Issue 05. Maximalism for the everyday essentialist

Reconciling a love of color with a need for simplicity

I recently watched this feature on UK-based stylish sisters Olivia & Alice….The way I ran to my online shopping cart to pick up all the colorful Ganni mini bags and printed denim pants, you’d think my entire closet burned up in a fire and I had nothing left.

But alas, I quickly came to my senses and remembered that although I love the bright colors on them, having a mishmash of bright colors in my home and on my body just never feels good for long. In fact, I’d say this tension is one of the key reasons I finally started writing this newsletter.

How can I reconcile my love - nay, obsession - with maximalism, vintage textiles, floral prints, warm oranges and pinks, with the reality of being a highly sensitive person (HSP) who’s easily overstimulated, needs a calm environment and prefers a limited wardrobe?

Below, a few ways I’ve distilled aspects of maximalism into a simplified, streamlined home and wardrobe.

Go monochrome or go home

A fellow victim of the Maximalist to Minimalist pipeline, Hannah Louise Poston has a great video about monochromatic dressing, which I’d really recommend.

Dressing monochromatically makes a statement, even if ‘quieter’ than mixed prints or unexpected color combinations. I currently stick to monochrome navy’s and blues as these colors can be easier for me to find retail. In the future though, this may expand if I can master color mixing and make my own batch of periwinkle Rit dye. Stay tuned for a future newsletter about the power of dying your own clothes. And if you have clothes you’re interested in dying but don’t want to DIY, I recommend checking out Suay shop dye baths.

Pick a pop

Hardly original, but certainly true, selecting one pop of color or pattern can feel so right. Personally, I love to do this with accessories, a few bright options that caught my eye below, although they haven’t passed my “wear it weekly” criteria.

Concentrate colors in different areas of your life

Because I’m so obsessed with color, but am particular about how I like colors to mix with each other, I’ve curated color palettes for various aspects of my life, with overlap where appropriate.

At home, this looks like blues, greens and pops of chartreuse in our living room, while our bedroom color palette is soothing cream, mauve and dusty navy.

I’m curious, do you ever struggle to balance your desire for color with a deeper need for simplicity?

Perhaps you consider yourself a midimalist like Kelly Williams?

Thanks for reading!

Maureen