The Best Paint Color For A Maximalist Living Room

What is a maximalist? Someone who enjoys dramatic, complex, layered aesthetic statements in their décor and lifestyle. The opposite of minimalism, which conjures images of pale walls, angular furniture, and hardly any art on the walls, maximalism is all about being immersed in textures, shapes, colors, and elements of beauty and interest. One of the most obvious ways to infuse a space with a sense of maximalism is to begin with a strong color choice as a base. Some design experts think Kelly green is the perfect choice for the walls in a maximalist living room.

Kelly green is the quintessential green: associated with cultural imagery surrounding holidays like Christmas and Saint Patrick's Day and representing a range of objects and concepts from green lawns to highway signs. It is a dense color, dark yet bright, with a vibrant blue-yellow balance that goes with a wide range of darks, pastels, brights, and muted colors.

Choosing Kelly green as a backdrop to your maximalist living room is a great choice to accent your well-chosen furniture and décor. Kelly green is a color recommended for maximalist décor by well-known designers, including Caitlin Murray of Black Lacquer Design. Murray says, "A Kelly green provides a pop of unexpected color and creates a bit of an indoor-meets-outdoor vibe that feels casually youthful, yet elegantly brash; it's such a confident and charming color" (via Martha Stewart).

Kelly green is bright and vivid but also functions as a sort of neutral tone, given its central location on the spectrum. Green is at the midpoint between red and violet, so it has a balancing effect (it is often considered a harmonious color choice) and can smoothly bridge other colors in a complex palette. Since maximalism is often about bold use of color palettes, the choice of Kelly green is a good one for experimenting.

Depending on the paint finish you choose, incorporating different textures can often be as striking as mixing vibrant colors together. A flat or eggshell finish provides a good contrast for shiny textures, including metallics. Accessories in polished or brushed gold, bronze, brass, or copper provide a warm tone against a cool green backdrop. Gold or brass tones will pick up the yellow tones in the green but will also lend a brightening effect. Copper has a bit of red (green's opposite), so this pairing can be very striking and appealing: try copper wall art, light switch plates, or vases.

Fabrics and other materials can also impart a shiny luster against a flat green: velvet reflects light in a subtle way, while woven silks have a more shimmery appearance. Leather or suede also have some shine or shimmer to offer, though suede is a much softer effect. Woven fabrics in natural fibers can add wonderful texture: consider cushions or throws in wool, chenille, rayon, or silk.

Your maximalist living room will be curated by your tastes and maybe even your obsessions. Maximalism can be about collections of objects, whimsical placement, and intriguing juxtapositions. But mainly, it's about populating the space with what you enjoy. Be daring in your use of color when you're selecting your furnishings, and always remember you can change things around for a fresh look.

Kelly green goes beautifully with many color palettes. It's a perfect match for lighter shades of pink (maybe a pale pink velvet sofa?), as well as hotter pinks like fuchsia or magenta. It also pairs well with shades of purple, but keep them bright rather than "dusty" for a more vibrant look. Reds can work well too, but avoid reds that are too bright, as this can create a "Christmasy" look that's hard to unsee. Burgundy, maroon, and vermilion are deeper reddish shades that all work well with greens.

Orange can also look smashing with green: try a juicy peach, deep rust, or a rich, neutral terracotta. Shades of yellow add instant light to a deep green room: go for unusual hues like butterscotch or pale lemon to draw the eye. Finally, adding additional shades of green can provide an unexpected thrill of color: deep teal, pale mint, warm avocado, or a sprightly shade of grass green will echo the bold Kelly green walls in ways that can range from subtle to electrifying, depending which shades you choose.