The RISE of Maximalism 

My grandparents have a lot of « just in case » things, the entire house in fact 🙃

How do they afford the space tho? Or the storage shed?

thats cool

Yep! And most were raised poor, so they feel rich having the extra items

There is also a the detail that poorer areas, and sometimes entire countries are more resourceful and survivalist. What it seen as DIY fashion really is part of a culture in some places. Brazil even has its own term to an all-encompassing concept called "gambiarra"; the idea and execution of temporary-made-permanent short-sighted solutions that cost nothing at all. The car's bumber or exhaust pipe fell off? Steel wire the fuck out of it. The window won't shut? Cover up with duct tape or nail it shut.

It's expensive to buy quality goods that can serve multiple functions and look good. Cheap to buy a bunch of crap that fill up space.

One thing I've noticed is it's easier "to be a minimalist" and throw out all your stuff, if you know you have the money to re-buy that stuff later if you need it. I hold on to left over crafting supplies and a lot of stuff because I know it will be a big deal if I have to spend money to replace it later.

​@@amym7122 It's also easier to be a minimalist if you don't rent and don't have to keep boxes for all your stuff because you might have to move. Or have a collection of bedsheets for all of the different sized beds you've had in the different places you've lived, but can't throw them out because you don't know what the next one will be. We've got one room that's basically a write-off, full of old boxes, suitcases, bedding, etc.

​@@BigBoyJay_69yes😊

There's minimalism as an object design aesthetic, which involves clean lines, simple geometry, and a lack of ornamentation, and then there's minimalism as a decor aesthetic, which involves not having a lot of stuff. Personally, I'm tired of people claiming minimalism (the latter, but it also involves the former) is sterile. It can be, if you're looking at public/commercial spaces and thinking homes look like them. But if you're doing that, you're looking at the wrong examples. It's entirely possible to be minimalist and cozy; the Danes have been doing it for decades.

Amen to that. You just end up inviting the dirt to come live with you unless you spend all day cleaning.

100%!

Omg yes! I sneeze just thinking about it

This is actually one of the reasons behind some of theories that led to modern architectural design. It may be nice to look at old Parisian buildings today, but back in the day those places were breeding grounds for all kinds of filth and disease.

Yeah, having a collection of anything is dedicating oneself to dusting a lot.... unless you don't do it, like me.

Ofcourse it will. An empty house is much easier to clean than one which if overflowing with stuff

moderatism sounds like the play for sure! love this idea tbh

for me, (if i ever get the opportunity to have my own place) majority of it would follow minimalism. More personal spaces, like my room/hobby room etc would lean more Maximalist.

this is just called being a normal person

My favourite synonyms for this balance are: Intentionalism Enoughism Essentialism Selectivism Curationism

This is pretty much how I decorate. Too much clutter is stressful and also just turns into a dust farm.

🤯

So true

Exactly what I said in the comment section - it’s just FASHION. We with my wife can’t call ourselves “minimalists” because we never aimed to hold to any particular style. We raised in the Eastern EU in the 90s so one of our impressions were extremely obstructed and motley colored apartments of our parent’s families. I desired to get rid of that clutter since I’ve been ~14 years old, so we took that into account when we were designing our home. Our apartment has a number of “unpopular” solutions but we don’t care at all - we designed what WE wanted, what is comfortable and not what the fashion is dictating. Some of our friends used the word “minimalism” but it never was a goal. Future-proven things/spaces/objects/solutions are desinged to be timeless: practical, functional and comfortable. They are never truly fashionable, but they won’t look like a joke in 5/10/50 years. I normally never write YT comments, I just feel frustated as “future-proven” and “fashionable” are completely opposite concepts :( And yeah, sometimes simply comfortable or retro things are becoming fashionable so people suddenly think they realized something important whilst it’s just a brisk breath of fashon: minimalism/film photography/record players/natural plants/plywood furniture/etc. Well, it’s mass culture after all, I can’t blame it, I just know that it’ll go out of fashion and be forgotten and abandoned by these people. Except for those who really care.

That being said fashion and style trends have always been around and have been proven to sonewhat cycle through patterns of trends, this sort of vintage inspired aesthetics 20 years later, type of repetitive and predicated trends. And in discussing why we're currently hopping on to a new trend in this area because of present issues, you can see why it actually is something looking into the future. Commenting on how currently this maximimalist trend is lesst creating meaning in your space and mor3 consuming to fill a void left by being stuck and home and poor that recent events pushed on many people lately, is pushing us to think more about mindfull consumerism and how we could actually get that same joy in our living spaces, by seeking out more intentional and meaningful purchaces in our homes. It's the future in terms of understanding that these trends of style repeat and last long enough for us to invest and then have to chuck everything out to reinvest in the next mew trend.

Interesting thought however I don't think trend culture will be affected by this channel. If anything: it might lead to some people questioning a certain trend.

