The weather is finally warming up, and something unexpected is blooming in the homes of style-conscious home decorators. It isn’t the usual fare of tasteful pastels and calm floral patterns from years past. And it isn’t the Instagram-ready minimalism that we’ve seen decade after decade in design magazine editorials. Rather, the trend that’s blowing up this spring around the world is minimalism’s exact opposite.

 

 

Say hello to maximalism

 

We all know the maxim, “Less is more,” and accept it as wisdom. But maximalist and architect, Robert Venturi, once answered it with, “less is a bore.”

 

 

Maximalism reached its peak in the late “80s when gaudy colors and patterns dominated the pop-culture landscape. But it was too much, too fast, and the toned-down look of the early “90s was, in large part, a reaction to it.

 

 

But it’s coming back in a big way. Even the New York Times has caught onto the trend in a recent article entitled, “The Maximalists Are Coming.”  Click here to read more about it.

 

 

Today’s maximalism espouses an aesthetic of excess and redundancy. It is unafraid of contrasting patterns, even encouraging them, and considers “clutter” a good thing.

 

 

 

This is great news for custom framers. For starters, customers that are looking to get into maximalism may encourage you to get more creative with frame choices.

 

 

Check out this amazing maximalist piece by Art Creations Picture Framing. It all started with a gorgeous Venetian mask, but the framer took the piece to the moon using a deep shadow box crowned with rippled, golden moulding, that complements the fanned music in the mask, and several layers of ornate mat boards. The overall design has a beautifully rich, lavish feel without overwhelming the subject matter; a job well done.

 

 

 

 

This piece by Jodie Prymke Fine Art Framing is a perfect example of the pattern-loving, maximalist style. An ornate tortoise-shell carving is surrounded by a tortoise-shell inlaid frame-within-a-frame look by utilizing multiple fillets and several layers of mat boards. The final piece speaks for itself.

 

 

 

 

The additional creative freedom is fun, but there is a much bigger reason that the maximalist trend is a boon for custom framers. It can be explained in just two words: gallery walls.

 

 

 

 

So, let’s hope your customers get onboard with the maximalism trend and will soon be beating down your door for custom framing projects to fill their homes. And if they aren’t educated on the latest style trends, it couldn’t hurt to tip them off to the maximialism trend through your newsletters and social media accounts.