Maximalist décor swept through homes both in Australia — of note, Zoe Foster Blake’s — and abroad this year. It’s therefore no surprise that tise aesthetic is now being applied to holiday decorating. Forget white and cream Christmas tree baubles, elegant Hannukkah menorahs, and a few expertly placed twigs on the mantlepiece.
This holiday season, it’s all about colour, texture, and a general more-is-more attitude to décor. The hashtag #maximalistchristmas has racked up over 5.6 million views on TikTok. The trend is popular among Gen Zs in particular, says NY Post, citing one who shared in a TikTok that she had her eye on “nostalgic” Christmas decorations, like multicoloured lights, mismatched ornaments, and shiny tinsel.
“I have decided that I will not be participating in minimalist, beige Christmas this year,” the user, named Avery, said in the clip. “The theme this year is nostalgic, early 2000s Christmas.”
She later added: “If you had told me I was going to do rainbow lights on my house a few years ago, I would have laughed at you. But I’m obsessed with these. I feel like these are so Christmas. They’re so fun, and they just put me in the holiday spirit.”
In another TikTok that went viral, user Courtnee shared how she was decorating her Christmas tree this year: entirely covered in bows. She tied around 100 different coloured ribbons around the branches of the trees.
@courtneecrewsIm obsessed with how it turned out!♬ original sound – courtneecrews
The key to ensuring the flamboyance still looks stylish is to mix the super kitsch with pared back, an aesthetic dubbed ‘maximalist minimalism’. It’s about striving for balance, says Jade Gillett, co-founder of Sydney homewares and art store Rainbow Studios.
“This trend combines simple shapes and clean lines with abstract forms, bold hues, and eye-catching patterns for the perfect mix of simplicity and style,” Gillett says.
For anything that involves textiles in Christmas decorating — tree skirts, tablecloths, Christmas stockings — go for rich embroidered fabrics in jewel tones, says UK publication House and Garden.
“Decorations like sparkly mushrooms and chilli pepper-shaped baubles should be juxtaposed with more natural elements like simple foliage, indoor bulbs like narcissi and stems of berries, and twinkly fairy lights with candles in elegant candlesticks,” it says.
Architectural Digest says some ways to embrace holiday decorating like a true maximialist include tapping into your holiday nostalgia and adorning your home like you did in the past and placing ornaments around your home — not just on the tree.
“There’s even room to get creative with the placement of your Christmas tree,” AD writes. “LA-based designer Kelly Wearstler turns tradition quite literally on its head by hanging her tree upside down or suspending it from the ceiling. ‘It’s a simple, but really striking trick that brings a smile to everyone’s face.’”
Related: 7 Foods You’re Likely to See on the Christmas Table This Year
Related: Want Your Interiors to Feel Spacious, But Like Having Stuff? Try Maximal Minimalism
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