{"id":2966,"date":"2026-03-09T21:13:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T21:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=2966"},"modified":"2026-03-09T23:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T23:02:59","slug":"is-maximalisms-moment-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=2966","title":{"rendered":"Is Maximalism\u2019s Moment Coming?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After years of mostly clean-lined, neutral interiors, could Americans be ready to embrace the lush, layered, colorful look of maximalism?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Julie A. Palm<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After years of mostly clean-lined, neutral interiors could Americans be ready to embrace the layered, colorful look of maximalism?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s always been a segment of Americans who favor the style and there are high-end interior designers, like Kelly Wearstler<\/a> and Patrick Mele<\/a>, who\u2019ve built their reputations on their maximalist designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But overall, we\u2019ve been in a long era of minimalist-leaning interior design, whether that has manifested as spare Mid-Century Modern, casual California coastal, pared-back Modern Farmhouse or something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last fall, Consumer Insights Now<\/a><\/em>, which provides biannual research on consumers\u2019 home furnishings plans and buying preferences on behalf of Lighting News Now<\/em> and its sister publications, asked consumers about their style preferences. Nearly one-third (29%) of respondents said their home is casual. Another 20% said their style preference is modern, and 17% defined their style as tradition. So, maximalism isn\u2019t showing up strong in consumer sentiment yet. (The latest round of CIN<\/em> consumer research will be released starting March 23.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet we\u2019ve been seeing early signs of a resurgence of maximalist vibes in the past couple of years, and something recently stood out to me: Three out of five of this year\u2019s High Point Market Style Spotters, who scour markets for standout products and trends, are exuberant maximalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The maximalist style is defined by layers, including layers of lighting, as evidenced in this living room by Juliana Ewer\u2019s J Squared Interior Designs firm.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Juliana Ewer, owner and lead designer of J Squared Interior Designs<\/a> based in the Houston metro area, recently told me \u201cI\u2019m a maximalist. \u2026 I love layered design, local artists and having a story behind the curated pieces in the home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amber Guyton, founder of Atlanta-based Blessed Little Bungalow<\/a>, says her design philosophy \u201ccelebrates bold color, layered textures, personal storytelling and the beauty of Black culture.\u201d She calls it \u201csoulful maximalism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A pair of simple, geometric pendants balance the color and pattern in this kitchen designed by Amber Guyton.<\/em> Photo Credit: Mark Maudline Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And the third maximalist in the group, Isabel Ladd, founder of Isabel Ladd Interiors<\/a>, calls herself a \u201cride-or-die maximalist\u201d who distills her philosophy into pithy phrases like \u201cMix, don\u2019t match.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Designer Isabel Ladd believes in mixing, not matching, and that\u2019s true of her lighting choices, too.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The spotters\u2019 take on maximalism highlights some of what makes the style engaging. In maximalism, there\u2019s a strong element of storytelling, allowing people to express their personalities and showcase treasured items accumulated through travels, from family or over a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the exuberant mixing of colors, textures and patterns, maximalism can be sophisticated or playful \u2014 or often both, at the same time. It\u2019s a design style that encourages a process of discovery; it\u2019s hard to take in all the pieces in a maximalist room in one glance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In maximalist designs, statement lighting pieces are important \u2014 so are layers of lighting that highlight specific elements of the room. Maximalist designs also invite using fixtures and lamps as pieces of sculptural art and incorporating colorful, patterned shades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maximalism will never be for everyone, and I wonder how younger generations, including millennials and Gen Z, might take to it. Those generations, thus far, have had less acquisitive spirits than say, Baby Boomers. There have been countless articles written about how that older generation can\u2019t get their kids and grandkids to accept hand-me-down household items<\/a>, even family heirlooms. Maximalism requires a love of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But younger Americans may appreciate the storytelling aspects of maximalism that imbue items with meaning and encourage careful collecting. They may also be drawn to maximalism\u2019s affinity for vintage pieces, an aspect that fits with the idea of durable sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we head into High Point Market next month, keep an eye on maximalist trends. Lighting showrooms should be able to get behind any design trend with an ethos of, as designer Isabel Ladd describes it, \u201cMore is more; less is a bore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles by Julie A. Palm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the Design: Varaluz\u2019s Ron Henderson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Style & Sustainability Meet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designer Debrief: Nina Lichtenstein<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Metals Count Will Count?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After years of mostly clean-lined, neutral interiors, could Americans be ready to embrace the lush, layered, colorful look of maximalism? By Julie A. Palm After years of mostly clean-lined, neutral interiors could Americans be ready to embrace the layered, colorful look of maximalism? There\u2019s always been a segment of Americans who favor the style and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":76,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,391],"tags":[917,915,918,916,914],"class_list":["post-2966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","tag-amber-guyton","tag-high-point-style-spotters","tag-isabel-ladd","tag-juliana-ewer","tag-maximalism"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Maximalism\u2019s Moment Coming? - Lighting News Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After years of mostly clean-lined, neutral interiors, could Americans be ready to embrace the lush, layered, colorful look of maximalism?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=2966\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Maximalism\u2019s Moment Coming? - Lighting News Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After years of mostly clean-lined, neutral interiors, could Americans be ready to embrace the lush, layered, colorful look of maximalism?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=2966\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lighting News Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T21:13:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T23:02:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Maximalism_Shaddad_1580.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1580\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Longo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Julie A. 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