The RISE of Maximalism

You heard it here first, folks. Big, bold, and colourful is in and minimalism is out! Say hello to the newest and honestly one of the most frightening trends yet. Maximalism.
The PROBLEM with Minimalism: • The PROBLEM With Minim...
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For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:
docs.google.com/document/d/e/...
Script: Jaz Papadopoulos
Editor: Melody David
Lead Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
Want to work with Future Proof? Suggestions? Hate mail? Get in touch with the project manager, Lu: [e-mail]

[@Sapoguapo]

Born and raised in small rural towns. Most poor folks have busted down cars and sheds full of “ just in case I need this part” out of poverty consciousness. Knowing they can’t afford to replace certain things so you hang onto literally everything “just in case”

[@Its_elena2]

My grandparents have a lot of « just in case » things, the entire house in fact 🙃

[@HappyCrackers]

How do they afford the space tho? Or the storage shed?

[@spungboy]

thats cool

[@Macsrus5]

Yep! And most were raised poor, so they feel rich having the extra items

[@NothingXemnas]

There is also a the detail that poorer areas, and sometimes entire countries are more resourceful and survivalist. What it seen as DIY fashion really is part of a culture in some places. Brazil even has its own term to an all-encompassing concept called "gambiarra"; the idea and execution of temporary-made-permanent short-sighted solutions that cost nothing at all. The car's bumber or exhaust pipe fell off? Steel wire the fuck out of it. The window won't shut? Cover up with duct tape or nail it shut.

[@Alevan_AL]

Minimalism yet being called "minimalism" is often expensive, yet Maximalism is often cheap. It's words that have completely such opposite meanings.. Edit: it reached 1k!

[@BigBoyJay_69]

It's expensive to buy quality goods that can serve multiple functions and look good. Cheap to buy a bunch of crap that fill up space.

[@amym7122]

One thing I've noticed is it's easier "to be a minimalist" and throw out all your stuff, if you know you have the money to re-buy that stuff later if you need it. I hold on to left over crafting supplies and a lot of stuff because I know it will be a big deal if I have to spend money to replace it later.

[@joepiekl]

​@@amym7122 It's also easier to be a minimalist if you don't rent and don't have to keep boxes for all your stuff because you might have to move. Or have a collection of bedsheets for all of the different sized beds you've had in the different places you've lived, but can't throw them out because you don't know what the next one will be. We've got one room that's basically a write-off, full of old boxes, suitcases, bedding, etc.

[@turtleanton6539]

​@@BigBoyJay_69yes😊

[@jc3drums916]

There's minimalism as an object design aesthetic, which involves clean lines, simple geometry, and a lack of ornamentation, and then there's minimalism as a decor aesthetic, which involves not having a lot of stuff. Personally, I'm tired of people claiming minimalism (the latter, but it also involves the former) is sterile. It can be, if you're looking at public/commercial spaces and thinking homes look like them. But if you're doing that, you're looking at the wrong examples. It's entirely possible to be minimalist and cozy; the Danes have been doing it for decades.

[@juanjosedelatorre7644]

Im sorry but my grandma was a maximalist (photos and trinkets everywhere) and spent too much time clesning the dust of things. My mom learnt from that and I learnt from her: "lots of things means more cleaning".

[@scpatl4now]

Amen to that. You just end up inviting the dirt to come live with you unless you spend all day cleaning.

[@tobybartlett]

100%!

[@FC-ds9ve]

Omg yes! I sneeze just thinking about it

[@diemes5463]

This is actually one of the reasons behind some of theories that led to modern architectural design. It may be nice to look at old Parisian buildings today, but back in the day those places were breeding grounds for all kinds of filth and disease.

[@XDarkGreyX]

Yeah, having a collection of anything is dedicating oneself to dusting a lot.... unless you don't do it, like me.

[@samipso]

Unpopular opinion: Future Proof reacting to short-term trends is feeding trend culture, which in turn is not future proof.

[@Nev1812]

🤯

[@drewski2001]

So true

[@JagaimoNeko]

Exactly what I said in the comment section - it’s just FASHION. We with my wife can’t call ourselves “minimalists” because we never aimed to hold to any particular style. We raised in the Eastern EU in the 90s so one of our impressions were extremely obstructed and motley colored apartments of our parent’s families. I desired to get rid of that clutter since I’ve been ~14 years old, so we took that into account when we were designing our home. Our apartment has a number of “unpopular” solutions but we don’t care at all - we designed what WE wanted, what is comfortable and not what the fashion is dictating. Some of our friends used the word “minimalism” but it never was a goal. Future-proven things/spaces/objects/solutions are desinged to be timeless: practical, functional and comfortable. They are never truly fashionable, but they won’t look like a joke in 5/10/50 years. I normally never write YT comments, I just feel frustated as “future-proven” and “fashionable” are completely opposite concepts :( And yeah, sometimes simply comfortable or retro things are becoming fashionable so people suddenly think they realized something important whilst it’s just a brisk breath of fashon: minimalism/film photography/record players/natural plants/plywood furniture/etc. Well, it’s mass culture after all, I can’t blame it, I just know that it’ll go out of fashion and be forgotten and abandoned by these people. Except for those who really care.

[@Eliotic710]

That being said fashion and style trends have always been around and have been proven to sonewhat cycle through patterns of trends, this sort of vintage inspired aesthetics 20 years later, type of repetitive and predicated trends. And in discussing why we're currently hopping on to a new trend in this area because of present issues, you can see why it actually is something looking into the future. Commenting on how currently this maximimalist trend is lesst creating meaning in your space and mor3 consuming to fill a void left by being stuck and home and poor that recent events pushed on many people lately, is pushing us to think more about mindfull consumerism and how we could actually get that same joy in our living spaces, by seeking out more intentional and meaningful purchaces in our homes. It's the future in terms of understanding that these trends of style repeat and last long enough for us to invest and then have to chuck everything out to reinvest in the next mew trend.

