If bold and lively interiors are your thing than you must read More is More Décor – A Handbook for Maximalists by Siobhan Murphy. A contestant on Interior Design Masters, Siobhan showcased her eccentric, confident and truly unique style and has since followed up with a fun, quirky and helpful guide to all things maximalism.
Siobhan’s book is an exuberant exploration and journey into maximalism, the origins, notable influences, key players as well as design tips and inspiration to incorporate into your own home. We are emboldened to ‘throw the rule book out’ by identifying colours, patterns and styles that generate joy and then transfer these into our interiors. Maximalism is all about showing off our individual personality, one that cannot be replicated as Siobhan swears by the creative freedom that comes with following our own style.
Our interiors reflect our personalities: what we love, who we are and also tell a story about our past
Siobhan is not one for ‘interior rules’ and incites us to start the design process by looking at our wardrobes for motivation. The end goal is for us to feel like our most authentic self when we are at home, and this can be achieved by welcoming colour, prints and patterns in all sorts of wonderfully brave ways.
You could say the way you dress and how you style your home are both part of the same psyche – they are totally intertwined
One of the vital concepts in More is More Décor is styling a space with lots of accessories, for example plants, ornaments, lamps, and books. Siobhan highlights the importance of grouping these items as a collection, but stresses not to overthink it. This is a terrific suggestion as accessories can be altered and changed over time, allowing a space to feel fresh and attention-grabbing. Maximalism also persuades us to parade and flaunt our items, rather than tidying them away and Siobhan agrees affirming “If I can’t see something, then to me it doesn’t exist – it is forgotten and unused.”
TRAVEL
Siobhan shows us how travel can be a huge revelation for your maximalist style, as keeping items from holidays and journeys can then be incorporated into your interior. Siobhan shares with us her favourite locations for inspiration including Marrakech, Morocco with the bold architecture, intricate patterns, vibrant markets, and kaleidoscope colours. She also lists the retro, flamboyant style of Palm Springs, with iconic architecture, pastel colours, and vivid beach vibes in the middle of the desert. Lastly, Siobhan mentions the Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles as a muse in her own maximalist interior. The iconic banana leaf wallpaper, the pattern combo of botanicals and stripes and candy-coloured palettes.
Striking a balance between natural and high tech, vintage and modern is key to interior design success
COLOUR, PATTERNS & PRINTS
More is More Décor shows us that there can be transformative powers in how we decorate our home, and by adopting bold colours, patterns and prints we reveal our personalities and give our home that ‘wow’ factor. Siobhan beautifully remarks on selecting colours that make her heart sing and then strategically clashing and combing them to harmonise a space. She also pushes for us to explore patterns and prints with whatever style and mood we like, declaring that bringing all these design elements together “is like putting icing on the cake”.
MOOD BOARDS & SKETCHING
Towards the end of the book Siobhan gives us prompts on how we can start our maximalist journey when decorating our home, by mood boarding and sourcing inspiration. One of the significant tips is sketching our ideas and her book (excitingly) shows off some beautiful images by @behindcanvas – proud friend moment!
If you fancy giving interior sketching a go you must check out @behindcanvas below and enter promo code JALAN23 for 30% off.
Jalan Interior 