The Ultimate Guide To Designing A Maximalist Kitchen

If muted neutrals and invisible efficiency are the cornerstones of a guide to a minimalist kitchen, maximalist designs like to zag in the opposite direction. Expect joyful skirmishes between clashing colors, playful patterns, and theatrical flourishes that issue an unspoken challenge to the same ol', same ol'.

On the surface, maximalism can appear like a mad riot of punchy hues and psychedelic designs. But Mehek Malhotra, founder of Giggling Monkey Studio, believes that the most successful maximalist designs are grounded in heart. Whether you are opting for mismatched chairs around a dining nook or dousing the cabinets with a mural, she likes to infuse personality into every aspect to truly make the kitchen sing. Scroll ahead for her expert-approved tips on putting together a maximalist kitchen, and feel free to color beyond the lines whenever the mood strikes — after all, the only rules here are that there are no rules.

The first thing you need to know when designing a maximalist kitchen is that there is a method to the madness. Yes, the most impactful maximalist kitchens do embrace a riot of colors, textures, and patterns, but all while piecing together a coherent design narrative.

"I look at kitchens like I look at people: some are put together, some are a little all over the place, but the best ones have lived a life," Mehek Malhotra says. Before looking for outside sources of inspiration, she recommends sifting through your own vault of memories first. You'll be surprised at the personal touch that you can weave in by borrowing your favorite elements from your childhood kitchen, the vibrant hues on your grandma's spice shelf, or even that corner store where the pickle jars always glistened welcomingly. Infusing these small yet meaningful details into your kitchen can help create a one-of-a-kind result that is far beyond any cookie-cutter design.

When looking to channel the loud-and-proud energy of maximalism, art can also serve as a potent source of inspiration. Perhaps, the veritable rainbow of moods and energies from Takashi Murakami's pop-infused pieces will seek expression in your choice of table runners and rugs. Or maybe Henri Matisse's strategic use of color will spill over into your backsplash tiles and choice of flooring. The only watchwords you need when dreaming up a maximalist kitchen? Never say never.

Any maximalist kitchen worth its salt-and-pepper shakers is defined by its use of color. From the countertops and the cabinets to the flooring and even the sink faucet — everything is fair game for bold lashings of colors.

But if you don't know where to get started when confronting the sheer breadth of possibilities, it helps to lean on Mehek Malhotra's go-to formula. "Use color like you're telling a secret: layered, specific, sometimes cheeky," she says. Her preferred combinations that she loves witnessing in a maximalist kitchen? Unconventional pairings, such as burnt orange tempered by the soothing touch of mint, saffron cast together with indigo, or deep teal underscored by the palate-cleansing hues of cream. She recommends avoiding conventional hues, such as beige, unless you are using this color as a grounding element in more adventurous pairings.

While artistic juxtapositions can make an impact, it is necessary to ensure too many clashing colors don't launch a tumultuous visual assault on your dinner guests. Not quite sure where to draw the line? Malhotra believes that maximalism merits contrast, rather than outright chaos. When in doubt, she recommends thinking of your spice box as your color palette. Chili red, mustard seed brown, asafoetida orange, and fresh coriander green: you'll find a wide berth of saturated hues to play around with until you devise a color pairing that feels truly unique to you.

By employing a strategic approach to your choice of materials, you will find that they can serve as your most loyal ambassadors: adding an expressive element to your kitchen that does all the talking for you. So, what deserves a spot on your shopping list? Mehek Malhotra appreciates a good mix of nostalgia and humor in the choice of materials for a maximalist kitchen.

When considering samples, Malhotra recommends leaving behind anything that feels overly plastic or slick. Instead, you will want to befriend handmade tiles, rough stone, and colored glass. "Your kitchen should feel like a home-cooked meal, not a showroom tasting menu," she explains.

Mixing and matching is another way to bring the maximalist memo alive in your kitchen. Your options range from punctuating the smooth expanse of marble with a cheeky pop of metals or by juxtaposing a glossy backsplash with matte wooden cabinets. You can also choose to add dimension vertically by opting for matte finishes on lower cabinets to keep fingerprints at bay with glossy cabinets on higher levels to amplify the room's existing light.

Despite the multitude of colors, prints, and patterns that find themselves at home in a maximalist kitchen, it helps to consider the role you want your countertop to play. If you would like for this area to serve as the focal point of your kitchen, you will want the backsplash to be the grounding element and vice versa.

Mehek Malhotra has found that it helps to imagine your countertop as the equivalent of your kitchen's eyebrow: expressive. On the safe end of the spectrum, you have marble detailed with statement-making veins. But once you expand your creative horizons, you will find yourself drawn towards everything from peach-toned terrazzo to rainforest green marble. If you are feeling whimsical, hand-painted tiles with a punchline may also appeal. "It doesn't have to match the cabinets. In fact, it shouldn't," she affirms.