[@gerryverstrepen5973]

Interesting thought however I don't think trend culture will be affected by this channel. If anything: it might lead to some people questioning a certain trend.

[@Macsrus5]

I don’t like dusting, so I ask myself, “is this gonna need dusting often?” If so, I don’t purchase it👏

[@choikof9725]

Ofcourse it will. An empty house is much easier to clean than one which if overflowing with stuff

[@camgeiger]

We need to find a balance between the two called moderatism, where you have just enough things to define a theme that goes along with your personality, but not so much that is just impulse buying junk that will fill the land fills. Buy things that have a purpose and look nice, but keep some empty spaces. Lets mix some utilitarian things in there, this might be my guy thought process but if it sits on the floor, it should have a purpose.

[@FutureProofTV]

moderatism sounds like the play for sure! love this idea tbh

[@htsunmiku]

for me, (if i ever get the opportunity to have my own place) majority of it would follow minimalism. More personal spaces, like my room/hobby room etc would lean more Maximalist.

[@Sarcastitonea]

this is just called being a normal person

[@Conval-wi5eh]

My favourite synonyms for this balance are: Intentionalism Enoughism Essentialism Selectivism Curationism

[@LuthienNightwolf]

This is pretty much how I decorate. Too much clutter is stressful and also just turns into a dust farm.

[@kevinShau2023]

'Minimalism', as popularized by attention-seeking influencers is dead - as it was a path, like so many others to a bottomless pit of consumerism and comparison. Actual minimalism, though, is alive and well. Maximalism, by contrast, is just the latest take on massive consumption, trying to rest its laurels on the failure of superficial 'minimalism.' When one gets to a certain age, these -isms just become a parody of culture clung to by people whose attention spans and goals are miles wide and inches deep.

[@OmDahake]

that's really sad

[@mrdeanvincent]

Nailed it. The type of 'minimalism' that is dead was just another consumerist fad for the trend-chasers. It was only minimalist in the most superficial ways.

[@sml0266]

Brilliantly stated.

[@chrisk8027]

Wait, you mean "influencers" are actually just a new way of saying "salesmodel" and they'll make up anything at all to stay in the public eye despite offering zero contribution to the world?

[@bexiexz]

poetry

[@Foxfire-xq5ij]

To me minimalism has always been about getting rid of crap you haven’t used, won’t use, don’t need, don’t care about, and is otherwise just taking up space that it doesn’t deserve. It doesn’t mean throwing everything away and making your home look like an asylum solitary confinement room…..

[@its_clean]

You're talking about lifestyle minimalism. There's also design minimalism, which does not say anything about which things or how many things you should own, it only prescribes design principles of simplicity and cleanliness. I'm a design minimalist who owns nothing of any color, I love simple shapes and extremely well made things that look too simple to be believable. But I own a ton of crap, I just keep it all sorted and concealed so you can't see most of it in my white and grey asylum or an apartment. I know I'm nuts, don't be like me 😂

[@Lesverts]

Lets start the 'midimalism' trend. Intentional buying and acquiring of things that bring you joy and highlight your interests and life journey. Don't worry if you have too much or too little. Just be happy with what you have and what you've acquired over the journey of life.

[@FutureProofTV]

Something tells me that wouldn't get lots and lots of clicks tho....

[@brycedunlap]

You mean similar to the "aesthetic of Joy" that Levi specifically referenced in the video?

[@sml0266]

That is literally Marie Kondo. She is not actually teaching minimalism - just keeping only things that bring you joy.

[@bexiexz]

perhps that's next!

[@vaderladyl]

Mediumalism is what it is.

[@scpatl4now]

I have a big box in my garage called "The Quarantine Box". When I go to get rid of things, they go in the box. If after 60 days I don't miss it or need to use it, I throw it out or donate it. You'd be surprised at how many things live in your house rent free that you would never know were gone if someone took them.

[@VitalVampyr]

How many things live in your house and pay rent?

[@scpatl4now]

@@VitalVampyr The ones you use...it's a metaphor.

[@sml0266]

Funny, mine's called the "Out Box" as in it's going out of my house.

[@cherithbrook6056]

As a maximalist, there is a sustainable way to do it. It can mean collecting things over the years that are well made and mean a lot to you. Or buying from the thrift store and antique shops instead. It can mean keeping, repairing and reusing things instead of buying all new stuff. It can also be a way of not conforming to the trend of beige and minimalism, and expressing your unique style. There is also a difference between intentional maximalism and hoarding. The way people are doing it as a trend today can definitely be centered around hyper-consumerism, but it's not a trend for me. I've always been more of a maximalist and minimalism just isn't for me, in fact i hate it, but to each their own. There are pros and cons to both and a dark side of consumerism for both. I just wish they talked a little bit more about the positives of maximalism as a concept instead of just the trend of buying a bunch of cheap temu shit and throwing it into your room because that's not all it is.

[@marie1701]

Totally agree with the points you’ve made! Personally I can’t really identify myself with neither minimalist nor maximalist but I also love to just collect things that have meaning to me and remind me of certain memories and places. I always have a hard time making decisions when I want to get something but usually a longer decision process is worth it. In its broad definition both minimalism and maximalism are not inherently bad. As you said the issue is whether it’s mindless overconsumption and hoarding or intentional consumption and collecting of things you value.

[@HurricaneStormX]

But yet I read that comment and as a minimalist myself I find it really interesting in a positive way. I never think maximalism can be like that. And totally agree that both had dark side. Like to trow your stuff to “have less”, and buy new when you need them, trow again, buy… that’s just another form of overconsumption. I’m happy I read your comment, it was a learning experience for me about the maximalism. Thank you. 🙏

[@fvckpink4206]

i 2nd this!

