“When people come into the house, they’re like, whoa! This is like the North Pole!” says an interior designer whose maximalist Christmas style has become one of the hottest trends this festive season.
For Erika Kikola, more is always more, and her unapologetic Christmas aesthetic – made up of tens of thousands of items some dating back over 100 years – is bringing a sense of nostalgia at every turn.
Erika, from York, Pennsylvania, said she has always been a maximalist at heart, having been raised mostly by her grandparents, who introduced her to vintage items.
At Christmastime, she said her family’s approach to decorating was often a case of mish-mashing whatever items they had in their house, decorating as boldly as possible for as little money as possible to achieve that maximalist Christmas look.
This approach followed Erika into adult life, as she started thrifting festive decorations, big and small, to a collection that grew into the thousands over the years.
Come each festive period, the interior designer once again takes her decorations from storage, placing them in every nook and cranny around her home.
This approach to a maximalist Christmas has become a viral trend on social media, with many seeing Erika, who has tens of thousands of followers, as the North Star of the style – though she humbly doesn’t see things that way.
For anyone looking to start, though, Erika has shared her top tips for how and why Happily followers can explore and create a stunning maximalist Christmas.
#1: Maximalism = maximum fun!
“When people come into the house, [they’re] like, whoa! This is like the North Pole! It’s just really incorporating tons of color, pattern, and fun, and you don’t match it.
“You really just go all in, use as much as you want. It feels great. Sometimes I do buy stuff that’s not really practical, but I won’t regret that, I don’t think.”
#2: You can thrift your decor!
“Keep your eye out at all times for good deals at thrift stores, yard sales, you name it. You have got to be looking at [online marketplaces]. It takes a long time to collect this many ornaments!
“For ornaments that are on the tree, there’s definitely over a thousand on this tree. I have some that are probably 100 years old. I was raised mostly by my grandparents, and they would only show vintage TV shows, and I remember just being obsessed with all the decor and the clothing.
“They just don’t make stuff like this anymore, they really don’t with all the color and whimsy. One is actually a homemade ornament probably from the sixties or seventies [when] women would have parties and take push pins and design their own ornament. I love to think about how much time it took and the gathering. It’s just so special to me!”
#3: A maximalist Christmas makes you feel like a kid again!
“As a society, we’ve kind of gotten away so much from heirlooms and things being passed down. Buying all of this new stuff kind of became what was cool to do on social media. People are starting to yearn for the memories of yesteryear and the warm and cozy feelings that they remember growing up with as a kid.
“I do think this type of decor evokes more of a feeling. People get reminded of their childhoods, they get reminded of, you know, crafting with their mom and all of the traditions and whatnot.
“It’s nostalgia. Like that’s so fun to look back on and feel that wonderful feeling that you really only had as a little kid.”
#4: It’s budget-friendly!
“I wanted to find a way to decorate as good as possible with as little money as possible. When we first got into this house, we didn’t have any money. Our first Christmas tree was free.
“I just started thrifting things and making things. I would make tons of paper snowflakes and paper chains. Then I just started to build a massive collection over the years.”
#5: You can DIY your decor!
“The easiest way to do this is to craft and make as many things as you can. I even do popcorn strings on the tree every year. I make paper chains, paper snowflakes, dried oranges, ribbons and bows.”
#6: You can reuse your family’s decor!
“My grandma’s bringing me a couple things that my great grandmother made. People have those things stored away and kept precious. But I think it’s important to display those items!”
Want more festive tips? Check out decor influencer Emily Welch’s ways to make your home cozy this Christmas.
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