How to Go from Maximalist Decor to Minimalism
Living Pretty Ep13 | Maximalist Decor Lover Tries Minimalism in a Studio Apartment
Do you love maximalist decor as much as I do? If you’ve seen my recent studio apartment tour, which showed every facet of my apartment decor, then you know it leans toward the maximalist side of the style spectrum. But I wondered… what would this small apartment look like without all this stuff?
That’s when I decided it would be a cool experiment to try minimalism in my studio apartment. I started with decluttering my apartment by removing all my little decor accessories, creating a clean slate. Then I tried some minimalist decorating ideas with the items I already own and re-styled the space with a more minimalist sensibility. Not sure if I was completely successful… but it was a great exercise that got me thinking about my studio apartment decor in totally new ways!
If you want some studio apartment decorating ideas, need some small apartment inspiration, and love a good apartment cleanout video, watch this video for my rendezvous with minimalism.
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 episode. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
What would this place look like if I stripped away most of my decor and adopted more of a minimal aesthetic?
My apartment is kind of a drama queen. She knows who she is and she's a little in-your-face about it. She's a little extra. And I love my apartment for it because it's definitely a representation of me and my dramatic tendencies.
It definitely falls more on the maximalist side of the style spectrum rather than the minimalist side. And some people really prefer the minimalist vibe when it comes to decor, and trust me, after my studio apartment tour video blew up to over 80,000 views in just a matter of a few days recently, the minimalists made themselves known in the comments.
So I thought I would do a little experiment in my apartment… What would this place look like if I stripped away most of my decor and adopted more of a minimal aesthetic? Would it still look as good in here without all this stuff?
So I'm going to simplify and edit things down in this place, then show you what it looks like.
To be honest, I'm not sure if it's gonna end up looking very good. I've helped other people style their homes in a more minimalist style but I've never attempted it for myself because I don't have the self-control to be a minimalist.
So it'll be interesting to see if I can still feel happy and at home in this apartment without all the layers of throw pillows, blankets, accessories, crystals...
How am I supposed to get everyone to believe that I'm an all-powerful witch if I don't have crystals everywhere?
That's really where the elegance of minimalism comes in. It's saying what you want to say through your decor with fewer objects.
Minimalism is like a haiku, maximalism is like a Shakespearean sonnet. Both are beautiful, it just depends on what you feel like reading.
So I'm gonna get started on stripping away all the layers of styling in here and we're gonna see what this place looks like without all this decor. And then I'm gonna come back and style it as though I were styling for a minimal aesthetic.
It'll either look boring, or it'll look totally refreshing and Zen. We'll see.
Watch this video to the end for the before and after, and let me know in the comments which you prefer!
So for this experiment I have set some parameters for myself. For example, I'm leaving up my wall art because getting it back up with the Command adhesive strips I use is a huge pain in the ass. So those are staying up on the walls.
Another parameter that I've set is I'm going to be intentional with the decor in here. This isn't a “let's see what this place looks like without all this stuff” experiment. It's a “let's use the stuff I already have and try to create a minimal look with it” experiment.
And the last parameter for this experiment is I'll be focusing on the main area of my studio, namely the bedroom and living room areas. That's where the majority of the style impact is in my apartment anyway, and honestly, I can't be tearing down my entire apartment just for this experiment.
So now you can see this is what my apartment looks like after I un-decorated it. I'll be honest with you, it's not the breath of fresh air I was hoping for. It may be the fact that my walk-in closet and workspace are stuffed with mountains of shit at the moment, but either way, I feel a little stressed out by this.
Now that I've completely demolished this place, let's put it back together again, only with the sensibility of a minimalist. I'm gonna do my very best to make this place look stylish, so let's see how I do.
What I ended up with is a more toned down version of my apartment. Would I consider it full-blown minimalism? Maybe not, but I do think it's interesting to see what my studio apartment looks like when it's more simplified like this.
So if you're stuck in a rut with your interior styling and you're feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff that's accumulated in your space, I recommend giving this exercise a try.
Stripping away all your accessories is a nice way to give yourself a clean slate to work with, then rebuild your styling from there.
What it's done for me is it's gotten me to rethink my decor and consider styling choices that I never would have considered if I hadn't given myself that clean slate.
So when I put my accessories back, I'm gonna do so in a different way than I had them before, thus giving my apartment a refresh without buying anything new.
And yes, I'm gonna be putting most of my stuff back, to be honest. A minimal aesthetic is great and everything, but I'm way too extra for this shit.
For daily glimpses of my studio apartment life, follow me on instagram @moda.misfit. I'm definitely going to be posting some updates of what this place looks like as I continue to add my stuff back in,so stay tuned for that.
And for more interior styling inspiration and apartment life tips and tricks, subscribe to this channel, of course. I would love to have you as a subscriber. Come, come join me!