Bored with white minimalist interiors? This weekend in The Wall Street Journal, there is an article about Mad Maximalism and Over-the-Top-Notch Decor, featuring a Marks & Frantz designed Family Room. As many of our readers already know, we have a crazy obsession with pattern and color! Sure, we have done neutral rooms for many clients; but rich, lush color combinations and layered rooms make us breathless! The challenge of creating complex interiors that delight the senses at every glance, while appearing effortless, is not an easy task. For this family room, our client said “more is more, bring it on!”
“This richly rowdy family room, designed by Marks & Frantz, exemplifies the emerging aesthetic that is making minimalist spaces seem tired and barren” – WSJ. Photo by Marco Ricca
Maximalism, here’s how to pull it off!
This family room is a classic example of a true maximalist interior! Martina Mondador Sartogo, editor of Cabana Magazine, lists 10 key elements that help to bring maximalism to the mainstream. Below are a few more images of the room to illustrate this aesthetic. Here are some of our favorite rules, a “cheat sheet” for the controlled chaos that is maximalism:
- Pass on Pastels – you may want to throw in a neutral for a visual rest, but think big
- Embellish the walls – paint, wallpaper, love it all
- Look down (and up,) ceilings and floors are super important
- Seek out the unique
- Provoke with pattern, mix scale and pattern type for full effect
- Be patient, ruminate and cultivate
Marks & Frantz Family Game Room
Goodbye to bland and boring…
In a world where Restoration Hardware is democratizing design, maximalism is a feast for the eyes. It calls for individuality and personality. It reflects the mind of a collector, the wanderlust of a traveler and the heart of a dreamer. In a time of uncertainty, maximalism is a breath of fresh air.
Custom biscuit-tufted sofa designed by Marks & Frantz for EF-LM Atelier collection. Sofa fabric is Dedar’s new Splendido velvet. Wall paper is Miami from Cole & Sons
Comfort is key
Another key attribute to a maximalist interior is the desire to walk in and stay a while. The room must be comfortable and inviting. It should evoke the desire to curl up in a corner with a book and sip bourbon with your besties. It should harken back to a time before cell phones, encourage family time and play time.
Cozy corner banquette designed by Marks & Frantz and constructed by Marks and Tavano is the perfect complement to the shagreen John Lyle game table: backgammon on one side, flips over for chess! The painting on the left is Shawn Delaney and on the right is Eugene Brodsky, both at Sears Peyton Gallery, NYC
Custom window treatments by Marks & Tavano, drapery fabric from Dedar. Custom shuffleboard table designed specifically for this room; Venture Shuffleboards
Custom backgammon table from Alexandra Llewellyn and a silver and gold vintage palm tree from Newel brightens up a corner.
Pair of crystal starburst chandeliers from Matthews Studio and a vintage heriz from JD Oriental anchor the room, design by Marks & Frantz
We are so honored to be in the company of other maximalist “experts” Kati Curtis Design, Alexa Hampton and Michelle Nussbaumer. Thank you again Wall Street Journal and @WSJlife!
Some of our favorite partners in pulling off our luxurious interiors and in creating this spectacular family room:
Breakfast nook by Kati Curtis Design is a perfect example of mixing scale to create visual harmony.
Alexa Hampton’s very own maximalist bedroom “My version of maximalist is to have a lot of the same color, which allowed me to mix disparate elements but have a veneer of similitude.”
Michelle Nussbaumer’s Dallas library is another great example of how to layer patterns and play with scale.
Edward Ferrell – Lewis Mittman for all custom upholstery designed by Marks & Frantz, and to purchase the sofa and swivel chairs shown above. All fabrics in the rooms are from Dedar. Antiques were procured from our most beloved secret sources: JD Oriental Rugs, High Style Deco, Area ID and Newel Gallery.
Many of our secret sources for custom games are as follows:
Alexandra Llewelyn for the portable backgammon table with inlaid stones and exotic hardwoods.
John Lyle for exquisite game table made from shagreen and ivory. for chess and checkers
Custom-sized shuffleboard table from Venture Shuffleboard, because everyone should own one!
Contact Us
Have an upcoming design project that you’ve been thinking of and don’t know where to start?
Contact us to arrange a no-cost consultation. We’re looking forward to the conversation.
Lydia Marks & Lisa Frantz
The post Marks & Frantz in The Wall Street Journal – Mad Maximalism Rules! appeared first on Marks & Frantz.
