Reformation of a Maximalist?

My inner maximalist has spent the last few years duking it out with my inner minimalist. The result is a home full of clean-lined furniture and pristinely empty walls, but cluttered with collections of mismatched art, plants and ceramics that overwhelm every end table and and shelf in the house.

What is a maximalist? I think, mostly, it's a word I made up. What I mean it to mean is a person who decorates with clutter. Maxilmalism can be done well (think full-wall collections of art, perfectly arranged mounds of throw pillows, the Royal Tenenbaums). But apparently not by me.

For years, I've been struggling to create a serene, eclectic and elegant home, something like this fabulous minimalist pad I saw today at Apartment Therapy Chicago (see photo to the left).


But at the same time, I am drawn to the colorful and comfortably full look of rooms like this one from the Domino Magazine site (see image to the right).

The decor resulting from my internal decorating delima is neither minimalist nor eclectically homey. I've always thought the solution was to get more things or different things; that a new sofa would make it work, or new curtains, or more art for the walls...But more stuff isn't the fix.

The problem is that my stuff isn't meant to go together like the collections I see in magazine rooms. Not even close. My stuff includes everything from Day of the Dead ceramic statues to vintage Italian plates featuring post-modern horse heads. I have art deco vases, a day-glow enameled wall sculpture featuring owls, an iron-embellished coffee table hand-made by my grandfather, and the list goes on.

Needless to say, I have personal attachments to most of these disparate items. Sure I can get rid of some things (maybe those owls), but how do I decorate with the rest, balancing my enjoyment of the stuff I love with the aesthetics of my home? I want a home that looks great, not an impersonal style-shrine ripped from a catalog.

So I've decided to go home tonight and have it out with my clutter demons. I am going to get rid of some things and regroup. Once I see what I'm left with, maybe I can find a solution. Wish me luck.