If you believe that more is in fact more, maximalist interior design might just be the decor style for you. “Maximalist design is a style and aesthetic that leans into the more is more mentality,” says Megan Hopp, an interior designer based in New York and founder of Megan Hopp Design. The antithesis of minimalism, maximalist interiors embrace bold use of colour, pattern, and layering to create a space that honours and celebrates excess. However, maximalism isn’t just piling everything into a room and calling it a day—it’s as intentional and curated as any other interior design trend. To better understand maximalist interior design, AD spoke with Hopp and Charlotte-based interior designer Ashely DeLapp all about this fun, over-the-top look.
What is maximalist interior design?
“If you’ve heard of minimalist design, it’s the opposite,” Hopp says of maximalism. Maximalist interiors often emulate the richer parts of life. It’s a design style rooted in a more-is-more philosophy that will often blend an eclectic mix of patterns, colours, textures, and objects. “Maximalism leans into big and bold decision making when it comes to colour, pattern, texture, shape, and form,” Hopp tells AD. It’s a fun way to put all of your favourite things together in one room and show them off in a striking and playful way.
A bold wallpaper makes a statement in this maximalist office designed by Ashley DeLapp.
In recent years, visionaries like AD100 Hall of Famer Kelly Wearstler and AD100 designer Martin Brudnizki have championed the style and brought it further into the spotlight of the interior design zeitgeist. However, “maximalist design has been around for a long time—think Dorothy Draper and the Greenbriar Resort,” DeLapp notes. “It is very much tied to the Hollywood Regency aesthetic with loads of pattern, colour, and textures layered together.”
Still, though there is often a lot that goes into a maximalist home, the design style is not cluttered or dirty. “It is not to be confused with over-decorated, cluttered, or dizzyingly busy design,” Hopp notes. If not careful, maximalism can slip into messy, which isn’t the same thing. Don’t worry though, Hopp and DeLapp share design tips below on how to avoid this.
History of maximalist interior design
As far as home decor goes, maximalism is just another word for a phenomenon that’s been around for centuries: the art of displaying the things we love. “Maximalism goes all the way back to the Victorian era, when people were really trying to make a statement in their home as opposed to a more pared down conservative interior design style,” Hopp explains. When you think of stately homes or Versailles interiors, you’re likely imagining an early form of maximalism, all decked out in ornate decor and embellishments just for the sake of embellishments.
Designed by Ashely DeLapp, this bedroom features a rich material palette and proves maximalist design can still be calming in sleeping spaces. Photo: Courtesy of Ashley DeLapp.