Minimalism vs Maximalism

13, Mar 2023

Room with blue and red wall with full bookshelves and papers stuck to the bulletin board and a guitar in the corner representing minimalism vs maximalism

According to research, clearing clutter from your home and work environment improves focus and productivity. That’s why I was surprised by some articles and trends in the news promoting the benefits of clutter. However, if you read between the lines, they are talking about the desire to keep their stuff. It is a battle of Minimalism vs Maximalism.

What is Clutter?

Before we debate Minimalism vs Maximalism, it is essential to clearly explain what clutter is. Most dictionaries define clutter as “a lot of objects in an untidy state.” However, as a professional organizer, I define clutter as items that do not have a functional or emotional value. Just because a room is messy doesn’t mean you should discard the items causing the mess. In fact, the items may be very useful or treasured, but there might be no system to keep them organized.

The Minimalism Trend

Minimalism as a design trend started in the 1960s but as a lifestyle trend in the early 2000s. Some people felt that spending life accumulating “stuff” and being stuck on the hedonic treadmill was detrimental to their well-being. Hence they disposed of their belongings and lived with only the bare minimum.

Even in home architecture and design magazines, we saw images of spartan homes. The furniture and décor were in varying shades of whites and beiges. From austere living rooms to children’s almost empty toy rooms, the motto was “use it or lose it.” Interestingly, this race towards Minimalism became its own hedonic treadmill as people wanted to make their homes look like staged magazine photos.

The Maximalist Trend

Whether due to the stay-at-home lockdowns of the COVID pandemic or changing demographics, it seems we are veering away from Minimalism. Maximalism appears to be returning. As the name states, Maximalism is all about more. With vibrant colours, glitz and glam, people are showing their stuff – literally.

However, Maximalism isn’t about having clutter everywhere, all at once. Maximalism is about curating your possessions and displaying them as a reflection of you and your current lifestyle. It is about being surrounded by the richness and comfort of your personal and family history.

While kids don’t want to inherit much of their parents’ stuff, they might wish to have items that have significant emotional value. In fact, ClutterCore is a branch of Maximalism that focuses on telling a story with your space by displaying collections and sentimental items. It’s very popular with GenZ on TikTok. Personally, I’m not surprised by this trend as many younger people grew up in Minimalist-styled homes.