Maximalist Decor: How to Have Fun Going Over The Top
Living Pretty Ep27 // Maximalist Decor Experiment: Decorating My Studio With All The Decor I Own
Maximalist decor can be a bit over-the-top, and I say embrace it! I certainly did when decorating my studio apartment for this video, in which I gave myself a little decor experiment: to decorate my apartment with every piece of decor I own - the decor that’s already out, and the decor that’s stored away - and see if I could somehow create my small apartment decor an eclectic interior style.
It was… an interesting experiment. Lol. You’ll see how it all turns out at the end! Watch this video for maximalist style tips, a fresh idea on getting that eclectic home decor look, and to simply watch a bunch of interior decor items basically explode in my studio.
Watch the video now!
↓ Wanna read the episode? ↓
I’ve made some slight edits in the transcript below so that everything makes more sense in text form. But overall, this is almost a word-for-word dictation of what I say in the video. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
Sometimes, when you’re stuck in your apartment due to a global pandemic, and you were recently laid off from your job because of said global pandemic, a girl just needs to decorate her apartment with every single piece of decor she owns. Because time has no meaning anymore... and why not?
And in this video, I’m going to do just that!
I’m going to do a style experiment in which I go full maximalist on my already rather maximal apartment styling by decorating this place with every piece of decor I own, and see what happens!
And the challenge I’m giving myself here is to do my very best to actually make it look good even though it’s going to be pretty over the top.
If you watched this video where I tried minimalism in my apartment, this video is basically the polar opposite of that.
Let that be a warning to the minimalists out there - if you’re gonna watch this video, you better prepare your brain for the decor explosion that’s about to ensue. And to the maximalists out there? Eat your heart out.
If you’re new to my channel, I’m Steffi, I’m the creator of the style blog Moda Misfit, and you’re watching Living Pretty, the place for apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration. So if you’re into that kind of stuff, subscribe to this channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new episode goes up every week.
I’ll never be, like… I’ll never be good at saying that.
So I’m going to get started on this fiasco, and of course, I’ll be sharing maximalist decor tips along the way.
So here’s what I’m working with - the buried treasures of my apartment tucked away in my closet, ruthlessly cast aside because they just don’t fit the vibe of my current styling scheme.
It doesn’t look like much until I lay it all out and have a minor internal crisis over the fact that, if I’m going to follow the rules I’ve set for this experiment, all of this is going to be, like, everywhere. *Gulp*.
Speaking of the rules I’ve set for this experiment, they’re quite simple.
Rule #1, you already know: I must use every piece of decor I own - the stuff that’s stored away and the stuff that’s already out.
Rule #2: I’m only decorating the main area of my studio - not my workspace, kitchen, or bathroom. Just to make it a real challenge here.
Rule #3: I have to actually try to make it look good.
Okay, so here I go!
I decided to start with the bed because it’s such a focal point in my studio. Figure out the bed first, and things will fall into place a bit more easily from there.
Unfortunately, my first stab at my bed styling, frankly, didn’t look good. The flowery sheet clearly needed to go underneath the orange quilt because, well, it’s a sheet. And sheets go underneath things, Steffi.
There’s a tip for you. When it comes to maximalist styling, if something doesn’t look right, you’re allowed a do-over. And another do-over. You get as many do-overs you need until your styling feels right.
You’re juggling a lot of different items when it comes to maximalist decor, so it’s likely that your first try won’t work out. Just have fun with the trial-and-error of it.
So I started over. And at this point, Helo caught onto the fact that this could be an extremely fun game for her called “Helo the Bedding Slayer”.
Next up, pillows. When it comes to color in this experiment, I decided to focus the orange things in my bedroom area and nowhere else in the studio. I’m basically going to be creating little “color zones” here, where each zone in my apartment displays one specific color story. This helps to create a sense of cohesion and separation in the space.
Helo is being so spicy.
With my bed done, we’re now down to mostly a shitload of faux florals and small accessories, which can be deceptively difficult. It’s always the little decor pieces that tend to be the biggest assholes, so watch out for that.
