Mix Talking Point: is maximalism dead?

Words: Clare Dowdy

When the Memphis Group made their tsunami-sized splash with maximalism in the 1980s, the word ‘fad’ sprang to mind. Fun as it was, it was relatively short-lived. And who’d have thought that we’d ever be able to stomach its return? But like many a trend before it, Ettore Sottsass’ exuberant postmodern style spent a while in the design doghouse, then of course came back into fashion. Contemporary champions from Studio Job, Jaime Hayon and Kelly Wearstler, to Dimorestudio and Martin Brudnizki brought flamboyant creativity back big time.

This was good for punters – office workers, shoppers, hotel guests – basking in environments which delivered on outlandish experience. When the refreshed maximalism moved into hospitality, it became about “transporting guests, rather than just blending in with the rest of their world”, as Courtney Brannan of Champalimaud Design puts it. The firm’s revamped lobby at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles will have impactful furniture with giant houseplants.

Meanwhile, Wearstler et al weave together all manner of patterns, colours, textures and styles in their projects. Though Erik Munro of Munro Studio points out: “layering pattern on pattern with contrasting colours… is just one facet of maximalism.” Whether it’s an excess of patterns, colours, big chairs, chandeliers or a combination of the lot, maximalism’s ‘best before’ date may be nearing again. Despite, or because of, its optimism, it feels like a poorer fit in the uncertain post-COVID, cost-of-living-crisis world. Many commercial environments are struggling, under-utilised or both, as those sad high streets and town centres testify. To draw people out of their homes and back into workplaces, stores and restaurants, perhaps something more empathetic or restrained is called for.

This need coincides with a change in direction in the fashion world – which often filters through to interior design. Vogue put a return to minimalism on the map with its December 2023 feature: Six outfit ideas that minimalists will love in 2024. Some fashion houses going in this direction are creating looks that “feel really modern and fresh”, writes Emma Spedding, who believes that rather than being boring, “pared-back looks can have an extra emphasis on clever styling and interesting construction.” So how will that translate into interiors?

Nowadays, people are likely to be lured indoors with simplicity, ‘honest’ materials and elegance. Timber, real stone and natural fabrics can exude this peaceful restraint. Champalimaud has gone down this route at the Four Seasons spa in Naples, Florida, and the Cabos San Lucas Beach Club spa in Mexico. Jun Chun of Champalimaud calls this “the growing movement towards a subtle concept of luxury”. Chun cites his new design for the Salamander Hotel in Washington, D.C. There, “we’ve crafted reception desks in natural leather with details of brass-toned metal inspired by horseshoes. It is the natural qualities of these materials that speak the loudest.”

And Munro’s Hagen espresso bars are all about a classic yet restrained approach. Likewise his Mexican restaurant, 1910 Parsons Green, where “we looked at keeping the spaces very light, using simple finishes.” Similarly, in the workplace, the drive to create a more homely aesthetic means that a post-maximalist approach makes sense. And again, “being selective with the base palette allows natural textures and grains to be more pronounced,” says Aaron Birch of MSMR. So across DL.28, their members’ lounge for Derwent London, Birch has used a backdrop of stained European Oak veneer.

In other parts of the world, maximalism is still alive and well. The Mondrian’s Doha hotel is all mismatched patterns and oversized furnishings, courtesy of Marcel Wanders; Luke Edward Hall’s Josette is a Parisian-inspired restaurant in Dubai, with grandiose silvered columns and a mirrored and marbled pink washroom to die for; and Dimorestudio’s private members’ Arts Club – also in Dubai – boasts patterned cushions on a patterned sofa on a patterned rug on patterned floor tiles.

So perhaps where maximalism has been used as a joyful attention-seeking device to express abundance and opulence, this now seems a bit tasteless – at least in the Old, cash-strapped World. If (overt) luxury is becoming a dirty word, then quiet restraint will get its time in the sun. And then, the designer whose statements combine modesty with quality will shine, at least until the next fad comes along.