Meaningful Maximalism: A Defense for Filipino Design and Balance

A tin of Danish butter cookies is filled with sewing kit materials. Colorful sando bags are folded within themselves, like a little triangle, inside an eco-bag hanging by the staircase. A patterned blanket is tucked underneath the sofa cushions or draped over a wooden settee. A Santa Claus figurine and a wooden barrel man from Baguio rest beside a Santo Niño. But, of course, the religious figure is slightly bigger than the others and his neck holds strings upon strings of sweet wilting sampaguita. They all stand on a shelf with miscellaneous trinkets and patterned plates that only make it to the kitchen table during the holidays. There’s a growing collection of ice cream tubs, plastic spoons and forks from fast food restaurants, used ang-pau envelopes, and beads from broken bracelets.

We keep them because there will always be use for them.

They’re all visible, because where else would we put them? For most, there are no other places to hide these items. All the spaces are filled and everything is placed according to the selected system and function of the person or family who lives there. This is for that. It will also go there. All things like this are stacked inside here.

Prof. Felipe M. De Leon, Jr. writes it beautifully when he states, “The common Filipino is a maximalist, filling up every available space with forms and things. It springs from an expressive exuberance deeply rooted in emotional sensitivity and the strong urge to connect.”

Image by Nancy Kwak

In Defense of Filipino Maximalism

Your space is an extension of yourself and your community. It physically manifests one’s values, memories, sentimentalities, and relationships. Compared to minimalist architecture and interior, which prioritizes function and time, Filipino maximalism is all about expressiveness, creativity, survival, and shared histories.

Filipino maximalism does not limit itself to one style or taste. It challenges the boundaries of “what matches” and “what works.” At its core, it is resourceful and driven by one’s personality. It does not attempt to reason through the sensibility of art movements, or complimentary colors, shapes, and textures. The Filipino maximalist simply chooses what they like or what they think is useful, then they keep it.

The Filipino maximalist creates their own style and caters only to their personal taste.

Perhaps the most fascinating connection of the Filipino maximalist is with their history. Looking alone at most indigenous art and communities, different colors and shapes occupy everything. All the patterned textiles, bamboo houses, weaved mats, and carved tools/instruments show the intrinsic connection we have with maximalism. Even the Spanish era of design showed signs of that maximalism, where wealth and excess are shown through the items that decorate the house. The bolder the layers and designs, the more fascinating it is to the eye of the Filipino.

Now, we can barely imagine the homes of our lolas and lolos without all of the decorative, functional or non-functional, and memorable items. It’s in our public markets, our transportation systems (painted jeepneys, advertisements printed on trains, little signages in Grab cars), our streets with sari-sari stores, the potted plants used as parking space markers, and more.

Balancing Maximalism

However, it’s also very important to remember that, since Filipino maximalism thrives in collection of usable and/or memorable items and the synchronicity of one’s personal/communal history, we must also leave enough space for new things.

We have to reflect on the origins and objectives behind our own Maximalism. According to Architect Clarissa M. Lorenzo, maximalism typically draws on one’s “Horror Vacui, defined as horror of empty spaces or an aversion to empty spaces in artistic designs.” This may be a manifestation of one’s scarcity trauma or the anxiety that drives people to collect items in preparation for times of poverty or difficulty. It may also be driven by a compulsion to over consume and over compensate, which may affect the natural environment and the safety of our home. In this case, maximalism may prove to be an aspect of our mentality that we must learn to balance better.

To welcome new memories and new functionalities, there is a need to build a healthier approach and relationship to Filipino maximalism for its own survival and continuity.

Here are some tips in building a healthier relationship with Maximalism:

1. Organize your clutter. Store similar items together and assign designated spaces for them in your home. Keep your items in space saver boxes, cabinets, trays, and the like. This is so things are easy to follow visually and find for functionality.
2. Set your emotional boundaries with your collection. While most items in a maximalist collection are personal and keepsakes, we have to remember that our memories can also be kept in photos or the actual relationship we share with our loved ones. Let’s slowly learn to let go of the things that no longer serve us, so that we can have more space for souvenirs and gifts that resonate more.
3. Collect with quality and variety in mind. Before we purchase or keep more items, think about whether you already have better or similar objects in your possession. If you do, then maybe it’s best to pass on buying or keeping any more of the same things. Be selective and purposeful about your collection.
4. Maintain functional spaces. While you are building your collection, remember that your home still has to cater to movement and function. Consciously keep empty walls, clear surfaces, pathways between furniture, workspaces, and lounging areas for the livability of your home. Allow yourself and your family enough breathing room to move freely, and reduce further exhaustion in having to dodge so many hurdles.
5. Integrate negative spaces. Give yourself the opportunity to appreciate the maximalism more by also leaving empty spaces. Similar to the previous tip, we need to leave enough space for breath and rest so that we do not get overwhelmed or tired in our own home. These negative spaces can be created by stacking or leveling items, and organizing thematically.
6. Personalize and clean your space. Focus on collecting things that suit your personal taste, lifestyle, and meaningful relationships. Maximalism should be something you do for yourself. Personalize and organize so that you can reduce dustiness, bothersome items, pests, or hazards.
7. Rotate and refresh. Rather than displaying all your items at once, consider changing them up every now and then. This will make your home more dynamic and it will allow you to appreciate certain pieces of your collection more during each season or time. You can think of a theme or design according to the notable event of the month or quarter, while other items are stored for later.
8. Ask for help. If you have a hard time letting go of old items or identifying which of them are still usable, ask for assistance. Let them sort your items with you and decide on what you can keep, throw away, donate, or repurpose. But it is very important here that you work with a person you trust, so they do not remove or advise the disposal of certain items that mean a lot to you.

Maximalism is meant to enhance your own life and space instead of adding to your burdens and distractions.