Are you a minimalist or a maximalist? Maybe maximalist aspiring to be minimalist? What's between the two? And does it even matter?
Welcome to #piristyle. Following on from last month's post, with finding your design style, I felt I needed to touch on a few more subjects.
I've had my fair share of living in a rented accommodation, I've managed to move house 8 times in 12 years! (more on that in a different post) Every time I moved into a new place I've rearranged the furniture and constantly played with the idea of what I would be doing different if I owned the place. There are so many houses that just don't fit the modern lifestyle, but all with great potential and I'm very keen on creating practical, functional but also beautiful spaces. I keep going on about how I don't particularly follow design trends, because I believe in timeless pieces... however... I sat down today in my dining corner in my #cottage and admired the things I've created and achieved and somehow I ended up going down memory lane and I got stuck on the idea of minimalism and maximalism. During lockdown in 2020 many of us re-evaluated our lives and many of us have (finally!) made changes around the house to actually suit our lifestyles.
Whilst I was studying interior design, I was overwhelmed with all the things that I felt I needed to do, to make the house a home. I've looked into Feng Shui, colour psychology, lighting, fabrics and soft furnishings, textiles, sustainability, ecology etc... a whole list of things, which I have to admit - made me really confused before it all became very clear! Once I've soaked all the information in, and structured my creative process, I knew what I wanted. If you've missed out on the 5 steps on how to find your style, just click here.
“Be true to yourself. Just do what you like!”
I have gone through a stage of watching videos about minimalism, read about being frugal, practical and healthy lifestyle - you know, all that good stuff - and at one point, I somewhat felt under pressure to go down the minimalist route.
I must admit, I have really enjoyed the time off work (I keep talking about this, so you know it's true!) and really dived into figuring out what do I truly want the house I live in to feel like. I've developed a habit of going through my wardrobe once a month and getting rid of some clothes, and decorative items. I've got a large wardrobe and a chest of drawers that I wanted to fit into. No more boxes in the "above the staircase storage space" and no more baskets under the bed.
And whilst I enjoyed the process of decluttering, I also learnt to appreciate the things that I've got and enjoyed showcasing pieces that aren't just pretty but functional too. During this time I came across some videos about cottagecore and all of a sudden I found myself completely drawn into the trend. Which, let's face it, has very little to do with minimalism 😂. It did however sit very well, with the frugal living, buying less, using the things I've got, natural materials, all things pretty but practical and ultimately the whole timeless idea that I keep talking about...and that's when I thought, as much as I don't follow trends, #cottagecore is very close to my heart, and my designs tend to have a cottage twist on them. And to be fair, cottagecore isn't really a trend, it's more of a lifestyle.
Is less really more? Or more is more? If you are interested, then stay tuned as I will be sharing all the cottagecore elements of my house in my next post.
So if I'm not a minimalist, nor a maximalist then what am I?
For me, it's comfort'ism, it's feel good'ism, it's flexible'ism. Take out the good and what suit's your lifestyle and don't put pressure on yourself by trying to be something you are not. For me it's much more important to figure out what you like and realise, there are good things out there for all of us.
Five things I like about minimalism:
Mindfulness
The joy of decluttering
Staying focused and intentional
Saying no to things
Promoting things I most value
Five things I love about maximalism:
No rules - bring it all in!
Pretty patterns
All my candles and decorative items on the mantel piece
Creative freedom
Well balanced chaos
In a nutshell, it doesn't matter if you fit in one category or you are a mix like I am, as long as it makes you happy, because that's when you are the best version of yourself.
If you like things #piristyle and approve my approach in designing spaces then don't forget about my interior design services, I truly love helping everyone out.
Until next time,
Love,
Piri
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