Dopamine Decor: How to Style a Maximalist Space in Your Home

Dopamine dressing is a buzz term that you’ve probably seen all over socials — referring to the idea of dressing in a way that literally boosts your mood. Starting as a mindfulness practice, dopamine dressing encourages you to dress in a way that makes you feel good, whether with bright, colourful shades you associate with joy and confidence — or anything else that gives you that little extra spring in your step. 

Dopamine dressing doesn’t have to end in the wardrobe; you can incorporate dopamine decor into your home. 

If you're a fan of Marie Kondo's tidying methods, think of dopamine decorating as "sparking joy" within your interiors. Basically, dopamine decorating is incorporating feel-good colours, patterns and interior ideas into your home. 

Maximalism is trending, going hand in hand with dopamine decorating — it's even one of the top interior design trends for the year. The trend is well founded; incorporating fun and bright interiors can help to give your space a refreshing new look. Plus, let’s be real — post-covid, we could all use a splash of fun and adventurous spirit in our interiors. So, let’s jump into some maximalist decor ideas that’ll take your home to the next level. 

If you want to create the perfect maximalist space, inviting patterns into it can help create the perfect focal point. Throw away the rules and mix different patterns together. We recommend starting with a centre point and then adding more from there, ensuring each new addition blends in seamlessly with your existing interiors. 

As for how to style a maximalist bed? Invite the joy-evoking Roan collection to take centre stage in your bedroom; its bold and bright shades and large-scale abstract pattern make it the perfect base for your maximalist space. 

For the ultimate in maximalist bedroom decor, complete the look with matching pillowcases and European pillowcases, creating a coordinated look.

If you’re wondering what is the maximalist approach to decorating — maximalism is a celebratory style… but that doesn’t mean you have to celebrate everything all at once. It doesn’t have to overwhelm you.

Instead, you can work around a set colour palette. So, decide whether jewel tones, primary colours, or any other colour combination is best for you — and start with that base. While using bold colours is common, using softer palettes like pastels is an interesting take on the theme. Softer palettes can allow you to be more playful with other aspects of your interior, such as your decor or artwork. 

Alternatively, use less common colours to really capture people's attention. For example, our Wharton Breakfast Cushion comes in the shade ‘bottle’ and would pair well with our Ridgewood Cushion, in a softer shade of mineral green. In fact, if you like colour, maximalism is one of the best aesthetics out there for you.

Using repetition can help to bring together a maximalist style. For example, a frame wall — a tightly packed collection of framed art that takes up an entire wall. While visually impressive, it's not overwhelming. Each piece of art is neatly presented within a repetitive motif; the frame. This tool can be used in other areas of your home as well. 

Repetitive wallpapers can create an intriguing feature wall without being chaotic. Meanwhile, you can purchase furniture and decor in sets of two. Why not have two pink pillows or two ottomans of a kind? Get in line maximalist bedroom decor — the lounge room wants a piece of it, too. 

These motifs can help to bring harmony to the complexity of the maximalist design. The same goes with accessories; fill your sofa with a row of bright cushions like Ryer, paired with the equally eye-catching Naut Throw. 

While it can be tempting to buy all the things in order to fulfil all the maximalist decor ideas that cross your mind, buying one piece at a time can help you to be in tune with what your space needs — and to know when enough is enough. 

While some maximalist spaces may benefit from an eclectic collection of interiors, some spaces may be brought to life with one oversized lamp, a bold-coloured table or a bright bedding ensemble (you know…like Roan).

Dress your walls with dazzling pieces fit for a gallery, and your maximalist style will quickly come to life. While furniture, colourways and decor can say a lot about a person, a picture is worth a thousand words. 

Find art with bright and bold colouring, such as modern abstract art, or choose a piece reminiscent of the chaotic yet intriguing neo-expressionist movement led by artists like Basquiat. Really, the choice is yours. Have fun curating your own personal gallery — keeping an eye out for pieces you think will suit the space and your other pieces. 

It's your home, so make it your own. Your space should reflect your unique style, incorporating little pieces of your personality in all of the nooks and crannies. While Pinterest is a great place for seeking inspiration, some of the very best ideas come from personal experience. 

Get large prints of your favourite artworks and hang them in funky frames, bring your favourite colours into your space with curtains, collect unique trinkets from your travels or display your favourite reads in unexpected places. Injecting your home with your personality will help create a maximalist space that you won’t tire of. 

Maximalism is all about expressing yourself. If you don’t feel that bright colours and whimsical decor is your style, create maximalist spaces with cooler colours instead — our Westbourke Breakfast Cushion in deep indigo is a great option for this. Plus, it would pair perfectly with a darker throw pillow such as the Westmount European Pillow. Pair with the right decor, and even more subdued colours can be maximalist and expressive.

We all have a neglected room in our homes; admit it. It might be a guest room, bathroom, perhaps even just a hallway. To really bring home the maximalist style in your home, keep it consistent in every space — dopamine decor doesn’t have to be limited to your bedroom. This doesn’t have to mean cramming large-scale canvases into your laundry, but it can mean accessorising with small pieces throughout your whole house to create a coherent theme, as you move from space to space. 

Matching the shades of your quilt with a cushion on your couch can help tie everything together. If you’ve opted for the Roan Quilt Cover in the bedroom, pick up the yellow with the Wrenn Cushion in your living area. 

The same goes for small decor pieces like candles or books stacked around your space. Curate your interiors around a theme ​​— while an uncoordinated collection of trinkets can look cluttered, a carefully selected group of decor items can help bring your dream style to life.

Sometimes styling in a maximalist way can get away from us. Too many quirky decor items, or a full rainbow of colour, detract from what makes this style work. When it comes to what is the maximalist approach to decorating — it doesn’t mean randomness or hoarding a plethora of trinkets. 

While more is more with maximalism, there’s still such a thing as too much. It's important to use complementary colours that work well or find a unifying theme that brings a space together. Try removing the things that just don’t ‘fit in’ with your space, to create an interior style that feels like it flows naturally.