[@onyxstewart9587]

Agreed, I love collecting stuff. I constantly struggle to find space for all the stuff I have, but my collections make me happy and I love finding creative ways to display my collections. I'd go mad trying to live a minimalist lifestyle, it seems so boring. However, the stuff I collect is things I get from thrifting/buying second hand on sites like ebay, or handmade items by actual artists. I don't buy any of the cheap junk sold on sites like Temu. Being a maximalist doesn't have to be bad.

[@lovelokest2]

Beige and other neutral tones of colors need to go sit in a corner for the next 50 years.

[@huntergibson9359]

I am a self proclaimed maximalist. I grew up this way, every space I have ever inhabited was cluttered with things that hold sentimental value or practical usage. None of it is shitty fast fashion. The problem is chasing trends and not any one individual style itself. Minimalism is expensive and people who follow it seem to not live in their spaces. Maximalists tend to keep things for a rainy day and then not be able to find what they need when they need it. The real best thing is to simply stop following the trends as they will always wax and wane. Be yourself and build a space you want to inhabit. That’s all there is to it.

[@marslander2488]

People shouldn’t follow any “trends”, they should just buy what they like. I’ve never been into minimalism nor am I into maximalism. I have my personal style and I purchase what I like accordingly.

[@Aubreykun]

To know what you like requires a measure of self-awareness. A lot of people are not self-aware and mentally run away if things start to push them towards self-awareness. There's a lot of pressure to simply conform and follow trends in many directions (with even "counter-trends" being conformist) and many can't handle the fear of losing all the "fair-weather friends" due to a lack of actually having meaningful connections with people that can act as a support network. It's a part of why so many people feel lonely, it's just more visible now that we have the internet.

[@marslander2488]

@@Aubreykun very true!

[@EnnVee959]

Everyone behaves like that, but some attitudes can be described by nouns like minimalism and maximalism.

[@pollyrg97]

As someone who spent her 20s and early 30s living a fairly minimalist lifestyle because she was too broke to afford more than the bare minimum, I always found minimalism to be a miserable trend. As soon as I could afford a few colourful luxuries I went for it. I'm not a maximalist I just like comfort, cosiness, and having adequate resources on hand to, for example, cook and host a meal for six.

[@Bustermachine]

I agree with most of the people here. I never considered myself a 'minimalist'. I just want everything to have a place where it can remain safe, clean, undamaged, easily found, and not get in the way when it's not being used.

[@cassinipanini]

Maximalist and anti-consumerist here! 🙋‍♀ second hand all the way. best compliment I ever received was when a friend spent 20 minutes looking around my room at all the (Essentially) dioramas i had arranged and said she felt like she was in a museum, looking at each exhibit.

[@OpinionisnotFact]

My best friend calls my apartment “the museum of you”

[@its_clean]

I get the same museum comment about my home too, but interestingly I'm a slavish minimalist. All white and grey and steel and glass, everything hidden behind cabinets and drawers except the things I want to have displayed. Travel souvenirs, art pieces, model cars and airplanes and rockets, movie props, all on shelves or in cases. I know it's not the same- your friends probably meant more that your personalized collection of things allows them to better understand who you are, whereas my aesthetic simply looks like a literal art gallery. Just thought it was funny that two diametrically opposed styles could unintentionally provoke the exact same comment!

[@Conniestitution]

that's so nice!!! I love a home that shows personality and that is the BEST compliment to illustrate you succeeded :')

[@Plaston_]

Im a maximalist but with old stuff for exemple my main living room have a big 2000's crt combined with a home cinema from the 80s and my dad's couch from 87 and a lot of decorative stuff who are mostly pre 2010s and this combined with the orange wallpaper make this room all warm and fuzzy!

[@eggballo4490]

I like to collect Japanese toys like Beyblades and Transformers as well as Thomas the Tank Engine toys, they've all over my bedroom but the thing is, I'm not following certain trends. I just grew up with these things and they make me happy.

[@turtleanton6539]

Same😮

[@zumabbar]

that's not really maximalism or cluttercore since it's not random, is it?

[@XDarkGreyX]

​@@zumabbarnah, unless you really buy every piece for your collection no matter the quality or uniqueness. In that case, it leans much more towards maximalism.

[@eggballo4490]

@@zumabbar It's not any sort of "core" or "ism". Those things just make me happy.

[@CaseNumber00]

Sounds like you are more of a collector than pursing maximum. I have a similar vein with anime paper collectables like posters and artbooks.

[@sjoaker1]

Maximalism as you state, has technically already existed in various incarnations. Although with baroque, I wouldn't say that it was "a lot of stuff", but rather a lot of intricate details in design together with big areas that needed to be covered, hence a lot of things for a small area, yet "normal" for a large area. However, in the mid 19th century in the eclecticism movement (victorian), also called Victorian Excess or Victorian Opulence, that was truly maximalism. They "just" collected things from everywhere and stuffed it in a room, call it 1800s clutter-core (look it up, crazy stuff). And I'd say with Art Deco, it wasn't really maximalism or eclecticism, sure there were a lot more things (post-war and all that), but that wasn't the mindset behind the style, again it was more about the opulence in design, not actually "more stuff". A lot of the art deco could definitely be considered minimalism in some manners, since the design is rich but there are few items.

[@sjoaker1]

I guess what I wanted to say was that a lot of the examples are rich in design, but not really in "collecting items" and can't really be compared to contemporary maximalism. That said, I fully 110% agree on all your points about the maximalistic movement, it's quite disturbing, especially as someone who finds "one good thing over several bad" his mantra.

[@olafsigursons]

Just like minimalism already existed in various incarnation, look at Zen. And I would say Indians was maximalist before everybody!

[@TheCuteBucket]

Art Deco is a really good balance between the extremes of either end imo -- By minimalism's standards, Deco is very, well, decorated, and has lots of fine details and textures and patterns and color. But by the standards of the time it was in and what came before it, like the Victorian era and Art Nouveau, it was pretty restrained and understated and feels more minimalist in comparison. Maybe that's why I like it so much -- it's not too far to one side or the other.

