn’t what maximalist design is about. It is thoughtful, perhaps mixed, but also dynamic.

Maximalist interior design is similar to eclectic interior design. But eclectic interior design even has certain rules to it that don’t apply to maximalism. Navigating maximalism is like walking into an antique shop with many different treasures to explore. It can be overwhelming to some people, whereas others find it comforting.

The brilliant part of maximalism is you don’t have to be too strategic in your placement of things as far as symmetry and balance is concerned. In minimalism, this can be a mind-boggling endeavor, even forcing some to discard or store away items they really love because it doesn’t “fit” in with the space.

Maximalism is about furniture and decor freedom, but with a more is more philosophy – straight to the point with no ROOM for mistakes (all pun intended!).

One thing is for sure, you want to use scale in a bold way. That means utilizing the entirety of the space with height and dimension including the space above, below and all around the room. Many minimalists believe this style of design is unsophisticated but with the right items, it can be quite a feast for the eyes.

Some people have described minimalism has having a “cold” nature to it, that it is too fixated on structure with a feeling of rigidness. On the other hand, some believe the simplicity feels less cumbersome. Maximalists love coziness combined with extravagance.