Mariana Silveira Talks #AuthenticMaximalistInteriors
By: Kayla Blanton
Interiors Instagram can feel like a bit of a monolith (think: repeat photos of white walls, clean lines, trendy pillows and accessories). Until you dig deep into its creative corners, where—if you’re lucky—you might discover something as distinctly maximalist and expressive as the home of Mariana Silveira—or as her followers know her: @the_decor_studio.
In Silveira’s Toronto apartment live collections of art, antiques, books, and nature-inspired momentos that she has intentionally curated and displayed over the last decade. To her, every blank wall begs for a gallery, which she carefully arranges “in clusters,” she tells me, the end goal being “to integrate objects with abandon in every vignette, regardless of how small the surface.”
To do so without creating a stressful, cluttered environment is the special talent every true maximalist carries—and Silveira, along with her fellow collectors and Instagrammers Kat Mann (@mytinyapartmentvibes) and Pamela Johnsen (@pamelas_designs)—stay on the hunt for that sparkle through their semi-new hashtag #authenticmaximalistinteriors.
“One day, chatting with Pam, she suggested we start [a hashtag] with Kat,” Silveira recalls. “Kat had been telling her she wanted to create one that celebrated and showcased only maximalist homes, like hers. We all came up with the name and the specifics and #authenticmaximalistinteriors was born.”
In a virtual world of zeitgeist sameness, the hashtag makes their wonder for abundant treasure more accessible. It’s a safe space for maximalists to gather and ogle over vintage finds, eclectic art, heirloom tales, and a shared disdain for dust.
Each week, the trio take turns choosing and featuring a new account. “We all have different points of view, but I would say we all value ingenuity, authenticity, and quality,” explains Silveira. She adds that, in her opinion, “a maximalist home is one that is full, both literally and figuratively.” The specific aesthetic of a featured home, however, could be anything from traditional to mid century modern, but Silveira finds that the spaces they choose “tend to be eclectic.”
The hashtag has gone strong for a little over a year now, and so far, has introduced Silveira and its followers to dozens of inspiring accounts and collections they may have not otherwise discovered. And although they’re difficult to narrow down, Silveira’s personal favorites thus far include the homes of Anna (@goodeyehouseandstyle), “an absolute beauty of a home full of meaningful treasures,” Paige (@theovergrownhome), “a midcentury modern dream,” and Lex (@evermorelex), a “striking, masterfully put together place,” among others.
If you scan through their grids, you’ll see that they’re all unique individual worlds. They’re vastly different, which is what makes #authenticmaximalistinteriors so refreshing. But the designers behind the photos and reels all have one thing in common: a breathing connection to their spaces that evolves over time, thanks to intuition and taste.
As Silveira puts it, the secret to a maximalist place is “the way one lives with it, the way one styles it,” she states simply. “The best maximalist homes are full of items, but never look too much because every piece has a place. And that place is found on instinct.”
By Kayla Blanton: Jewel tones, brass, and amber glass make Kayla Blanton swoon. Those touches, plus lots of art, animal print, and road-trip gathered trinkets make up her 1920s Cape Cod in Cincinnati. You can read her work in Bustle, Prevention, Everyday Health, and more and follow her treasure hunting adventures @theweekendantiquer on Instagram.