Something tells me that wouldn't get lots and lots of clicks tho....

You mean similar to the "aesthetic of Joy" that Levi specifically referenced in the video?

That is literally Marie Kondo. She is not actually teaching minimalism - just keeping only things that bring you joy.

perhps that's next!

Mediumalism is what it is.

You're talking about lifestyle minimalism. There's also design minimalism, which does not say anything about which things or how many things you should own, it only prescribes design principles of simplicity and cleanliness. I'm a design minimalist who owns nothing of any color, I love simple shapes and extremely well made things that look too simple to be believable. But I own a ton of crap, I just keep it all sorted and concealed so you can't see most of it in my white and grey asylum or an apartment. I know I'm nuts, don't be like me 😂

that's really sad

Nailed it. The type of 'minimalism' that is dead was just another consumerist fad for the trend-chasers. It was only minimalist in the most superficial ways.

Brilliantly stated.

Wait, you mean "influencers" are actually just a new way of saying "salesmodel" and they'll make up anything at all to stay in the public eye despite offering zero contribution to the world?

poetry

How many things live in your house and pay rent?

@@VitalVampyr The ones you use...it's a metaphor.

Funny, mine's called the "Out Box" as in it's going out of my house.

Totally agree with the points you’ve made! Personally I can’t really identify myself with neither minimalist nor maximalist but I also love to just collect things that have meaning to me and remind me of certain memories and places. I always have a hard time making decisions when I want to get something but usually a longer decision process is worth it. In its broad definition both minimalism and maximalism are not inherently bad. As you said the issue is whether it’s mindless overconsumption and hoarding or intentional consumption and collecting of things you value.

But yet I read that comment and as a minimalist myself I find it really interesting in a positive way. I never think maximalism can be like that. And totally agree that both had dark side. Like to trow your stuff to “have less”, and buy new when you need them, trow again, buy… that’s just another form of overconsumption. I’m happy I read your comment, it was a learning experience for me about the maximalism. Thank you. 🙏

i 2nd this!

Agreed, I love collecting stuff. I constantly struggle to find space for all the stuff I have, but my collections make me happy and I love finding creative ways to display my collections. I'd go mad trying to live a minimalist lifestyle, it seems so boring. However, the stuff I collect is things I get from thrifting/buying second hand on sites like ebay, or handmade items by actual artists. I don't buy any of the cheap junk sold on sites like Temu. Being a maximalist doesn't have to be bad.

Beige and other neutral tones of colors need to go sit in a corner for the next 50 years.

Agreed 👍🏼

To know what you like requires a measure of self-awareness. A lot of people are not self-aware and mentally run away if things start to push them towards self-awareness. There's a lot of pressure to simply conform and follow trends in many directions (with even "counter-trends" being conformist) and many can't handle the fear of losing all the "fair-weather friends" due to a lack of actually having meaningful connections with people that can act as a support network. It's a part of why so many people feel lonely, it's just more visible now that we have the internet.

@@Aubreykun very true!

Everyone behaves like that, but some attitudes can be described by nouns like minimalism and maximalism.

I agree with most of the people here. I never considered myself a 'minimalist'. I just want everything to have a place where it can remain safe, clean, undamaged, easily found, and not get in the way when it's not being used.

My best friend calls my apartment “the museum of you”

I get the same museum comment about my home too, but interestingly I'm a slavish minimalist. All white and grey and steel and glass, everything hidden behind cabinets and drawers except the things I want to have displayed. Travel souvenirs, art pieces, model cars and airplanes and rockets, movie props, all on shelves or in cases. I know it's not the same- your friends probably meant more that your personalized collection of things allows them to better understand who you are, whereas my aesthetic simply looks like a literal art gallery. Just thought it was funny that two diametrically opposed styles could unintentionally provoke the exact same comment!

that's so nice!!! I love a home that shows personality and that is the BEST compliment to illustrate you succeeded :')

Im a maximalist but with old stuff for exemple my main living room have a big 2000's crt combined with a home cinema from the 80s and my dad's couch from 87 and a lot of decorative stuff who are mostly pre 2010s and this combined with the orange wallpaper make this room all warm and fuzzy!

Same😮

that's not really maximalism or cluttercore since it's not random, is it?

​@@zumabbarnah, unless you really buy every piece for your collection no matter the quality or uniqueness. In that case, it leans much more towards maximalism.

@@zumabbar It's not any sort of "core" or "ism". Those things just make me happy.

Sounds like you are more of a collector than pursing maximum. I have a similar vein with anime paper collectables like posters and artbooks.

I guess what I wanted to say was that a lot of the examples are rich in design, but not really in "collecting items" and can't really be compared to contemporary maximalism. That said, I fully 110% agree on all your points about the maximalistic movement, it's quite disturbing, especially as someone who finds "one good thing over several bad" his mantra.

