• Maximalism is the design philosophy that says more is always more when it comes to colour, pattern, texture and curated objects
• From a £149,000 stone cottage in Scotland to an £11 million Surrey mansion, homes with maximalist interiors come in all shapes, sizes and price brackets
• We’ve rounded up six striking homes to give you some ideas and inspiration for dialing your interiors up to the max

If minimalism is about stripping everything back, maximalism is the opposite in every sense. More colour, more pattern, more texture and more personality.

What is maximalism?

The philosophy is simple: why have one thing when you can have many? And why be subtle when you can make a statement?

As a creative movement, maximalism has roots that stretch far beyond interiors. In fashion, it shows up in clashing prints, layered jewellery and bold silhouettes that refuse to blend in.

In branding, it’s the brand identity that uses every tool available rather than resting on a clean logo and white space. And in art and architecture circles, it’s the tradition of ornamentation and decoration that stretches back centuries, from Baroque churches to Victorian drawing rooms piled high with objects and curiosities.

When it comes to interior design, maximalism has grown in popularity in recent years. For what felt like decades, interior design trends centred around Scandinavian or Japanese aesthetics of neutral palettes, clean lines and decluttered spaces. However, there’s now a growing pushback from homeowners who want their homes to be bolder, more expressive and unmistakably theirs.

That might mean a dining room papered in safari-print wallpaper with a life-size giraffe in the corner. Or a bathroom where every surface, including the ceiling, is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling floral wallpaper. Or a bedroom with a fully tented ceiling straight out of a Victorian travelling circus.

Homes on Rightmove that embrace maximalism really stick in the memory long after you’ve closed the tab. Here are six of our favourites to give you ideas, and courage, to make your next interior revamp truly memorable.

Four-bed Edinburgh townhouse where every room makes a statement

This four-bedroom upper townhouse sits on one of Edinburgh’s New Town’s most sought-after garden squares and has been completely refurbished by its current owner. The results are hard to miss.

The hallway is lined with the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel banana leaf wallpaper, setting the tone for a home that commits fully to the more-is-more maximalist philosophy. The drawing room follows with hand-printed Timorous Beasties splotch wallpaper in deep green, and the dining room features a further statement wallpaper alongside an original stone fireplace. Throughout, Georgian floor tiles, an original stone staircase and a ceiling cupola provide the period backdrop to one of Edinburgh’s most distinctive homes.

Bold Edwardian family home in North Kensington

This four-bedroom family home on a quiet, tree-lined street in W10 is anything but understated. The open-plan reception room is layered with rich, saturated tones and mixed patterns, with cornicing and a feature fireplace providing a more restrained backdrop. The kitchen takes a different form, with mint green cabinetry, deep lapis-toned Moroccan tiles, oversized diamond-pattern flooring and skylights flooding the space with light.

To the rear, a glass conservatory extension opens onto a private garden with a paved dining terrace. Vibrant, gallery-worthy artwork throughout the living spaces confirms this is a home where personality takes centre stage.

A display of Scottish maximalist flair

This two-bedroom mid-terraced stone cottage on George Street in Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway is listed at offers around £149,000. The interiors are a full commitment to the more-is-more philosophy.

Bold floral wallpaper covers every surface of the bathroom, while dramatically printed kitchen units radiate teal and pink. An upper bedroom with a draped tented ceiling and canopy bed feels closer to a theatre set than a spare room. The house sits in the heart of the village with a large garden to the rear, and there’s potential for a third bedroom on the top floor.

Somerset country house with a safari-inspired dining room

Rose Court is a detached country house believed to date back almost 250 years, set in just under an acre in the village of Theale between Wells and Wedmore in Somerset. It spans three floors and offers seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, four reception rooms and a kitchen/breakfast room with Aga.

The house preserves a wealth of original features including flagstone floors, sash windows and decorative coving. The maximalist highlight is the dining room, where bold safari-themed wallpaper covers every wall, a life-size giraffe stands in the corner, a pink gorilla keeps watch and a huge ornate mirror reflects the whole extraordinary scene.

A TV-featured Edwardian home full of theatrical design

This double-bayed Edwardian residence on Manor Court Road in Nuneaton has been featured on television and in magazines, and it’s easy to see why. The current owners have renovated it with an eager eye for period detail and dramatic decoration.

Original Minton tiled flooring, plaster panelling and intricate cornicing run through the entrance hall, while upstairs the principal bedroom spans the full width of the house. The real showstopper is a further bedroom with a full striped tented ceiling, draped canopy bed, open fireplace and layers of antiques and curiosities that make it feel like a Victorian collector’s cabinet.

£11 million Surrey mansion with a showstopping bathroom

Set within the prestigious St George’s Hill Estate in Weybridge, Surrey, Beech Rise offers an enormous amount of living space across three floors and sits in around an acre of landscaped grounds. The house includes five bedroom suites, three principal reception rooms, a cinema room, swimming pool, gym, steam room and a temperature-controlled wine store.

For all its scale and grandeur, the room that draws the eye most is the bathroom. Here, floor-to-ceiling crimson floral wallpaper covers every surface including the ceiling, agate flooring glows pink underfoot, and a sculptural marble basin sits at the centre of the space.