The Vibrant Take On Maximalism That's Trending In Home Design (& How To Get The Look)

While the design world has been filled with neutral-driven minimalistic spaces for the past couple of decades, maximalism is slowly creeping in as an alternative to spare and sparsely decorated homes. Favoring a "more is more" philosophy, maximalist spaces revel in pattern, color, and other eclectic elements to exert their charm. However, a specific kind of maximalism is on the rise that is particularly rooted in history, storytelling, and personality. Called "heritage maximalism" by some, this trend incorporates more personalized details, inherited items, and vintage accents in addition to layered décor elements like pattern, texture, and color. It's a style that produces results as unique as the homeowners who choose to embrace it.

Heritage maximalism is a great décor style to strive for if you love vintage and antiques, as well as if you are looking for more personalized décor than what you find in the average home store retailer. This maximalist décor reflects your interests, personal history, and your favorite things. This can mean lots of heirlooms that are personal to your past, as well as ones you can pick up new-to-you that give the illusion you've been harboring them for decades in your home. The aim is décor that feels collected over time rather than pre-fab. Heritage maximalism overlaps and dovetails nicely with other styles that create more personalized maximalist spaces, like the grandmillennial aesthetic and nostalgia-based decor.

The emphasis of heritage maximalism lies in making choices about the objects you choose to fill your home with, as well as the sense of history and emotions they can evoke. While the usual markers of maximalism, like an abundance of colors, textures, patterns, and objects, are present, they are used in relation to each other to tell a more personal story when arranged together. This usually manifests as a mix of things the homeowner has collected, thrifted, inherited, and loves, all mixed together to create a one-of-a-kind space. It can combine new and old, disparate design styles and eras, as well as souvenirs, family mementos, and other personalized elements.

When arranging these objects in your space, the emphasis is less on styling in a traditional sense and more about telling a story through objects and other elements. Instead of merely adding a collection of favorite objects on the shelf, it's about arranging them to evoke a sense of memory and nostalgia, as well as communicate that story to guests.

Start with a foundation that you love, choosing things like flooring, paint color, large pieces of furniture, etc, and then adding more personal elements as you go. You do not have to rush this process, which many designers advise against, instead taking your time to get just the right accent pieces and furnishings that reflect and capture your history and personality. Layer the space with elements like rugs, draperies, cushions, and wood pieces from eras you love or that feel significant to your own history. To avoid your room feeling too museum-like when decorating with antiques, create a mix of old and new whiledrawing from different eras, like pairing an antique sofa with a modern light fixture above. Or using a vintage dining room table with sleek plastic modern chairs.

Personality is important, so even if you are thrifting your antiques and heirlooms from antique shops, estate sales, and flea markets instead of inheriting them, there are ways you can infuse personality into your space through elements like small collections of favorite objects. Add a collection of destination magnets on your fridge from your travels, or display your jewelry collection draped artfully over an antique bust instead of hiding it away. Repurpose well-loved textiles, like band tee shirts, into throw pillows or use travel ephemera on a unique DIY bar stool. Create a curtain by patchwork assembling your grandmother's collection, or turn them into beautiful bespoke wall decor with some embroidery frames. Turn a prized collection of vintage plates into wall décor for your kitchen or build a DIY wall display for all your souvenir and keepsake mugs.