Maximalism in the Kitchen and Bathroom | How to Do It Best

Maximalism, a Super Brief History

In the late 1970s, historian Rober Pincus-Witten described a group of visual artists using the term “maximalists.” These artists were actively rebelling against minimalism by celebrating an overabundance of visual stimulation. This soon made its way into interior design and the manufacturing of furniture and fixtures. Drawing from baroque techniques, artists and designers incorporated not only more furniture, more artwork on the wall and busy designs, but also made sure more genres were represented in each room, for an eclectic, full design. Maximalism became mainstream with artist Laura Kikauka, who worked almost exclusively in that mindset.

What Maximalism is Not

Maximalism is the polar opposite of minimalism. Where minimalist designers feel there should be less decoration, less pieces and less mixing of genres, maximalists feel there should be more, and more to the extreme. However, even maximalists feel there is a point where the design ceases to be pleasing and can feel overwhelming.

How to Succeed at Maximalist Design

Like all design, it should appeal to the person who will be using and viewing it and everyone has varying tastes. That said, there are easy guidelines to follow if you’re new to maximalist design and you’d like to try it out.

1. Group collections. When working with wall art, feel free to mix and match mediums, such as a watercolor painting and a framed photograph, but stay true to the theme and keep items that belong together, together. For example, if you’d like to show off your snowglobe collection, consider a curio cabinet instead of placing them in random places throughout the house.
2. Keep the background color or pattern somewhat minimal in order to best draw attention to what is in front of it. Otherwise, the background and foreground will compete with each other.
3. Furniture and fixtures should add, rather than detract from the look. There’s a fine line between cluttered and maximalist. Walk the line with style by choosing statement pieces for a wow factor. As these are more difficult to replace, be sure you love them before incorporating them.

Which Faucets Work Best with Maximalist Design?

For either the kitchen or the bathroom, choose faucets that have an abundance of interesting details. Faucets in the traditional style are a safe bet, the more elaborate and beautiful, the better. Brushed gold and oil-rubbed bronze faucets are stunning and make a wonderful centerpiece for the room. As for size, think big. Pioneer’s Americana line of faucets is ideal for a maximalist kitchen. We love the Pioneer Two-Handle Kitchen Bridge Faucet with brass side spray in Moroccan Bronze.

Consider these beautiful and exceptionally durable bathroom faucets and accessories from Pioneer and the Pioneer family of products, Central Brass and Olympia. All are backed with a best-in-the-industry warranty, are easy to install, and will stand the test of time.

There are many ways to the same destination. This saying applies to multi-family housing builds just as much as to anything else in life. The ultimate goal is save as much money as possible while delivering a great finished project – that’s simply showing smart business sense. But, finding a one-off deal or sacrificing quality isn’t the only way to get a healthy ROI. We have a better way.

Pioneer works with professionals every day to develop specification packages and plans that save our valued partners both time and money, sometimes in surprising ways. It’s our goal to ensure your project meets or exceeds its expected outcome. We want to get to know you and your company and show you how we can save you money.  Please reach out via our website form or call us at (800) 338-9468.