[@ajiththomas2465]

Plus, Art Deco looks nice without being obnoxious. What I wouldn't give to see and walk in some Art Deco designed buildings like apartments and stuff.

[@Aubreykun]

There was also the "Aesthetic Movement" of the late 19th century! Lots of lacquer and combinations of black and gold were common. It's very cool stuff.

[@InteriorDesignHub]

I've done lots of videos on Maximalism... People love it, they get great views!❤. It's not about buying new. It's about keeping and crafting a look that is self expression of your life. Repurposing family heirlooms and being authentic instead of focusing on consumerism

[@hoagietime1]

In the early 2000's we achieved this style at thrift store. You can outfit your whole home for $5

[@jukesngambits]

For me, hearing about 'maximalism' while being entirely outside interior design or lifestyle circles, it seems to be about a celebration of being alive and life itself. There also seems to be an element of defiance not only in response to 2020 but in response to a cultural atmosphere that seems designed to make everyone feel guilty just for existing...YOU are the toxic parasite is one of the feelings so much around us seems to drive home to you, and it can seem as if your duty is to not only make yourself as small as psosible but to live as austere as possible, and in its most twisted form a sense of duty to suffer and live miserably...but if you are not happy with that, it's because you haven't done enough mindfulness meditation or self-helped hard enough. Maximalism seems to be saying "f you" to that. I've never been a minimalist, but many of the colorful and warm items in my house I got completely for free or used. I think there's so much stuff in the USA at least you can kind of be a 'maximalist' and literally not buy anything new. If anything, the 'maximist' style is kind of necessary if we don't want to just toss everything we've already made into the burn pile. I think it goes hand in hand with reusing.

[@bookNerd151]

You put this so beautifully! The puritanism, moral superiority (not to mention the sterile, boring appearance) of minimalism has always rubbed me the wrong way. I think the race and class aspect of minimalism is VASTLY under explored too….

[@SteMegManzaroli]

I love maximalism with your own old stuff, it could be from your family or from your childhood, you don’t have to buy anything and every piece has a meaning

[@carinahunt9597]

I am absolutely a fan of cozy and bright homes full of the stuff that brings me joy. I agree that today's Maximalism trend is adding to plastics pollution and landfills but I still think that there can be a lot of joy in the "right stuff". My suggestion for folks like me is to invest in quality stuff like handmade art. Take a pottery class and learn how to make your own vases that can fill you with pride evey time you look at them. Take up photography or painting and cover your walls in meaningful images. Homes can be full of things, full of meaning, and full of joy without being full of garbage.

[@bookNerd151]

THIS! I particularly like hanging art done by my family members 😊

[@daryld149]

In theory, maximalism could work if people were “recycling” items by shopping at yard sales, thrift shops, Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. While not the quality that one would find at expensive and exclusive estate sales, many items would ‘have a story’ and likely be better all around than what’s sold online or at big box stores.

[@BigBlueBugGaming]

I don't know if it is just the topic you choose, but everything you cover you give this sad bleak look on our society. I'd love to see you take a swing at some happier topics, as I do love your videos

[@Aubreykun]

That's really just part of his own (or his team's) outlook. There's lots of great stuff in the world - the fact that people can even afford to be "consumerist" is a pretty good mark, we're just still (culturally) adjusting to having such abundance at our fingertips. Same with all the power that the internet has brought us in terms of autodidactic potential.

[@its_clean]

​​​​@@Aubreykun The problem is, even the two positives you mention are actually superficial symptoms of bad things that are only going to get worse unless something changes. As far as people being able to afford being consumerist, this is only partially a product of people making enough money to buy stuff- it's equally a symptom of massive commercialization, commoditization, and a race to the bottom between retailers like Amazon, Shein, etc. Look at places like Etsy, that used to be wonderful resources for finding unique crafts and custom items. Now those unique items are like only 10% of the site, with the rest being taken up by people dumping their old junk like eBay, and cheap overseas made knockoffs of whatever you can think of. It is not a good thing that we can all now afford to buy a dozen cheap plastic water bottles from China or Vietnam. It would be a good thing if we could all afford one or two well-made, lifetime-quality bottles, if there were even companies making things like that anymore. Likewise, with the internet enabling self-learning. Yes, it is an absolute benefit. But unless we confront the absolute deluge of mis- and disinformation that is difficult for the average person to identify, and the extreme political polarization of virtually every single possible discussion topic, I feel things are going to get worse rather than better. When even my father, an old-school Reagan Republican who drives a Mercedes and has played at Trump's golf courses, starts complaining about late-stage capitalism, you know it's getting serious.

[@Cloudsandcurls1303]

I grew up in a “let’s keep this just in case” house, and I have sensory issues that mean I’m often overwhelmed when too much is going on so.. that’s a trend I’ll happily skip! My minimalist home gives me comfort and soothing

[@sonyakinsey4376]

I have an art studio and am a total maximalist. My walls are full of art from friends and prints I like, my books, my model and doll collection and antiques I've had for years. A lot of my studio is made up of stuff rescued from art stores and flea markets. It doesn't have to about a trend or cheap junk. It's about thoughtfully building up an environment that reflects your interests and tastes.

[@emh.1178]

You could probably call my personal style maximalism- im a Mexican-American artist living in a 400 sq ft apartment. There's just not a lot of room for all my supplies, projects, and books to fit a bare minimalist aesthetic, and i love bright colors and dislike the cold vibes of most minimalism for my personal hone. I don't buy a lot of decor, but the little I do have is high quality and intentional. There's definitely more nuance than minimalism being the only 'valid' aesthetic

[@traildoggy]

Home decor as a rolling fashion trend is such a bizarre idea.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes😮

[@sunnohh]

How? Shit gets old looking every 5-7 years

[@traildoggy]

@@sunnohh So in five years you need to completely re-express who you are by updating the entire visual scheme of your living spaces? That's what I mean by bizarre. It's just boxes that you put things in or sit on. It's not a signifier for who you are. Used furniture looks old the day I buy it. Doesn't bother me at all. Most new furniture is expensive and cheaply made at the same time.