Those looking to move beyond the usual suspects will also want to bookmark the glorious comeback of tile countertops. As a more economical option to common countertop materials, like granite and marble, tiled countertops are available in every color of the rainbow — from burgundy to cobalt blue — as well as charming graphic patterns that will have your heart if your search history is inundated with queries on how to design a retro kitchen.

You use them for handy storage of everyday essentials and appliances. Now, allow your cabinets to step into their new role as the pièce de résistance of your maximalist kitchen. Cool colors, impactful patterns, and eye-catching finishes: your cabinets are a canvas for the unconventional.

For designing beyond-the-ordinary cabinets, Mehek Malhotra has two words for you: tempered tantrum. "Painted cane doors. Stained glass inserts that throw colored light on the floor at noon. Cabinets with brass knobs shaped like mangoes or moons. Or tiny painted scenes from your favorite storybook," she muses. As a rule of thumb, she finds that it helps to mix up your approach towards cabinets to avoid creating visual overwhelm. You can choose to douse one set of cabinets in classic hues to serve as an anchor for all the dramatic designs running amok.

If you are working on a budget, you can take heart in the fact that you don't have to paint outdated kitchen cabinets to give them a makeover. Instead, befriend peel-and-stick contact paper to upgrade dated cabinets within a matter of hours. Metals have also been making steady inroads into the must-have kitchen design trends for 2025, so consider finishing out your handiwork with antique knobs and vintage drawer pulls.

Within the realm of maximalism, furniture doesn't just serve as a functional element. Instead, you can allow your imagination to flow free and wild, as something as simple as a chair can become a focal point for the room with its whimsical patterns and hues.

The good news when seeking out furniture options for your maximalist kitchen is that you needn't break the bank on exorbitant dining sets. "Mismatched is matched in my world," Mehek Malhotra declares. That yellow chair in your garage that you don't quite know what to do with? Team it with a blue chair and draw up both at an up-cycled desk-turned-breakfast-table. "Add a slim wooden ladder that's just there to drape tea towels or daydreams," she advises.

If you have the space for a kitchen island, why not eschew conventional options in favor of a vintage work table or a distressed console table? Line up bar stools in bold hues and patterns at one side, and you have a cozy spot to catch up with the whole family every morning. If you have the space to spare, you can even choose to opt for an L-shaped banquette or an upholstered bench in merry colors and patterns by the window for quick breaks in between cooking.

Your choice of flooring for the kitchen needs to stand up to the heavy foot traffic that this area witnesses on hectic mornings, but durability isn't the only guiding point on this journey. Instead, you will want to allow whimsical ideas and influences to sneak into your moodboard. The only goal? Ensuring that your flooring doesn't match with everyone else on the block.

For starters, checkerboard floors in unexpected hues have Mehek Malhotra's vote of approval. If you have seen enough black-and-white checked floors to last you a lifetime, you will find joy in a host of unexplored colors — burgundy and white tiles on the floor tempered with soothing blue cabinets make for an unexpected combination that your dinner guests will never see coming. Bonus points for adding in a decorative border on the edges to zone out specific spaces in an open-plan kitchen, such as a breakfast nook.

Or maybe you aren't looking to rip out the flooring because your kitchen doesn't need a complete makeover quite just yet? You can always make sure by reading up on the telltale signs that it is time for a kitchen remodel. If you don't want to fully remodel your floors, you can easily infuse character by incorporating rugs in standout patterns, such as zebra stripes or abstract shapes.

The cabinets and countertops can play a major role in dictating the vibe of the kitchen, but your lighting choices can bring everything together seamlessly. Once you have brushed up on the outdated kitchen lighting trends to hit snooze on, it is time to dive in with both feet into exciting new territory.

For making your lighting choices toe the line with the rest of your kitchen design, Mehek Malhotra urges you to think beyond the conventional. Her list of must-haves includes, but is not limited to, unusual shapes — how about a central lamp that looks like an upside-down salad bowl? You can even choose to up-cycle an old teapot into a hanging lampshade. Or perhaps she can interest you in wall sconces shaped like toasts? Round out the look by adding strip lighting on open shelves to backlight an eclectic assortment of country-style jam jars.

The underlying memo? Think in terms of layers to create lighting that suits every occasion, from mood lighting for when you're nursing a leisurely cup of tea to a spotlight "for when the party spills into the kitchen." "As it always should," Malhotra affirms.

You may have the broad basics slotted into place, but the decor is what can elevate your kitchen into a veritable work of art. Every corner and nook offers untold possibilities for painting in the quirks of your personality that make you you.

That empty space above the microwave? How about perching a vintage biscuit tin shaped like a royal coronation coach or a spice box designed as an apothecary chest. Tired of having blank walls staring at you as you sip on your morning coffee? This space can serve as a willing canvas for decorative ceramic plates, but how about sneaking in some retro-style food posters at random? There is no limit on the level of creativity you can infuse into a maximalist kitchen as long as you are driven by what you love and what you'd like to see more of.