Next, I decided to move on to my little Triforce corner, which - brace yourself - is about to get pink AF.
Again, I’m committing to a single color here, which is how I’m creating some sense of cohesion in a studio apartment that’s about to be completely infested with a ton of decor. So when in doubt, create little “color zones” in your space so things don’t look too busy.
See what I mean? Pink AF. This corner looks ridiculous - definitely not my style - but I’m kind of digging the shamelessly girly vibes.
Time to add a couple more elements of orange in the bedroom area, and this portion of the apartment will be done!
Meanwhile, Helo has apparently made peace with my bedding, her former arch nemesis.
And now it’s time to do the living room area!
Remember how I said that the little accessories can be the biggest assholes? Well, you’re about to see what I mean. Because this portion of the video has a few styling missteps and even a styling failure, so buckle up, I guess.
What I want you to take away from watching me fuss around with this smaller stuff is that fussing around and messing up is what you’re supposed to do. Especially when you have a lot of decor you feel attached to and you want to go the maximalist route rather than get rid of stuff.
Just play around with things until it feels right.
Now, this is the beginning of the styling failure I mentioned… it’s this damn piece of wall art. I didn’t want to hang it because of the potential wall damage it could cause (remember, this is a styling experiment, and I’m not about to destroy my walls any more than I already have for an experiment.)
And frankly, I simply could not find a place for it. Truly. This one stumped me, and I ultimately conceded the victory to the piece of wall art. It won the battle but it hasn’t won the war.
And so, it just gets tucked over here, technically in line with the rules of this challenge, but a total cop-out. Witness my shame.
And shit’s falling apart all over the place, and my cat is here to gloat about it.
Let’s move on to some coffee table and accent table styling! That’s fun, right?
Actually it really is. Look at this ridiculous thing I did with my coffee table. Totally impractical, kind of hilarious, and looks like something you’d find in a fairy’s house, so I’m here for it.
I also ended up finding a clever way to bang out a bunch of the tiny faux floral pieces - just store them in a cute basket! My act of laziness actually ended up looking really quite cute in my opinion - this little arrangement might be the one thing I actually keep from this experiment.
As I’m adding these small touches, it’s starting to feel pretty damn cluttered. But hey, I set forth on a quest to use every single piece of my decor and, by golly, I’m going to finish it.
And now it’s time for the final chapter of this quest: styling the couch with the remaining soft things.
Look at that couch, it looks like a big hug. But one of those borderline aggressive hugs from your enthusiastic aunt Betty. Super comfy, but kind of suffocating.
So here’s what we ended up with! Let me show you the details of the mayhem.
Overall, is this how I want my studio apartment to look? Nope. Even my maximalism has its limits.
BUT here’s why I think this is a good exercise that I would actually recommend if you don’t mind the cleanup afterwards… This is a great way to stretch your mind, think about your decor a little differently, and potentially discover new ways to incorporate the decor you currently have stored away in a closet because you don’t know what to do with it.
So if you want to change up your apartment, but you feel like you’re stuck in a rut and don’t want to spend a bunch of money, try sourcing what you already own. Lay it all out there and get kind of ridiculous with it, like I did in this video.
At the end of the day, it can be a fun quarantine activity that could result in some nice decor discoveries.
So how was that for you? It was an interesting experience for me… It was very gratifying because I got to let all my pent up drama out, and every girl needs to do that sometimes. So I highly recommend doing this - decorating your apartment with everything you own - just as an act of therapy, really.
Comment below and tell me, are you more of a maximalist or a minimalist? AKA, did you love this video or effing hate this video? Comment below and tell me!
And again, remember, to the minimalists who hated this, I have another video that’s the opposite of this video, in which I stripped my apartment and gave it a minimalist vibe. So check that out if you need something to help you get over whatever this was.
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit.
And of course, subscribe to this channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new episode goes up every week, if you’re into apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration.