Studio Apartments & Maximalism: How to Fit a Big Interior Style Into Your Small Studio
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Studio apartments… are small. Therefore, maximalism is forbidden. If you live in a studio, you are a minimalist. That is your one true destiny as a studio dweller. So throw all your stuff away and start a minimalist clean girl aesthetic Pinterest board because that's the only style that's going to fit in your silly little space.
…😏…
…Could you imagine if I actually meant all of that? Those those words felt so unnatural coming from me.
Of course you can do maximalism in a studio apartment!
In this post, I'm going to give you 5 tips for making maximalism look and feel good in a studio apartment, or really any small space.
Drawing upon my own experience in decorating my studio apartment (which I lived in for five years and definitely leaned on the maximalist side of the style spectrum), these tips are personally how my brain works when it comes to achieving a big style in a studio.
Would you rather watch than read? Here’s the video! ↓
1. Loud Quiet Loud
My first tip for creating maximalism in a studio apartment is to take what I'm calling the “loud quiet loud” approach. This basically means choosing when to really go for the maximalist moments and when to pull back. It means choosing your maximalist moments wisely, because you only have so much physical space to cram that maximalism in.
Just like a song, you have the quieter verses and the louder chorus.
(This is going to be a very music metaphor oriented post, so buckle up haha.)
If you put in a decent amount of thought and planning into which pieces will be those big maximalist moments and which pieces will be a bit more subdued, then you'll be a bit less likely to end up with a hodgepodge of visual noise.
Like a song, the art is in the changes in rhythm, the dance between loud and soft, the variety of staccato and legato, creating a symphony with your studio rather than a cacophony.
And you might be thinking, “Okay cool metaphor Stef, but how do I actually make this translate into my physical space? Like, what should my louder chorus pieces be?”
And they can be anything! There really is a lot of freedom when it comes to maximalism. That's a very fundamental part of this style.
Personally, if I were decorating a studio for myself and I wanted to do the maximalist style I would probably focus the maximalist moments into the accessories, while pulling back with the larger furniture pieces. This would give the space a neutral canvas for the maximalist pieces to really shine. Decorative pillows, decorative accents, wall art… I would make those the louder maximalist moments while having the couch, the bed, and any other big furniture pieces be neutral colors and solids. That's just how I would do it, and I think this is simplest approach to avoiding the hodgepodge vibes.
But like I said, there is so much freedom in maximalism. You really can go pretty wild. I just, my point is that the wildness is all the more powerful if you also have little pockets of pulling back. Those little pockets of being more subdued.
And a real life example of “loud quiet loud” styling is this studio featured in Apartment Therapy.
As you can see from the photos in the feature, you can really pinpoint where the loud maximalist moments are. Her bedspread, decorative pillows, and wall art are the loud moments that really go for the maximalism. And then in the corner you have her desk, which is more subdued. It's a simple white desk with only a few little pieces on it.
She also has the vintage-looking, statement-making lamp on her dresser while the rest of the styling around it is a bit more quiet, a bit more understated.
In her living room area, there’s a strong bold color in the couch with a funky throw pillow and then the big wall art tapestry hanging. These louder moments are then tempered by a more simplified coffee table styling look.
This is a good example of alternating between the loud and quiet styling moments, where the visually quiet moments play an important role in making the loud moments all the more powerful.
2. Main Melody Must-Haves
My next tip for achieving a maximalist look in a studio apartment is something I'm calling the “main melody must-haves”. This is an approach where you would make some or all of your must-have pieces convey the maximalist style.
So what do I mean must-have pieces? Well, regardless of how small your studio apartment is, there are certain things that everyone needs and that every apartment is most likely to have; a bed with bedding, a couch or love seat, a dresser or some way to store clothing, a shower curtain if you don't have a sliding door to your shower.
These are the things that pretty much everyone needs. They're like the main melody of your space. They're going to be taking up space regardless, so they might as well be maximalist.
This could mean having a statement-making headboard, or maybe a bold patterned bedspread, a tufted couch with interesting curvature, a shower curtain with a big bold design, a dresser with funky drawer knobs.
Of course, it's up to you to choose where your maximalist styling moments are. Like I said in the first tip, I personally would probably make my couch more neutral, for example. But at the same time, you only have so much space to to make the maximalist style come across, so you might as well use some of these must-have pieces as a way to give off the maximalist look.
And a good example of this tip in action is this studio in Apartment Therapy.
In this studio, she's really making use of her must-have pieces as ways to convey a maximalist look. She has the bold color of her couch, which is a must-have piece. She has the beautiful Baroque style mirror, and in my opinion a full length mirror really is a must-have. You have to check your fit before you leave for the day, you know? Everyone needs a full length mirror! And if you're doing maximalism in a small space, you might as well make that floor length mirror something ornate and dramatic.
And when you head into her bedroom area, she's definitely making use of her bedspread to convey maximalism, with its bright colors and bold pattern.
She's even using her clothing storage situation - which in this case is her exposed closet - and making that into a maximalist statement. Her clothes, from what I can see, have a lot of interesting patterns and colors, so them being displayed actually does convey a sense of maximalism.
