What’s your style: minimalism vs maximalism

There is a war raging between two houses, and I don’t necessarily mean between the fashion houses of Gucci and Hermes, though they may be included in the mix. When it comes to everything from personal style to home decor, the pendulum swings from over-the-top maximalism to the simple lines of minimalism. 

Let’s break these style options down.

House of Marie Antoinette

Step into the glimmering, grand palace of Versailles, and you will behold the style aesthetic of maximalism’s reigning queen: Marie Antoinette. As Louis XVI’s wife, this young Austrian took her duties to heart and ushered in an age of opulence at the French court. 

Considered to be one of the first denizens of haute couture, Marie Antoinette commissioned hundreds of extravagant gowns every year — none of which she wore more than once. Each gown had multiple layers: the first was a corset for the top and cage for the bottom. On this architecture, draped the finest French silks, often billowing out into puff sleeves and an extravagant skirt. Accessories and details made up the final touch, so she was practically encrusted by ribbons, gems, and pearls. Her alabaster coiffure towered above her head like icing on a bedazzled cupcake. It was a look as opulent as her palace. 

Iris Apfel

Though she decorated the apartments at Versailles with the same flamboyant taste that she had for her dresses, the Petit Trianon or small palace Louis gifted her most exemplifies her style taste. With its gold-gilt walls and lavish daybeds color-coded with parlor chairs, it was a treasure box of delights. Here, Marie Antoinette hosted her friends and courtiers, languishing the day away with petit fours and the finest teas. Her love of flowers was also evident in the explosion of flower motifs in everything from the tapestries to the hand-embroidered rugs, usually pastel as if constantly bathed in early morning light reminiscent of the Impressionists. 

Perhaps the biggest challenge in channeling this style aesthetic is recognizing when it’s tipped over from extra to excessive. In Marie Antoinette’s case, her ravenous consumption of beauty became tone-deaf during a time when her citizens had to make do with less. But since most of us have neither mini palaces nor a royal allowance for clothing, there isn’t a real danger of more becoming too much.

Who should you look to if you believe more is more? First, layer up those colors, patterns, and prints. Maximalist style icons are Diana Ross, Daphne Guinness, Iman Allana, and our editor’s personal accessorizing hero, Iris Apfel. Think vibrant color or boho luxe. Try sporting Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and Gucci. For home decor, channel Jonathan Adler, the Vanderbilts, or the Breakers to find inspiration to carefully balance extravagance and decadence with style and whimsy. 

House of Marie Kondo

Step into a house organized by lifestyle guru Marie Kondo, and you will see the embodiment of Zen minimalism. Bedrooms will be tidy and uncluttered; open a closet, and all the handbags will greet you from their own little corner while a row of shoes, each one fulfilling a specific need or purpose, will be lined up like little toy soldiers. The living room will be an oasis of family time with nary an errant Lego or tchotchke in sight. Heck, even the kids’ bedrooms will be orderly like a page torn out Pottery Barn Kids. 

Audrey Hepburn

The KonMari mantra is simple: only keep items that spark joy. Marie Kondo encourages organizing your belongings by category (versus location) to allow you to examine each item in your life and determine if there are still sparks between you and, say, your first piece of real jewelry... or, if your love for it has fizzled, that it’s time for it to go. You do this with everything from clothes to toys to sentimental items. Anything that doesn’t make you indelibly happy can be stripped away. It’s an organizing strategy that lends itself naturally to minimalism. 

The challenge with her approach to minimalism is that it may prove too simplistic for things that have “future use” — the biggest example being books. Having a well-stocked library in one’s home may not be the vision of tidiness, but there is something hopeful about shelves of books: the notion that these stories may one day bring happiness. 

If less really is more to you, look to Audrey Hepburn, Diane Keaton, and Ines de la Fressange for your personal style. The sleek lines of COS or Prada or the utilitarian practicality of Uniqlo suit for minimalist chic. For housewares, Scandinavian designs from Marimekko to IKEA are stylish and ergonomic. If you need inspiration for purging, check out YouTubers the Anna Edit and Pick Up Limes. And of course, The Container Store is your new best friend.

My house

As for me, when I’m not strutting about proclaiming to be part of Gryffindor House, I feel firmly rooted right smack dab in the middle of the two. 

I have a taste for elaborate cocktails framed by even more extravagant cocktail rings... but on any outing, I usually prefer a stark black dress, in varying degrees of tightness or billow depending on the occasion. Shoes can be whimsical, but form must follow function, and they have to be comfortable. I have stick-straight hair that cuts a sharper line than the most austere modern house, but I’ll hide two chandelier earrings within it to throw light like it’s Cinderella’s ball. 

As for my actual house, on the outside it assumes the air of a traditional, practical Craftsman... but step inside, and it looks like Lord Byron passed out here drunk a fortnight ago and dumped out his seafaring trunk full of Buddha heads, Indian jewelry boxes, and paintings of empresses. I suppose you could say it’s West on the outside and East on the inside: a veritable yin-and-yang that ultimately achieves balance. And balances the best of both Maries for our family.