[@Aubreykun]

@@sunnohh I can explain it a bit better: Someone who is following said rolling trends is not actually expressing themselves with their home decor. By allowing socially-performative behaviors to encroach in their sanctuary, the home ceased being "their PRIVATE space" but just another facet that must be kept up for status. It's actually a sad reflection of how there's a lot of external pressure for people to not be self-aware, as to know what you ACTUALLY like requires said self-awareness and is an act of agency against fitting in, in many cases. But as I said, there's a lot pressure against this. If you're self-aware, you can't simply place your decisionmaking responsibility on the fault of groups by riding trends. If you're self-aware, you may even realize that following the trends you have been are detrimental to you, and that the "friends" you made may in fact be more like acquaintances or (bizarrely) recreational coworkers, or even worse - they were actually your competition! Competition for ultimately meaningless status, but still competition.

[@vaderladyl]

@@sunnohh That means you are not doing it right.

[@bailey27727]

I am a maximalist because I do not throw out things I am gifted or have owned since childhood if those items serve me in my life. It's mostly in the form of a robust library and indie art collection. There are types of maximalism - consumerist and archival. People following the trend are wasteful, versus those of us who appreciate what we're given and support artists.

[@xXBLAKGOATXx]

Baroque era all the way !!! Extravagance and intricate detail quality and craftsmanship

[@AlanBeacham-bd9lq]

When you had the B roll of someone throwing out the orange table, it was labeled "The Office" when that clip is from "Parks and Rec"

[@thewatchfemme4051]

I got to say this video struck me as cynical and one note. If you like to live in an empty box with little around you that’s fine, but the rest of us who are collectors and enthusiasts will inevitably fill up our homes with cool stuff we found along the way. It’s not buying useless stuff for the social media clout, it’s an expression of individuality. Buy second hand and buy things that are meaningful to you. Don’t live for trends, live for the joy of being alive, and if that means your apartment is absolutely full of books and plants and cool stuff you found at the thrift store, well rejoice! You have a personality.

[@mitchib1440]

I'm a hoarder. My room is so dusty but I can't let things go, really trying to find a way out of this one tbh. I'm getting really good at not buying stuff that won't improve my life substantially but my room is very much full of stuff I could do with clearing out. If anyone has any tips, I'd appreciate it!

[@GrubbsandWyrm]

My style is thrift store lol

[@GSBMxyz]

My grandma had that same vase and I broke it whilst fighting with my brother. Fond memories but poor grandma was devastated

[@sileigh1]

My home is definitely maximalist but it is a result of my love for color, quirk objects and all the antiques I have inherited. It also helps that I am an artist so I keep some of the things I make.

[@Shako_Lamb]

I'm in my 20s and I've always considered myself a "maximalist" and "less is a bore" kind of person, but the stuff I have sitting around as decor on my shelves all has a sentimental reason to be there. My top criterion for decorating is whether an object can start a conversation about what it means to me. At the risk of sounding haughty, I never buy random plastic decor on Amazon like what's shown in the video. I take a lot of inspiration from my grandfather who decorated two houses with an eccentric but extremely discerning eye. When he entered assisted living and we sold one of the houses, the buyers asked, "Was he a world traveler? The decor is fascinating!" and we said "Nah, he just knew what to find at the yard sale!"

[@fiveminutefridays]

maximalism is also deeply tied into the cottagecore aesthetic and cultural ideas on class and classism. It used to be that clutter = trashy and minimalism = wealth (others in the comments have commented on how wealthy people can treat everything as disposable whereas lower classes tend to hold on to things for reuse, but theres also the fact that its just more time and effort to keep shit looking clean if its a broad blank white canvas for dirt). Cottage-core has a lot of issues, but one of the things it romanticizes is a life that is both small-scale and beautiful. It draws from a lot of lower class imagery from lifestyles that require owning a lot of handy stuff, and lower brow kitschy sensibilities that tend to not worry about arranging a space elegantly to turn each space into art, but to just start with whatever space you have and fill it with objects and decorations over time.

[@Uncle_Smidge]

FWIW the Panini actually made me LESS maximalist. I grew up without a ton of money but well cared for. I was just afraid to let stuff go, not unlike a hoarder. Being stuck inside as a raging extrovert, my stuff felt SMOTHERING. If anything I've been more and more intentional of what I do with my freed space. Real wood shelves, glass storage ware, shirts from brands/creators I genuinely want to support, etc.

[@klorgas]

This is hilarious - as someone who has almost exclusively bought secondhand or milsurp my whole life and either repair/service things myself or by one of my trusted artisans seeing these trends is like watching aliens

[@sillypotato9453]

Buying things to create a trendy aesthetic is definitely bad. But collecting objects from travels, pictures of loved ones, displaying your interest and loves, and buying second hand furniture that does not match a certain look or even each other, is good. Usually you do not see these kinf of spaces change drastically but more evolve over time as life adds on new objects or things actually need to be replaced. I still have a lamp from over 10 years ago and my downstairs bathroom is covered in pictures with friends and family (and the dog). Looks like shite but it makes me happy every time a take a dump

[@zsigzsag]

I have always loved rustic, log cabin/lodge, always will. Makes me feel warm peaceful, closer to nature. Don't care about ridiculous trends!

[@claram5482]

This is my favourite Future Proof video so far. I wish you'd drop more videos focusing on the larger trends rather than individual objects, they're more universal and relatable for those of us outside of North America.

[@JHZech]

Minimalism isn't dead for me. I live in a small space and keep everything minimalist and clutter free. Minimalism forever.

