IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 36
The Alessandro Effect
As with many movements in design, maximalism has its roots in fashion.
Gucci, under creative director Alessandro Michele, has been especially
influential in popularizing the style in a way that's as playful as it is
lavish. For evidence of the fashion cognoscente's influence on the
interiors scene, Pinatih pointed to a chair with embroidered tiger
patches that Cappellini launched at Milan Design Week.
Left and below: Annabel's maximalist aesthetic features
hand-painted wallpaper with gold-leaf detail, hand-cast plaster
moldings, and a pink onyx-clad ladies' restroom.
36
perspective
iida.org/perspective
Photos by: (previous page) BreakingTheWalls/istock; (M) Camille Walala (designer)/
Charles Emerson (photographer); (A) Gucci; (X) Iconic Offices.
nnabel's is a veritable exercise in excess, a four-story homage to flora and fauna and British eccentricity.
Guests of the private club in London, England check their coats at a pagoda underneath an ornate,
cantilevered Georgian staircase. From there, the ultra-over-the-top vibe never lets up: hand-painted
wallpaper with gold-leaf detail, hand-cast plaster moldings, verre églomisé panels, and a pink onyx-clad
ladies' loo, to name a few.
Yet there is not even a soupçon of chaos. "We spent a huge amount of time mixing colors, patterns, and
prints together to create the perfect blend," says Martin Brudnizki, who designed the recently relocated
26,000-square-foot (2,415-square-meter) club for restaurateur Richard Caring. "There are so many layers
involved. Something as simple as a chair could have up to four fabrics, five tassels and trims, and brass
studded detailing, but the result is an object that feels harmonious despite all its rich layers."
Annabel's just might be the ultimate manifestation of maximalism, an outright rejection of
the less-is-more philosophy that has dominated design since the late 20th century.
"Maximalism is a push back against the simplicity and pared-back approach of
minimalism," says Dewi Pinatih, senior editor, product design at trends advisory company
Stylus, London. "There are no boundaries, and more is more: ethnic influences,
exuberantly mismatched patterns, eclectic color combinations, and, at the luxury end,
a large dose of opulence."
The sheer excess and imagination of maximalist spaces offers "a sense of
escapism," says Pinatih. "The political and economic climate could be a driver,
but so could the harsh reality of Tinder. I guess people are looking for some
Old World romanticism."
http://www.iida.org/perspective
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018
From IIDA
Contents
Next
World View
Sum of Its Parts
Talk, Talk
Data Viz
Pre/Post
I Design
Every Where Has a Why
More Than Meets the Eye
To The Max
Picture It
DNA of a Design Firm
Scratch Pad
Insider Intel
IIDA News + Updates
Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 3
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 5
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Next
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 8
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - World View
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Sum of Its Parts
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Talk, Talk
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Data Viz
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Pre/Post
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - I Design
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Every Where Has a Why
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 24
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - More Than Meets the Eye
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 30
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 32
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - To The Max
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 38
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Picture It
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - DNA of a Design Firm
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 48
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Scratch Pad
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Insider Intel
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - IIDA News + Updates
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 55
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011fallwinter
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