Getting out of the minimalistic slump
Those of you who read this blog regularly are probably well aware that I’m not a huge fan of minimalism. It just makes me uncomfortable, and quite frankly, terrified. Before you dub me mentally unstable, just hear me out. So, imagine a space the size of an average living room. Put a couch there, add two chairs here, huge TV there, two club tables, now put a stack of books on one table, now two paintings on that wall, two framed photos of your toothless nephew on the other table, now the curtains and small afghan carpets everywhere to fill out the space. Now take a step back. Comfy, right? Now take everything out except one table, couch, and one painting. O. M. G. What happened? Why is this room so empty? Did the people move out in a hurry leaving a couple of things behind? Do you get my point?
So, you probably know that I popped a bottle of bubbly and threw a party when I heard that maximalism is coming back big time in 2020. I mean, throw me some vases, shelves, lazy bags and rocking chairs!
Now, I do realize that for some people minimalism is a way of life (we can’t be friends) and I do understand that it has its benefits. However, if a house is full, you will never catch me asking: What’s behind that pile of clothes there?, but if a house is empty, I will always ask why (and mentally prepare to run). Once again, that feeling is individual, but I think that most people are maximalists at their core, simply because most people have hobbies, like shopping, collect stuff, and have an inexplicable love for at least one thing in their home that is completely useless.
If you have succumbed to the trend of minimalist house interior and you would like to change that in 2020, this article will help you do that as painlessly as possible.
1. Start small
Rome wasn’t built in a day buddy! Don’t go out and buy every single piece of comfy furniture you see and give that purple rug a minute. Think about everything carefully before you go shopping. Add one or two things every week and see how it goes. The transition can be tough and if you buy too many things at once and bring them into your white empty house interior, you might feel like you are being suffocated by them. So take your sweet time shopping. No rush.
2. Add some color
If you’ve been into minimalism for a while, your walls are probably suffering from anemia. I mean, that is usually a common thing for all minimalists everywhere — white walls. Most don’t stop there and usually make those other three things in their house white too. This is where it is also important to remember the first rule. Don’t go out and buy the first orange thing you see, go slow, and most importantly, pick two colors. You want to slowly go into maximalism, not to turn your house into a tacky mess.
3. Warm it up
Curtains, rugs, tablecloths, and plants, but one by one, or maybe not even all of them. Just one of these can be enough to make your house interior appear warmer depending on its size. If the room you are decorating is small, then you don’t have to add all four, because it might feel stuffy until you get used to it.
4. The repetition of a graphic motif on a material
I kid you not, that is the actual definition of a pattern. A mouthful, am I right? Patterns will do miracles to make your home homey and cozy — which is the core of maximalism. However, before you go and drape everything in tartan, keep in mind that in order to apply any pattern tastefully, you need to establish a base. There has to be one color that will seamlessly cover most of your space, so you can apply patterns here and there.
I should probably title this one last thing “honorable mention” or “rule 0.1” or something like that, but I won’t. The most important thing of all is — do what makes you happy. If you are one cheerfully and fulfilled minimalist, don’t change that for 2020 trend. If you are thrilled that maximalism made its comeback, go for it! If you are a gypsy traveling from coast to coast, you arrange your tent however you see fit buddy, as long as it makes you happy. It always comes back to that Abraham-Hicks quote: “Nothing is more important than that you feel good.”
