Marvellous Maximalism - Interior Design Trend 2022

Maximalism is one of the interior design trends for 2022. Maximalism truly embraces the 'more is more' feel with interiors. The Maximalist approach to interiors is super fun and is all about the layering of bold colours, rich textures, lots of patterns, wallpaper, art and decorative artefacts. It is not about clutter though! You can achieve this look successfully with a few key pieces to create a bold statement so that you don't overwhelm the senses with too much stuff!

I think that this trend is popular now as we are coming out of the last couple of years of uncertainty and I think that people want to love spending time in their homes after spending so much time in them. I believe that happy homes make happy people and I talk about this a lot. Also the grey trend has passed and I'm so glad as grey is a depressing colour and not good for our mental health. I know that if we surround ourselves with gorgeous colours and things we love then this will make us happy. I think we are all craving some fun and optimism in our lives and this is a great way to add it into our homes.

How best to achieve this look in your home?

I don't believe in following trends as they can come and go, however elements of maximalism is something that I try and incorporate into every home that I design in some way. Maximalism is about expressing your personality and style in your home, and this is so important to create a happy home that you love to spend time in. I believe that adding layers of textures, colours and patterns add interest and make a space feel homely and cosy, this is a great thing to think about when creating your dream interior.

Also I love using luxurious materials such as velvets for sofas or a statement chair and marble side tables with mirrors and artwork layered in. You can use colour psychology to work out the best colour palette to use depending on how you want to feel in the room you are designing. Have a look at some of the best colours to use for bedrooms here. Have your favourite artifacts out on display to help achieve this look in your home. These shelf styling tips should help you display your treasures!

My top tips to incorporate the Maximalist trend into your home

- Use a minimal colour palette so that the space doesn't feel visually overwhelming

- Layer different patterns, textures and colours, artwork and artifacts

- Layer in house plants

- Choose your colour palette based on colour psychology to reflect how you want to feel in the room you are creating. Then add visual interest using the 60-30-10 rule (using three colours and base them on these percentages)

- Use rich fabrics such as velvet

- Use marble, wood and gold accents

- Mix and match old, new and found items such as using your Granny's chair (which could be recovered), a sideboard which could be upcycled, fun vases, mirrors and art found in charity shops. For example we bought a new velvet sofa and layered it with existing cushions, a new throw and my parents old coffee table which they had when I was growing up and styled it with books we own and a sculpture which was in the family home.

- Swap your neutral light shades for bright patterned ones.

- Use different patterns in your room for example on your rugs, cushions, window treatments, wallpaper etc.

- Your experience of seeing it in homes or curating/ styling for features on maximalism.

I encourage you to think about what is staying and try to incorporate existing items, it can be great to take a piece of art as a starting point for your design. I love to design bold maximalist designs for small rooms such as the downstairs WC to create a fun talking point as this can be fun and not too over the top.

I encourage you to add colour into your home to spark joy and consider layering your collected artifacts, books and vases when styling your open shelving or coffee tables.

If you would like to learn how to design your dream room then check out my online course, Happy Home Design.

My top Maximalist finds…

Holly Scott