{"id":91458,"date":"2025-10-21T05:05:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T05:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/91458\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T05:05:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T05:05:15","slug":"3-design-lessons-from-justina-blakeney-on-refined-maximalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/91458\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Design Lessons From Justina Blakeney On Refined Maximalism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Justina Blakeney is known for her colorful, maximalist style, and as an early adopter of Pinterest, she has spearheaded the bohemian look that has been so influential for the past 15 years.<\/p>\n

But Justina is an artist, and her maximalist schemes are not just a lot of stuff in a room \u2013 they’re considered, curated, refined. In our recent interview with Justina for our Layered Lives series<\/a>, she touched on her techniques and how she thinks carefully about what ends up on display, how it relates to the pieces around it, and how it makes the energy in the room feel.<\/p>\n

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We had to delve deeper into how she designs spaces that are so rich in color and pattern and yet always feel refined. These are her three rules for getting maximalism<\/a> right \u2013 for creating homes that are full of character and personality, but not simply full of stuff.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Justina Blakeney’s 3 key rules for a refined maximalist space1. Rotation<\/p>\n

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\"wood\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jungalow)<\/p>\n

\u2018A home is never finished, and should always feel like it\u2019s evolving,\u2019 Justina says. \u2018I have a basement filled with beautiful things that I\u2019m constantly rotating so that my maximalist home continually feels fresh \u2013 and there is always something new to delight me in it.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018The issue with a maximalist home<\/a> that stays static is that, after a while, it stops intriguing the eye, and through your familiarity with it all, the room just starts to look like a lot of stuff. So rotate what you can see and mix pieces in and out \u2013 that would be my first rule for making maximalism work.\u2019<\/p>\n

2. Context<\/p>\n

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\"living\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jungalow)<\/p>\n

\u2018There is more to being a practiced stylist than simply putting nice pieces together, and my second rule for making a maximalist scheme work is about context \u2013 about choosing pieces to sit next to each other that actually have a reason to sit next to each other,\u2019 Justina says.<\/p>\n

\u2018For example, I might put a family photo next to an African mask \u2013 perhaps because the mask is a family heirloom and so is connected to the people in the photograph. Or I might put two pieces next to each other which were given to me by the same friend, or sourced on the same vacation. There needs to be an authentic relationship between the items you\u2019ve chosen to display \u2013 you want to think of your pieces as characters in a novel that all have a part to play and all relate to everyone else somehow, even if it\u2019s in a way that only you know about.\u2019<\/p>\n

Design expertise in your inbox \u2013 from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.<\/p>\n

3. Negative space<\/p>\n

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\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Ruggable)<\/p>\n

Justina believes that even in the most maximalist rooms, it\u2019s the space left between the items on display that is most important.<\/p>\n

\u2018Negative space \u2013 or the air that has nothing in it \u2013 is like the rest between notes in a beautiful piece of music,\u2019 Justina says. \u2018And in fact, it\u2019s just as important as the music itself.’<\/p>\n

‘My spaces may look maximalist but my decor will be layered, and there won\u2019t be things on every single surface. You have to remember that every part of your home needs to be livable, and you have to allow the energy to flow, ensuring there are passageways for it to do so. So my final rule for making maximalism work is to hold back in some areas, leave the floor or a wall bare, give yourself some airiness to enjoy the pieces you have on display.\u2019<\/p>\n

Shop Justina’s refined maximalist style
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\"yellow\n<\/p>\n

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Target<\/p>\n

Ceramic Table Lamp with Rope Shade <\/p>\n

Designed by Justina Blakeney herself as part of her Jungalow collaboration with Target, the silhouette of this shapely lamp is as fascinating as the lamp itself.<\/p>\n

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\"graphic\n<\/p>\n

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Ruggable<\/p>\n

Hilma Sunset Rug<\/p>\n

Another Justina-designed piece, this graphic design is part of her perky Ruggable collection of washable rugs. A true piece of art for the floor.<\/p>\n

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\"pink\n<\/p>\n

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Anthropologie<\/p>\n

Cordelia Embroidered Cotton Pillow<\/p>\n

Justina has previously collaborated with Anthropologie for a range of wicker furniture, and while that collection is no longer available, her spirit lives on in pieces like this graphic pillow.<\/p>\n

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\"rust\n<\/p>\n

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Castlery<\/p>\n

Avery Performance Boucl\u00e9 Swivel Armchair<\/p>\n

Not every piece in Justina’s maximalist schemes is patterned and graphic \u2013 there are always some calmer items in warm colors. This rust-toned chair would fit the bill. <\/p>\n

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\"blue\n<\/p>\n

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Artfully Walls<\/p>\n

Pixie by Shira Barzilay<\/p>\n

Justina has talked about being inspired by Baya, who in turn, was an inspiration for Picasso. That through line can be found in this modern surrealist print by contemporary artist Shira Barzilay, also known as social media sensation Koketit.<\/p>\n

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\"gray\n<\/p>\n

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CB2<\/p>\n

Miramar Fluted Dark Brown Ceramic Vase Small<\/p>\n

There are almost always some unusual ceramics on display in Justina’s work \u2013 vessels in a variety of shapes and sizes. This fluted vase looks as appealing empty as with flowers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Justina Blakeney is known for her colorful, maximalist style, and as an early adopter of Pinterest, she has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-91458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}