Just like minimalism already existed in various incarnation, look at Zen. And I would say Indians was maximalist before everybody!

Art Deco is a really good balance between the extremes of either end imo -- By minimalism's standards, Deco is very, well, decorated, and has lots of fine details and textures and patterns and color. But by the standards of the time it was in and what came before it, like the Victorian era and Art Nouveau, it was pretty restrained and understated and feels more minimalist in comparison. Maybe that's why I like it so much -- it's not too far to one side or the other.

Plus, Art Deco looks nice without being obnoxious. What I wouldn't give to see and walk in some Art Deco designed buildings like apartments and stuff.

There was also the "Aesthetic Movement" of the late 19th century! Lots of lacquer and combinations of black and gold were common. It's very cool stuff.

You put this so beautifully! The puritanism, moral superiority (not to mention the sterile, boring appearance) of minimalism has always rubbed me the wrong way. I think the race and class aspect of minimalism is VASTLY under explored too….

Yes😮

How? Shit gets old looking every 5-7 years

@@sunnohh So in five years you need to completely re-express who you are by updating the entire visual scheme of your living spaces? That's what I mean by bizarre. It's just boxes that you put things in or sit on. It's not a signifier for who you are. Used furniture looks old the day I buy it. Doesn't bother me at all. Most new furniture is expensive and cheaply made at the same time.

@@sunnohh I can explain it a bit better: Someone who is following said rolling trends is not actually expressing themselves with their home decor. By allowing socially-performative behaviors to encroach in their sanctuary, the home ceased being "their PRIVATE space" but just another facet that must be kept up for status. It's actually a sad reflection of how there's a lot of external pressure for people to not be self-aware, as to know what you ACTUALLY like requires said self-awareness and is an act of agency against fitting in, in many cases. But as I said, there's a lot pressure against this. If you're self-aware, you can't simply place your decisionmaking responsibility on the fault of groups by riding trends. If you're self-aware, you may even realize that following the trends you have been are detrimental to you, and that the "friends" you made may in fact be more like acquaintances or (bizarrely) recreational coworkers, or even worse - they were actually your competition! Competition for ultimately meaningless status, but still competition.

@@sunnohh That means you are not doing it right.

THIS! I particularly like hanging art done by my family members 😊

That's really just part of his own (or his team's) outlook. There's lots of great stuff in the world - the fact that people can even afford to be "consumerist" is a pretty good mark, we're just still (culturally) adjusting to having such abundance at our fingertips. Same with all the power that the internet has brought us in terms of autodidactic potential.

​​​​@@Aubreykun The problem is, even the two positives you mention are actually superficial symptoms of bad things that are only going to get worse unless something changes. As far as people being able to afford being consumerist, this is only partially a product of people making enough money to buy stuff- it's equally a symptom of massive commercialization, commoditization, and a race to the bottom between retailers like Amazon, Shein, etc. Look at places like Etsy, that used to be wonderful resources for finding unique crafts and custom items. Now those unique items are like only 10% of the site, with the rest being taken up by people dumping their old junk like eBay, and cheap overseas made knockoffs of whatever you can think of. It is not a good thing that we can all now afford to buy a dozen cheap plastic water bottles from China or Vietnam. It would be a good thing if we could all afford one or two well-made, lifetime-quality bottles, if there were even companies making things like that anymore. Likewise, with the internet enabling self-learning. Yes, it is an absolute benefit. But unless we confront the absolute deluge of mis- and disinformation that is difficult for the average person to identify, and the extreme political polarization of virtually every single possible discussion topic, I feel things are going to get worse rather than better. When even my father, an old-school Reagan Republican who drives a Mercedes and has played at Trump's golf courses, starts complaining about late-stage capitalism, you know it's getting serious.

that's where we're at !

I moved out 20 years ago and I’m still on cluttercore 😂

I moved out 15 years ago and 2 rooms of my apartment are minimalist and 1 room is cluttercore deluxe 😅

Haha best of both worlds. I'll probably also do that when I get more than one room one day🤣🤣 @@Aurriel

.You are not doing it correctly then.

I'm similar in a lot of ways! I'm not really so much a minimalist as much as a "I don't like too much stuff." It's not aesthetic, the way I do it, but it's very functional and I get distracted less easily. If I put art on my walls, I sometimes I can't string two thoughts together.

I'm kind of the opposite. Big blank walls make my anxiety go up. I notice every little spot that's out of the ordinary (in a "is that a bug?!" way.) I always was attracted to things that had all kinds of switches and controls and visible mechanisms, as well as forgetting things if I can't see them. Translucent and other types of see-thru items are way more comforting to me than opaque ones, which might as well be treasure chests - fun to dig thru when in a thrift shop, but I don't really want my home tasks to be an adventure every time.