![Angel Rivas looking up at a tapestry on his ceiling that depicts a large skull surrounded by colours](https://i0.wp.com/www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Tapestry-Light-scaled.jpg?resize=750%2C430&ssl=1)
Maximalism facing a resurgence following the pandemic
More people are abandoning minimalistic interior design in favour of more character-driven styles
Photos and story by EMMA SHULAR
Cluttercore, granny chic, thrifting design or grand millennium, whatever name you choose for it, maximalism interior design is growing in popularity, according to interior designers and design magazines.
Maria Espinosa, senior interior designer for Vancouver-based PlaidFox Studio, said that maximalism is a design style that is “hard to describe.”
“It’s about layering textures, it’s about layering colours,” she said. “There is always some restraint. You always want to make sure that you’re pairing back and you’re laying the right things.”
Espinosa said PlaidFox Studio saw an increase in people wanting to change their design style following COVID-19.
“We had a lot of people contact us even if it was for something as simple as painting their home a different colour or just decorating it,” she said. “They wanted to change it and add colour and bring life into it and make it a little bit more upbeat.”
Angel Rivas styled the interior of his rental house in Surrey in a maximalist way. He said his design style shifted from minimalist to maximalist following the pandemic.
“When you’re at your home and then can’t really go anywhere else, you rely more on having visual stimuli just from your living space,” he said.
Rivas said that a maximalist style makes the house he shares with roommates feel more comfortable and that with maximalism you can “add a lot more of your personality.”
“It feels more like a home instead of just like a space that I’m in,” he said. “When you have lots of stuff you can like, add a lot of things that you like and that you think make you who you are.”
![Angel Rivas poses next to a mannequin of Michael Myers](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Angel-landing-1200x800.jpg)
Part of maximalism is a variety of decorations in the same space that all come together to give the room a cohesive design.
![Rivas sitting on a couch in his living room. The couches are mismatched and there are posters of traditional Japanese artwork on the wall. A mannequin head with a hockey mask and a pumpkin are on a nearby table.](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Angel-LivingRoom-1200x800.jpg)
These decorations tend to include colourful artwork on the walls and the ceiling . . .
![An abstract painting of a man and a woman](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-paintingjpg-1200x817.jpg)
![Decal of a colourful artistic representation of a three-eyed cat](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Art-Cat-800x1200.jpg)
. . . tapestries that are often extremely colourful and, in Rivas’ home, tend to depict skulls and skeletons.
![A large and colourful tapestry on the ceiling depicting a skull](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Tapestry-colour-1200x800.jpg)
![A tapestry depicting a skeleton on a black background giving a peace sign as it holds a rose in its mouth](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Skeleton-Tapestry-1200x800.jpg)
Another part of maximalism is a large amount of knick-knacks big and small.
![Rivas standing beside a shelf that holds various items including books, figurines, video games and magazines](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Angel-Shelf-1200x800.jpg)
These knick-knacks can range from vintage items to newer ones and have no real limit to what they can be.
![A perpetual motion drinking bird machine dressed in a blue top hat next to an old camera, a toy moose and magazines in the background](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-little-hat-man-800x1200.jpg)
![Two small shelves and a mirror on Rivas' wall. One shelf houses a Bob Ross figure next to a tiny Bob Ross painting. The other shelf houses a box along with small Halloween decor](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Kitchen-Wall-1200x800.jpg)
Rivas said that a majority of the items in the home came from his roommate’s old job where he helped clean out houses of hoarders.
![A stack of VHS tapes beside a small TV with a Bart Simpson figure on top. A large cardboard cutout of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is in the background](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-The-Rock-1200x800.jpg)
This has led to a very wide mix of things in the home, from old film memorabilia . . .
![Rivas organizes his stack of VHS tapes that are next to his cardboard cutout of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Angel-VHS-1200x800.jpg)
. . . (which some people may not even recognize today) . . .
![A close-up of the previous VHS tape stack](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-VHS-close-1200x800.jpg)
. . . to some more eclectic things, like this interesting sculpture.
![Rivas holding a small sculpture of a creature. The creature is egg-shaped, wrinkly and has short and stubby arms and legs. It looks similar to a human head. The creature is depicted as having a large smile and it is dressed in a red hat, yellow socks and black shoes.](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-weird-Thing-800x1200.jpg)
Rivas said that one of his favourite things in the home is the Michael Myers statue they have at the top of the stairs and that it often becomes a “conversation piece.”
![Rivas standing next to a statue of Michael Myers. The statue is wearing a plastic princess tiara.](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Angel-Myers-800x1200.jpg)
![Rivas pretending to scream in fear as the Michael Myers statue raises its knife above him. A tapestry of a cartoonish depiction of the Grim Reaper is on a nearby wall.](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Angel-22Stabbed22-1200x931.jpg)
Another conversation piece is the large skeleton that watches over the house’s driveway.
![Rivas stands next to and points to his large skeleton decoration on his balcony. The skeleton is more than twice the size of Rivas and is at least 12 feet tall](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-big-skeleton-800x1200.jpg)
![A closer photo of the same skeleton from earlier](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Skelebones-800x1200.jpg)
While most things in the house are just for decoration, not everything is. Rivas and some of his roommates have a band together, so they put the audio booth in the basement to good use.
![Rivas and his cat in his home audio booth. He is seated and surrounded by keyboards and audio equipment.](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-Angel-and-Megan-1200x800.jpg)
There are also a couple of cats living in the house that may or may not approve of the decor
![Rivas holds up his cat's paws to his computer keyboard](https://www.langaravoice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/06-Shular-keyboard-cat-1200x800.jpg)
How interesting! Thanks for letting me know.