If your style is minimalistic and forever will be, you keep on doing you. However, if you are always filling your home with treasures and colour, it’s time to embrace the age of maximalism
Trends can be exciting as they open one’s eyes to new ideas and ways of expressing oneself. However, we’re transitioning more and more into an era of self-exploration and expression. One can debate that means we’re losing trends, or that the heightened pull to self-expression is just a trend in itself. Time will tell, but in the meantime, the freedom to play is exciting and we’re all for it. Homemakers and decorators are experimenting with colours, textures, prints and patterns – the bolder, the better! It is less about particular items, and more about how they are all put together, and the freedom to play. There’s liberty to create a space with things you have collected over time. You can mix and match and layer, layer, layer. If you are worried it’s too much – it’s not!
HOW TO START
Start with what you have. A plain or empty room is the canvas for any decorator. Cover the walls or even ceilings in prints or bold colour. Oversized floral prints are quite trendy right now, as well as tangerine and tones of red and orange. These colours are powerful and rich – perfect for creating a luxe-looking space.
Slowly bring in touches you love and, layer upon layer, fill the room with gorgeous decor. Complete your bright walls with framed art. A sentimental and cost-effective art feature can be made by framing your kids’ art in large box frames. Short on space? Wall-to-wall built-in shelving painted in the same colour as the walls, or in a complementing colour, is an easy way to display your collectables on a large scale no matter your limited space. Hanging a grand mirror up or many among framed art is another trick – it makes the room seem bigger than it is.
HOW TO DO IT ON A BUDGET
Having rooms filled to the brim with art and other collectables can make you just think of the price tag. Fair enough, but if there’s a will, there’s a way. Wallpapers can be pricey, so opt for a cost-effective paint in a versatile colour. Paint a chest of drawers or even a door in a complementing colour for maximum impact. Kitchen cupboards coated in a rich hue, such as cobalt blue, with new handles is a simple way to make your kitchen the star of the show. The room with the food is the most important one, is it not? Small knick-knacks are hugely affordable. You’ll even be surprised at what you have stored away that you’ve forgotten about. Pulling these out is a cost-effective decorating hack. When sifting through your own treasures with fresh eyes you can find items to decorate with that you never considered before – shopping in your own home!
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