For Mehek Malhotra, there is merit in decorating your kitchen as a memory collage. "Frame a letter your mom wrote, hang a dried flower bouquet from the ceiling, and display your ugliest mug because it makes you laugh. Personality isn't a risk; it's the point," she argues.

If you thought that the only purpose of your backsplash was to provide a shield against food splatters and spills, it might be time to have a rethink. "Your backsplash is your wink to the world, it doesn't have to be serious," Mehek Malhotra affirms.

So, what are your options for this space? Malhotra recommends trying your hand at a block-printed backsplash or a mosaic made from broken ceramic plates. Color is always welcome in a maximalist kitchen and your choices run the gamut, turquoise tiles grounded with brass hardware to vibrant Moroccan patterns.

Those feeling tempted to explore their artistic side will find joy in the resurgence of tiled murals for the backsplash. The niche behind the stove makes for an ideal spot for artistic depictions, whether it is botanicals swaying in an invisible breeze or pastoral scenes — a sight that is guaranteed to infuse some creativity into your everyday culinary choices as well. With the addition of under-cabinet LED strips, the mural can easily become the focal point of the room in an open-plan kitchen.

Maximalism is all about bringing big personality to humble everyday spaces, and the vast canvas of shelves allows you to do just that. Instead of cramped corner alcoves that can serve as a magnet for clutter, Mehek Malhotra favors the warm, welcoming ambiance of open shelving, which will allow your weirdest mugs to finally have their time in the spotlight. Round out these shelves with wooden brackets and colorful trims.

Once you have the real estate locked in, what should you reach for? Start your curation with these quirky kitchen tools that are as adorable as they are practical. Malhotra recommends displaying your cookbooks like prized first editions even if — or especially because — they are dog-eared, oil-stained, and packed with memories. Whether scribbled in the margins or borrowed from street food vendors in passing conversations, she likes letting recipes sit beside the spice jars. "Like old friends who never left," she smiles.

Everybody uses their kitchen sinks for food prep and stashing dirty dishes, but what if yours could become a signature design feature? For Mehek Malhotra, the choice of sink in a maximalist kitchen is a no-brainer. "A giant farmhouse sink that can hold an entire Sunday brunch aftermath or for your cat to nap in," she declares. For those feeling particularly daring, she recommends opting for sorbet hues such as dreamy mint, apricot, or cornflower blue.

Or you can lean into your dramatic side with a hammered copper sink that glows a little brighter as it bounces the morning rays around the room. The texture of these sinks offer up a major heirloom moment that will become the talk of the town — or the neighborhood group chat, at least. Finishing touches can include a vintage-style tap with ceramic handles for leaning into the mood.

Working in maximum possible storage options into a kitchen is where things usually get business-like, but practicality is no excuse for compromising on playfulness. The first thing that Mehek Malhotra wants you to know? "Maximalist doesn't mean messy." In everyday life, this translates into ensuring that everything has a designated place of its own and that every place is infused with a little bit of heart. Her laundry list of ideas includes open shelves stacked with vintage pickle jars or other collectibles as well as brass hooks that can transform your ladles into wall jewelry.

For making optimal use of the space you have available, Malhotra recommends opting for benches with hidden compartments for storage and freestanding bar carts that can be rolled away between meals. "Label things in your mother tongue, stash your tea towels in a carved wooden box, and let your storage whisper stories every time you reach for the salt," she says. The primary objective? Ensuring that your storage doesn't devolve into clutter, but rather exudes a curated sense of chaos.

In between all the unyielding surfaces of the countertops and the cabinetry, a strategic influx of softer textures can imbibe the space with a softer, welcoming level of comfort. Given the high levels of humidity as well as the wear and tear that occurs in the kitchen, it helps to opt for durable fabrics that are resistant to spills and moisture — think cotton, canvas, or linen.

When outfitting your maximalist kitchen with soft furnishings, mix but never match is the operative memo. Your list of options includes everything from patchwork seat cushions to kitchen towels embroidered with punchlines. Cafe curtains slung across the lower half of your window can lend your kitchen some privacy, but you'll want to ensure that they are doused in bold, graphic prints. Finally, smooth out a hand-painted table runner to ensure that your curation remains eccentric, eclectic, and never boring.

Uniformity can ring the death knell on a maximalist kitchen design. If you have had to play it safe with big-picture items, such as the cabinets, allow your inner child to run wild with the finishing flourishes. The silver lining here is that these small details can be easily changed with the seasons or whenever you are in the mood for something new.

For Mehek Malhotra, it is the small touches that make the biggest impact, whether it is sarcastic magnets lined up haphazardly or a fridge covered in kid drawings. "The kid can be you," she interjects. In her experience, a maximalist kitchen truly comes alive when it is peppered with the earthy smell of cloves, the hum of a fan, and a soft bench for your cat. "A kitchen should end in a sigh not because you're exhausted, but because it's so you," she signs off.