What Are Minimalism And Maximalism?
The terms “minimalist” and “maximalist” are kind of self-explanatory. Minimalists seek to minimize their aesthetic and residential “footprint”. If they live in a large home, then the walls will be blank but for maybe one small picture. Rooms will be wide open but for a handful of necessary furniture items.
Generally, the upkeep of a home owned by a minimalist will be very easy. Materials used to decorate will be of a kind which don’t require constant management, upgrade, or repair. Everything is simple, “sanitized”, and straightforward. Think of those white-walled future scapes and jumpsuits from old science fiction yarns. Those were minimalist designs.
Maximalism, in contrast, is the precise opposite. A maximalist seeks to “maximize” what they have where they are. A small house will have every wall, every ceiling, every floor totally covered in something aesthetic. Windows will likely have those elastic, gel-like inserts to mimic stained glass—unless there’s a real possibility of installing an actual stained glass design.
Maximalist designs generally cost more, but they’re more communicative, they can be quite pleasing to the eye, and they’re “fun”. To contrast the two in terms of ecological environments, the maximalist would be a rainforest, the minimalist would be a desert—but both would have their own unique wildlife. So which of these are you?
Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay
Minimalist Signs
If you’re a minimalist, you will be uncomfortable in “busy” environments where many colors predominate, and may clash one with another. You’re going to be more comfortable in rooms that have grey, black, or white design. Basic colors which are solid, and easy to maintain. You’ll prefer scant design that is carefully manicured.
Minimalists are more likely to have an environmental concern defining their aesthetics, and to live in a “tiny” home which is sparsely designed. Minimalists may only have enough clothes, in total, to fill up a small closet—or the drawer of a piece of furniture. They seek to reduce that which defines their lives as much as possible. Men tend to be more minimalist than women.
Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay
Maximalist Signs
However, men or women can be maximalists. Ladies will not rest until a room has that certain subconscious feeling which properly fits their unspoken idea of design perfection. For some ladies, that will be the minimalist approach, for others, they want a thousand complementary colors following a theme for each room.
Whether you’re a guy or a gal, if you like to totally use everything at your fingertips, you’re likely a maximalist. Maximalists want to get everything they can. If they go to a buffet, they’re going to determine how good the restaurant is by how many plates they’re able to get during that time.
Maximalists want to get all they can where they are with what they have, and build their existence to keep expanding along those segues.
Decor Options Serving Minimalists Or Maximalists
Ready To Assemble, or RTA, is a term which applies to modern cabinets ordered based on the precise specifications of unique properties. This allows you to maximize or minimize space availability in conjunction with your tastes. Follow the link to find RTA kitchen cabinets online, as well as many others.
If you’re a minimalist, you can design some cabinets that are slim and properly conformed to the minimalist space you’re managing. If you’re a maximalist, you can order massive cabinets that fit your views on what a room should be like. Cabinetry is uniquely flexible in terms of minimalist and maximalist design—but they’re not the only “game in town”, as it were.
The question becomes: what type of minimalist or maximalist are you? A young man in his first apartment is a minimalist owing to associated budget. He might have a TV against the far wall, a mattress, a few changes of clothes, and some leftovers from a restaurant in the fridge. Beyond a toothbrush, towel, and shampoo, that could be it.
In contrast, a well-to-do minimalist may repaint a room to eliminate the appearance of corners, order expensive furniture centerpieces—only one for each room, maybe two—and do everything to “several decimal places”, as it were, in terms of efficiency. Meanwhile, the maximalist will decorate with whatever he or she can find, reorganizing as it suits them to.
Image by Vincent Ciro from Pixabay
Who You Are, And What To Do About It
So which of these are you? Do you want to get all you can wherever you are in whatever way possible, or do you want to diminish the overall impact you have where you live?
Whether you’re a maximalist or a minimalist, there are design best practices which can help you provide the most comfortable appointments for your living space. Whichever of these characterize you, it’s important to “lean into” what is resonant with your personality. This will bring you the most comfort in residential situations.
There are cases where an individual is a little of column “A” and a little of column “B. Sometimes one half of a couple is minimalist, and the other is maximalist; and their home bears this mixed design reality. That contrast can be quite healthy. Regardless, finding options that work both directions makes sense.