[@bobjacobson858]

My sister likes to buy gifts for people, and her own place is full of pictures and other things that cover most of the walls. She used to give a lot to our parents, but when our father was in his late 80s, he told her "anything you bring into this house, you're going to have to take out later" and at an earlier time he said "before anything comes in, something should go out".

[@Nimta]

I hated how dull and drab minimalism looks... but I also really don't like how cluttered maximalism can get, and I don't like buying just any old thing for decor, it needs to be special. There's a happy medium here.

[@elizabethm5794]

It would be great if people could just feel free to be themselves. If you are distracted by clutter--be a minimalist. If you feel comfy with lots of stuff to look at--be a maximalist. Can't we move past trends? And when it comes to consumerism, please just support your local artists and craftspeople rather than buying mass-produced items. You're making the world a better place.

[@Mitchellfw]

Honestly, I have a bunch of stuff in my house but it's been explained to me as "Elder Millennial" style. It's very much how my very preppy parents decorate their home, which is more or less classy hoarding: Never throw anything out, keep it for generations, invest in antique pieces to keep the look consistent, lots of chintz and stripes. 🤔

[@pm_davidjones]

I went on vacation to visit some old friends. They were into the minimalist thing. It was painful to hang out at their place. So sterile and lifeless. I've seen more interesting things and felt more comfortable at my dentist's office getting work done. By Tuesday I was already looking forward to going back to work in the cube farm. Now my retired neighbors on the other hand, had LOTS of stuff. Not for the sake of maximalism, but as a result of long and interesting lives. You could blow a whole Saturday listening to the stories about the items just in the Northeast corner of the living room. So much life. I don't know if there is a technical fashion term for it, but the word Personalism comes to mind. Stuff for the sake of stuff is silly, but stuff that tells the story of your life... now that's something worth having around.

[@Tharsis42]

Maybe a better call to action would be to explore maximalism while being thoughtful about the story your items can tell. Buy and sell/donate to thrift shops in your area if possible (edit: or online marketplaces). Be thoughtful and intentional with you decorating because a big part of the story our items tell in today's world is what happens to them before you get them, and when you are done with them.

[@ahleahhook9791]

Id argue that the Edwardian era, with the boom of the Industrial Revolution and the ability to mass produce was also a maximalism pendulum swing time too, after the strict social constructs of the Victorian and before the Great War started. People LOVED to flex their stuff.

[@janaekelis]

as a person of colour, our houses vary in maximalist styles. and if you know anything about our parenting styles many of us have associated trauma with it. so now being the new generation of homeowners (mostly renters), we have chosen to decorate our spaces minimally. i actually like the 70s maximalist style, however, the modern version still looks sort of clean compared to the 70s. i think thrifting really pushed it into the zeitgeist. my favourite type of content currently is watching rich people decorate their homes maximalist with items they just so happened to thrift but when you look it up its a brightly coloured coffee table shaped like bart simpson that costs thousands from some californian interior designer

[@Senki207]

Imma butt in with something real quick: maximalism can also be something that "just happens" in your place, not necessarily as a product of compulsive buying from Temu and Aliexpress. I was born in 1997, so it's safe to assume that me and most of my peers will simply never own a house, period. But that doesn't mean we can't have apartments, and it certainly doesn't mean we don't DO stuff. And doing stuff often requires owning stuff. Into hiking? Now you have a bunch of hiking gear you have to put somewhere. Into climbing? Add some climbing gear to the mix. Photography? Sprinkle in some camera gear too. Can't afford a lot of high-end gear so you make your own? Add some tools to the mix. Now, all of these things can be perfectly be stored in a house, with a nice garage and maybe a shed in the backyard and your sort of living area can look "clutter-free". But someone like me who prioritizes "hobbies" over starting a family isn't going to save up for a house, and that frees up some income to practice other things, with most of these other things requiring... stuff. So in a sense, our apartments do slowly turn into a "cluttercore" place simply because there's less storage space than in a house.

[@drewski-qu3co]

Both high end maximalism and high end minimalism are about quality, but most people can only afford low quality min/maximalism so its crap.

[@alexwansss]

I didn't think I am a maximalist, until I looked at my walls and it's all my paintings put up in mosaic patterns. You can still make it really special, but each piece has got to be thoughtful and maybe with a touch of you imbued within, then it's not a bunch of cheap junk, but a room full of personal touches.

[@unusualguy1]

4:18 This is literally why I prefer maximalism over minimalism. Making my space have my own kind of vibe, comfort and personality to it is the key... minimalism, on the other hand, is just depressing.

[@spaghettiking7312]

Can't we just quit both?

[@FutureProofTV]

that's where we're at !

[@ThisAbilityClinic]

The more things we have, the more things we have to manage. Less useless, wasteful stuff, less stress. 🤟🏼

[@Blue-pb7kz]

Wait, Nick Lewis, guy who loves Ikea and says that towels that are more than a few years old are gross and tells people to toss out any mismatched cutlery, glassware and dinnerware to buy new fully matching sets of everything, is a friend of the channel? Huh. Like I like how he analyses stuff and gives advice on how to achieve certain styles of decor but I was not expecting the endorsement here!

[@chynnaholmes2378]

I’d like to point out a lot of maximalist folks, including myself, spend a lot of time curating our homes using thrifted goods. I don’t think I even have anything new that’s decor related haha.

[@vaderladyl]

Nothing is ever truly dead. People will do what best accommodates to their lifestyle and personal tastes.

[@muddyotterspottery569]

The minimalism of the 2010’s was just as big of a flex as the maximalist periods were in the past. The most ironic minimalists were posting about the minimalist aesthetic of their 3000+ square foot homes with 5 bathrooms…. albeit “tastefully???” decorated in creams, whites and beige. And, a lot of their minimalist baskets and sculptures and furniture were all purchased online. The minimalism of the 2010’s was just as consumeristic as the maximalism of today.

