What Is Midimalism? Here's How to Make the Trend Work in Your Home

Deciding how and when to deploy color and pattern in your home can feel like choosing a team. Are you Team Minimalism, committed to less-is-more simplicity and streamlined silhouettes, or do you side with Team Maximalism and its deliriously over-the-top saturation and juxtaposition?

What Is Midimalism?

Truth is, you don’t have to pick a side to enjoy the best of both worlds. Midimalism is the livable middle ground between maximalism and minimalism; it prioritizes serenity and character.

Minimalism + Maximalism = Midimalism

The key to striking that balance between sensible design and playful pops of personality is to make incremental adjustments to your decor while paying attention to how each change makes a room function and feel. “The midimalism trend tells us that people are done choosing between livable and beautiful,” says Yelp trends expert Tara Lewis.

Key Changes That Cultivate Midimalist Style

Tara has had a front-row seat for midimalism’s rise in popularity. “On Yelp, people are tapping pros for practical, yet personal design. Project requests through Yelp’s Request a Quote feature for wallpapering are up 450%, custom upholstery is up 70% and sofa upholstery is up 47%,” she reports. “Incorporating a statement wallpaper in a single room, reupholstering a beloved piece of furniture or layering a printed rug are actionable projects that can dramatically shift the feel of a space.”

How to Incorporate Midimalism Into Your Space

Try Reupholstering a Smaller Piece First

Custom upholstery can feel like a major move, as the cost of fabric and skilled workmanship can add up fast. Hema Persad, founder and principal designer of Sagrada Studio in Los Angeles (and the creator of the three magnificent, midimalistic spaces we’ve included above) advises getting started with a bench or ottoman, “something that you can have a more intense pattern on that will add a point of interest to the room. For example, a bench at the foot of a bed, or a pair of ottomans in a living room.” Once you’ve gotten some experience with the process and built trust with a custom upholsterer, you can feel confident committing to bigger projects.

How to Choose Midimalism-Friendly Fabric

So you’ve got a piece and a professional in mind and you’re ready to get cracking. What sort of material should you choose? "With sofas you want to be careful when it comes to pattern because they take up a lot of visual space in a room. Unless you really love a particular bold pattern, stripes or small-scale patterns are a good place to start. Florals can come in and out of style quickly,” says Hema.

Still searching for inspiration? Peek into your closet. “Look at your wardrobe as a whole — are there color palettes and types of patterns that you gravitate towards? Chances are you’ll like it in upholstery form, too,” she says.

Knowing When You’ve Achieved Midimalism

And how do you know, once you’ve started bringing color and pattern into your home, that you’ve reached that midimalistic flow state? Good news: This style is all about vibes, and you can trust your gut. “The first immediate reaction when you see something is usually pretty accurate — so if you put something together and your immediate reaction is strong dislike, you’re not going to get over that,” Hema says. "Similarly, if your first reaction is love, it will always be love.”

Designer Tips for Midimalist Style

How to Sidestep Pattern-on-Pattern Chaos

Want a more concrete, less vibes-based pointer on adding patterns? “The color palette in a print should be harmonious with the solid colors in the room and actually enhance it, not fight with it,” Hema explains. “You should also stick to one to two patterns max, otherwise you're veering into maximalist territory, where it gets tricky. You really need to have some skill to get three or more patterns in a room to work well together and not feel chaotic.”

Tried-and-True, Midimalistic Color Combos

When it comes to achieving midimalism with solid colors, in turn, “I love the impact that shades of red and blue, like purple and teal, or rust and navy [have] together,” Hema says. “Somehow mixing reds with blues works and feels bold and exciting.”

Go forth, would-be midimalists, and we’ll meet you in the middle!