So really, this studio exemplifies what I'm talking about, where she is using these must-have pieces to convey the maximalist style. You most likely need these pieces and they're going to be taking up space no matter what, so might as well make them maximalist statements!
3. All in All it’s Just Another Pic on the Wall
My next tip for creating maximalism in a studio apartment is to really go for it when it comes to your wall decor.
Obviously, with a studio apartment or any small space, your square footage is limited. There's only so much room for stuff around you. But no matter what, you still have walls. And whatever space you lack for maximalist furniture and decor you can make up for with your walls!
You could do a gallery wall, or a painted accent wall, or peel and stick wallpaper. Peel and stick wallpaper doesn't take up any space!
One of the beautiful things about maximalism is you really can go wild with your walls. And drawing your eye upward is is always a good practice in a small space.
So hang those pictures with reckless abandon! All in all it's just another pic on the wall. …I could not resist shoehorning a Pink Floyd reference into this music themed post, haha. It is what it is.
And a real life example of a beautiful use of wall space is this studio in Apartment Therapy.
This is an example of masterful gallery wall execution. And there’s also the dark statement paint as a backdrop, so it's like a double whammy of drama!
And he really did not hold back. Almost every square inch of his walls are taken by a piece of wall art. And it doesn't look cluttered, at least not in my opinion. It looks very thoughtful and very strategically placed.
And this really just goes to show that no matter how small your studio is… you have walls. You definitely have walls, haha. So if nothing else, you can convey maximalism by making a strong statement with your wall art!
4. The Power Chord of a Throw Pillow
My next tip for creating maximalism in a studio apartment is what I'm calling the “power chord of a throw pillow”.
I really think throw pillows are one of the most powerful ways to convey any style. And the beauty of throw pillows is they really don't take up that much additional space. They really don't encroach on anything. They just innocently sit on your couch being pretty. They're small, lightweight, and movable, yet they do so much visually. They're like the power chords of a room!
Honestly, if you just focus your maximalism into your throw pillows alone, that’s going to do a lot of visual heavy lifting for conveying a maximalist look in your small space.
And this studio apartment is a really good example of how powerful throw pillows can be.
In my opinion, her choice of throw pillows are what really bring the whole space together. They really convey a fun, free-spirited maximalist energy.
The throw pillows on her couch and bed, especially the cool yin-yang one, have so much personality and color. There's a whimsical playfulness that her her pillows embody, which is very in line with the spirit of maximalism.
It’s a great example of how you can use throw pillows to say so much.
5. Creating Harmony
My final tip for creating maximalism in a studio apartment is all about creating harmony within the space, which really just means creating cohesiveness. You ideally want everything to come together in a way that just feels right.
For example, the sections of your studio - the bedroom area, the the living room area, and so on - should feel somewhat separated and distinct from each other, but they should also harmonize with each other. This is the delicate balance between dividing a studio yet also keeping everything cohesive amidst the the division of the space.
And then when you add maximalism to the mix, it also becomes about creating harmony within a lot of visual stimulation going on. This can mean creating a cohesive color story, repeating different patterns and materials throughout the space, and just simply finding little ways to visually tie things together.
Your studio styling should be a democracy, not anarchy. Well, maybe a little bit of anarchy because this is maximalism we're talking about. But basically what I'm saying is to think about how everything relates to each other, how everything harmonizes with each other.
And keep in mind, harmony can have moments of dissonance. You know those moments that kind of clash with the other notes but they still sound cool and interesting? That's jazz. And maximalism really lends itself to this.
So you can throw in little unexpected moments like personality pieces expressing something you love, or maybe a contrasting color that you wouldn't expect, or just… something kind of weird, you know? You can play around with the decor in your studio until it feels harmonious altogether, with a little bit of intentional dissonance.
And for this real life example, I’m going to refer to my former studio apartment!
One thing I was proud of in my studio was how I achieved a sense of separation balanced with an overall visual cohesiveness.
And how I did it was pretty basic. I created separation with furniture placement and cohesion with colors and materials. My couch acted as a divider between my living room and bedroom areas, and then the green/gold color pops throughout the whole space unified everything together. So I had the separation and the cohesiveness at the same time.
And this achieving this kind of balance is especially useful when you are doing maximalism in a small space because it’s so easy for maximalist styling to start to feel like clutter. And nobody wants clutter, not even maximalists!
Just because you have a lot of decor doesn't mean it should feel like clutter. It should all still feel very intentional. Free-spirited, yet strategic. 😉
And then amidst this visual harmony in my studio, there were also those little unexpected moments of dissonance. These were things like my Legend of Zelda Triforce hanging on the wall, my Death Note manga, and my One Piece pillow.
These were just some weird subtle moments of geekiness that didn't quite fit, but added personality to the space.
And maximalism, at the end of the day, is all about personality.
So those were my tips on achieving maximalism in a studio apartment! Hopefully all the music music metaphors made sense. Really, that's just how my mind works. I think drawing from aspects of all of the arts can inspire our interior styling, especially when we're feeling stuck. And really, give your girl a metaphor and I will run that thing into the ground. I just can't resist. 🙃
And if you want some more inspiration for the maximalist decor style, I recommend you watch this video of my maximalist living room styling next!