[@duckandbear]

Just make your space a place that you love ❤ I'm so un-trendy I discovered minimalism DURING the pandemic 😂 While maximalist gives me a panic attack I'm by no means living in a white walled box. As the Pier 1 commercials used to put it - "find what speaks to you"

[@new-lviv]

Consumer minimalism is a practical philosophy, not a style of having many bland things. You can live minimalist in a Victorian mansion.

[@tomyurkovic]

I wonder how much KZbin/streaming has influenced these trends. I really appreciate your subtle backdrop. Many others have so much clutter that I can barely focus on the narration.

[@scpatl4now]

When I look at Maximalist design...all I see is a lotta dust and hidden dirt

[@vaderladyl]

.You are not doing it correctly then.

[@megaman61293]

Just FYI, the "throwing the table into the dumpster" clip is from Parks & Rec, not the office.

[@SS-wi4tm]

Instead of complaining I think you could've offered solutions for people who like the maximalist aesthetic: more reuse, more curation (so you could keep the stuff longer term and develop a sense of aesthetic), supporting local artists and buy nothing groups or thrift stores, more upcycling, decoupage of clothes and furniture (which was a lot of the foundation of the 60s movement). I like this channel but its easy to be critical without being constructive. And ultimately an artisitic movement can go either way. There was a lot of consumerism behind minimalism as well and all that minimal furniture also ended up in the trash cause no one loved it. Purely doom and gloom oriented narratives are not what younger generations need. This also becomes part of the doom scroll you were complaining about.

[@waynebotha660]

I have been on cluttercore for 2 years now since l moved out. Unintenionally.

[@SteMegManzaroli]

I moved out 20 years ago and I’m still on cluttercore 😂

[@Aurriel]

I moved out 15 years ago and 2 rooms of my apartment are minimalist and 1 room is cluttercore deluxe 😅

[@waynebotha660]

Haha best of both worlds. I'll probably also do that when I get more than one room one day🤣🤣 @@Aurriel

[@Matty002]

this is what you get when you trend chase instead of cultivating your personal style. its a money sink and you end up living in a space that doesnt make you content outside of being cool/trendy

[@greenleafyman1028]

Minimalism or Maximalism when done right aren't bad. What we should avoid is consumerism, buying anything we don't need or even like for the sake of availing the sale discounts or frequently buying latest phone or clothes just to catch up the latest trend.

[@emmanueloluga9770]

It is salient you made this video the same day I realized the exact type of Maximalism that was simmering in my mind. Now, I'm watching this two days after you posted this, having found my tribe. Grea viddeo

[@mikaelastefkova]

As someone who was basically bedridden for 2 years and is very fatigued often, I grew to despise my bedroom to the point I sleep in the living room during the day now (I nap for 1-3h everyday), because I can't stand its plain childish furniture (I'm in my 20s and I have the same bedroom I've had when I was six). As I'm dreaming about the changes I'm going to make to it, my dreams absolutely left the minimalistic idea I've had for my future apartment years back. 🙈 I think the pandemic caused a lot of this for other people, you really crave meterial things when you can't go outside or talk to other people in person imho ✨ Great video!^^

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

I love art. I own a lot of it. Minimalism wants me to cull my collection of paintings and etchings. Minimalism hates my books, many of which are first editions. I have always hated beige. Most of my furniture is 40-100 years old (new sofa and breakfast table).

[@AerynKDesigns]

It's really awful being a collector too because I can justify literally anything that fits, or could fit, into my collections. A new colouring book, a doll I didn't have, an outfit for said doll, a new calico critter, it can all fit into the collection but not my office....

[@thatswhatisaid8908]

Minimalism will never be dead as long as people want to keep their house clean very quickly, and soend more time doing things which matter to them.

[@Golemkind]

I'm a huge fan of maximalism, even after growing up in a hoarder house. You're absolutely correct about the old maximalism vs new maximalism--almost everything I get for my personal maximalist aesthetic is high quality and/or secondhand. Admittedly my version of maximalism is like a studio apartment so it's still not actually a ton of stuff (that and I don't have a pet which generates a lot of dust, plus I have an air purifier). I really hope that intentionality continues to grow as a concept.

[@MissMegaLoathe]

I very recently got into the mindset and financial bracket that i can tell myself "no, i do not need this overproduced pieve of decor from target, i would rather have something handcrafted by a local artist" and even though i'm maximalist it's slowly becoming either unique or thrifted pieces i've found. Noe the financial bracket part i said is important; if you're broke af but still want to have things that make you happy that limits what you can afford. I used to be in that spot.

[@shl24yw89]

It's funny how I found your video now. I was a minimalist for years. It was just recently I have leaned towards maximalism. In fact, it was about a month ago I got a change of mind to renovate my boring minimalist room into a full blown maximalist room. Yes, it is very colorful and joyful now in my room. Idk how the environment made me change my mind. It simply happened.

[@festivalkyrie]

At 5:39 I'd like to say thank you for showing the FUNNIEST thing which I deeply adore: the painting made to show the fashion trends having a more medieval inspiration, and the very beiginning of Pre-Raphaelism. And pre-Raphaelism has these beautifully ornated, nature inspired wallpapers, textiles,and deep colors you can find leakig into some households in a very small way too - they are incredibly elegant and magical,. But for now, we don't need only a piece of decorative pillows with W.Morris' patterns- we want to live in places where our history , and culture is living with us! Also, a huge factor is, for Europeans, homes are much more smaller, so cluttered places might be a very regular thing - especially with our grandparent's houses WHO NEVER THREW OUT ANYTHING. To be honest, I'm very happy to see, this "childish nostalgia" type of comfort need is recognized, and trying to form it into a trend ✨✨

[@iliaslawson6718]

As a 23 year old. I personally feel like I started doing maximalism right at the beginning. I don’t buy things from online however. I THRIFT. I personally feel like that’s where you get the best stuff for less money. I associate the movement with wanting to be comfortable and creating your own feel. Either thrifting, diy, or finding it by a dumpster and redoing it. Most of the things in my house were free or under $15 including my big green couch.

