Here you can read about minimalism vs maximalism, what the differences are and which one is better.
Minimalism
First, let’s take a look at minimalism. I have already written about this lifestyle, how to get to minimalism and even extreme minimalism. However, today I compare the differences between two lifestyles.
Minimalism and Maximalism are different and both have their pros and cons. In my opinion, it’s true that an image says more than thousand words, so here’s a minimalist home:
As you can see, the idea of minimalism is that less is more. You start with a decluttering process, where you slowly get rid of most of your clutter and get to a point where everything you own has a purpose and is important.
Therefore, you live with no clutter, you are more mobile and free. It also influences clothing, colors and more. Minimalism can also be combined with frugality, since both try to reduce waste and combat consumerism.
Maximalism
Maximalism is the direct counterpart of minimalism and it stands for more is more! For some, maximalism is overwhelming, for others, it is rich and full of color. However, the same can be said for minimalism.
In my experience, a certain grade of maximalism is the norm, at least in the western culture. A lot of decoration, stuff in the attic, the garage etc is quite normal. Certainly, maximalism is for some way better than minimalism, but it is easy to go into hoarding.
In normal to maximalist homes, you probably see a little library, a corner with a lot of family photos or with a lot of souvenirs if the person did travel a lot. These things are valuable and tell you a lot about the personality.
While maximalism can also combat consumerism by keeping everything useful, it can also hinder yourself. Just think about all the cleaning and sorting through your stuff.
In conclusion – Minimalism vs Maximalism
In summary, I think that the normal western household is in fact maximalist. You keep your stuff and also have a warm and decorated home. However, you can quickly reach a level of hoarding.
This is why I prefer minimalism, since it actively pushes you to consider what you buy, what you own and therefore helps you to consume less.
I also think that this trend to minimalism is like a phase, caused by several factors like modern lifestyle and consumerism. Agility and flexibility is possible nowadays, even more thanks to the pandemic, and that’s why a lot of people want to have less.
Ps. I found a very interesting website about minimalist vs maximalist packaging design. There is for example Nutella or Pringles with a minimalist design.
Here’s another site.
In my opinion, the food products are better with an image which tells what it is. So, it isn’t always the case that minimalism = better.