[@CampamentoUL]

Man this channel feels like this is happening everywhere but I don't see neither this nor other trends in my life

[@divyanshbhutra5071]

In car language, minimalism is Tesla interiors (one big screen) while maximalism is land cruiser interiors (laden with buttons). And I love the tactile buttons and knobs.

[@tristanbrooks4755]

Maximalism has been democratized in the modern world. I think that the fact that we live in a world where it is cheap and accessible for anyone to have the creative freedom to fill their home with objects that bring them joy is a modern blessing. Like you said, if you wanted an old interesting vase in the past, it would have to be a one of a kind item made by a craftsman (e.g. prohibitively expensive for most people). The fact that maximalism no longer has to be a wealth flex and instead, we can all be creative and make our homes what we dream them to be is a true miracle of modernity.

[@ayeTobi]

I’m at somewhere between minimalism and maximalism. I only buy things that useful to me and i make sure there won’t be too much for my eyes to see.

[@jonc4403]

I despise minimalism. I have ALWAYS despised minimalism. I also hate trendiness. I don't have a single piece of furniture newer than a decade, and some of it is over a century old. Mid-mod works amazingly well with Victorian when your aesthetic is eclectic.

[@sonorasgirl]

I HATED the beige and boring pallet of minimalism - I think that, and the “holier than thou” attitude about it turned me off. I don’t want to own a bunch of stuff, but what I do I own I want to be colorful and well made. I feel like if we stop doing poorly made stuff but keep having color I’ll be happy (e.g., I buy vintage brightly colored glassware cause it’s fun!)

[@UrDad000]

I’m a maximalist… for plants I like clutter… in the sims I’m a collector… in video games :)

[@purplegrrl711]

In the Victorian era when Victorian clutter came from items in their homes were also mass produced and often dangerous so we are not the first generation who have done this.

[@purplegrrl711]

Happy to find you some resources

[@tobybartlett]

I’ve been a minimalist ever since I was a kid. Decades later, I still love the feeling that I can breathe in my house. White walls allow me to enjoy my art, while glass and black & white furniture lets me appreciate the industrial design of it. And I don’t have sensory overload when I walk into a room. It may not be for everyone, nor may it be “trendy” anymore, but if anything, that’s going to make my love of minimalism increase. Because, who wants to look like everyone else? Bleh.

[@Nyanfood]

I'm similar in a lot of ways! I'm not really so much a minimalist as much as a "I don't like too much stuff." It's not aesthetic, the way I do it, but it's very functional and I get distracted less easily. If I put art on my walls, I sometimes I can't string two thoughts together.

[@Aubreykun]

I'm kind of the opposite. Big blank walls make my anxiety go up. I notice every little spot that's out of the ordinary (in a "is that a bug?!" way.) I always was attracted to things that had all kinds of switches and controls and visible mechanisms, as well as forgetting things if I can't see them. Translucent and other types of see-thru items are way more comforting to me than opaque ones, which might as well be treasure chests - fun to dig thru when in a thrift shop, but I don't really want my home tasks to be an adventure every time.

[@matthewsawczyn6592]

I think this is why we're seeing (when possible), people going back to the homestead/land lifestyle. Today I learned Amish populations have increased by %700 in the last few years!

[@9gaglover321]

What is with everyone talking about temu now? Maximilism isn’t just buying a bunch of useless items to fill a house. It’s about keeping things in your home that mean well to you. You don’t want to have a “sleek” or a junkyard in your house because that’s nots comforting to you

[@gijose83]

I think people confuse the aesthetic style with the decluttering

[@MsJankleina]

I love your videos. They are so well made and well scripted. Thank you❤

[@Saltpork305]

I'm going to stick to estate sales and rehabbing old well built furniture. You know what never goes out of style? Well built wood furniture that lasts for 100+ years.

[@JakeHicksgoldfish]

I discovered minimalism after your video titled "why minimalism failed" was released. I read the book Goodbye Things. It changed my life. I plan to continue living this way for the rest of my life. I don't think minimalism is dead. I think people went through a phase where this was a hot new idea to many and now it's a more commonly accepted and well-known lifestyle. It's not something people have to research or learn about anymore. Minimalism is also a spectrum. I don't think as many people are turning to extreme minimalism. But, I don't think it's dead. It's just not for everyone, and that's okay.

[@EeroMyrsky]

True minimalism is a philosophy not a trend, and as such will never die. Tik tok "minimalism" was never actually minimalistic.

[@danieltdp]

Can't stop but wonder if we aren't suffering some bias when we say that back then it was about quality and art and nowadays is trash. For starters, only quality stuff from the past survives, right?

[@taleseylad1249]

Survivorship bias is at play here. Ice Spice was popular last year and now. . . No one really cares

[@ellenk9604]

You make some great points. I have two insights on this. 1. I'm a visual (fine craft) artist, and I welcome any new interests in handmade products such as mine, which can't be mass produced and won't be made in a factory or by AI, ever, or at least in my lifetime. 2. for a living, I work in an a**zon warehouse. It's incredibly eye opening to see the hundreds of thousands of packages dumped onto conveyer belts every single day in just this one facility. Much is made in overseas factories and has little intrinsic value. If little cheap trinkets are maximalism, I'm not interested. But I think there is a longing in many of us for COLOR and TEXTURE and artistic expression that gives real beauty and warmth to our living spaces. So yes, to beautiful handmade items, whether you produce them yourself or buy them from working artists. Bare walls are boring and sterile, in my opinion.

[@maggie2067]

In the mid 90s I was a minimalist but people thought I was too poor to afford things. Now I am a maximalist. I have to declutter time by time. It's both attractive for me.