moody maximalism portfolio

While I love creating minimalist, modern spaces, and I adore midcentury modern design, I also really relish creating dark, interesting, moody spaces where you can curl up by the fire with a book and insulate yourself from the world, surrounded by memories and the beloved detritus of a well-lived life. This style is often called “Dark Academia” and can lean towards the macabre, but there’s so much joy in surrounding yourself with things you love. An entire house done this way might be a bit much, but it’s great for a sitting room or study or even a bedroom.

Take a look!

BEFORE: This would function as many folks' idea of an "after" photo, I know. It's a lovely room, very calming and clean. It's just not very....interesting (this is how the home was staged for selling, so that's fair. It can't be too interesting when you're trying to sell). The new homeowner wanted to turn this front sitting room into a true library, with dark built-in bookcases filled with their photos and objets d'art and memories of their travels.

BEFORE, continued: ...and that is a challenge, when the space is open to the foyer and entry of the home. It's hard to know where to start and stop the definition of that room, and to make sure the transition between spaces makes sense and isn't too jarring. The rest of this home is pretty solidly "transitional midcentury modern," so this was a fun challenge. Scroll down for the after!

Living room with black shelving filled with books and decorative items, a large framed black-and-white photograph of four people above the fireplace, and various sculptures and framed photos on the mantel. There are two chairs, one black leather with a patterned pillow and a blue chair with a blanket and pillow, in front of the fireplace.

Living room with black walls, a large window with yellow curtains, and various colorful and black furniture, including a yellow sofa, a blue sofa, and a black leather armchair. Decor includes shelves with books and decorative items, pillows, plants, and framed photos.

AFTER: This cabinet is black to match the bookshelves, but has rattan inserts in the doors and midcentury legs--coupled with an MCM tiled artwork on the wall, these two pieces help the eye transition from the dark library atmosphere to the foyer/entry which is more transitional modern

DETAIL: The gorgeous bar - again, a rich textured black cabinet, this time with brass handles and legs, but adorned with numerous older-vintage finds, like the ornate metal mirrored tray the bottles rest on, and the Edison bulb at left, plus the beaded-shade lamp and the heavy cat statue the owner once brought back from a trip to Egypt.

AFTER: an antiqued mirror top on this elongated octagonal side table reflects the light from the woven lampshade.

AFTER DETAIL: My favorite corner of this room. The portrait (from an etsy artist) is striking and looks a lot like the teen girl who lives in this home. The mirror reflects light out of what would otherwise be a dark corner, making the room bigger.

AFTER: a little "pride corner" on an otherwise fairly monochromatic shelf for a little serotonin boost

BEFORE: A vintage-loving 17yo girl wanted to transform this low-ceiling basement bedroom into a "moody, maximalist opium den vibe...(without the opium"). Note the entire wall of closet doors made of plywood with metal hasps - yikes! (these were removed)

AFTER: teenager's bedroom, the inside of the left-hand closet space, with doors removed, became the nook into which we stuck the head of the vintage cast iron bedframe. An affordable "crystal" chandelier from Amazon lights up the space beautifully for reading. It's hard to pry this girl out of her room now, it's such a cozy space that reflects her personality. MORE OF THIS ROOM IN THE KIDS' SPACES GALLERY

BEST OF ALL, this project didn't cost what it would cost to have a handyman custom-make built-in bookshelves. These, my friends, are IKEA "Billy" bookshelves, which I assembled and anchored to the wall and had my handyman cut and affix trim to the top of to make them look more built-in. (you can see the white trim at the top left of this photo - this is a recent project so the trim hadn't been painted yet in this photo). Using existing items and retrofitting them to your space is not without its headaches, and it takes a CAREFUL, EXACT eye (like mine) to measure the room out and ensure that the products you buy will actually fit together in this crazy puzzle you're imagining. But when the materials + labor cost you $800 + $250 instead of $700 + $3000, it's worth it!

Living room with black bookshelves filled with books and decorative items, framed photographs, and statues; large framed black-and-white photograph of a band on the wall; blue chair with a black and white patterned pillow; various candles, vases, and small decorative objects on the mantel and shelves.

INSPIRATION PHOTO #1 - this was one of the homeowner's inspiration photos on Pinterest when conceptualizing this project

INSPIRATION PHOTO #2:: I think we did a pretty good job approximating the inspiration, no?

Bar detail (sadly, the button isn't actually connected to anything, but it's a fun addition)

A cozy corner of a living room with a window view of trees outside, featuring decorative pillows, a window sill with a yellow vase, a black bookshelf with books, framed photos, a lamp, and curtains in yellow and black with flower patterns.

A bookshelf with various books, decorative items, and a lamp with a woven shade. The books include titles by Margaret Atwood, Amor Towles, and others, with some books titled 'Good Inside' and 'Homegoing.' There is a small picture frame with a black and white photo of a woman with a crown, a gold starburst decoration, and a black container of Crayola crayons.

Decorative window seat with colorful pillows and decorative items near a window, with greenery outside.

Decorative tabletop display with vintage black ornate picture frame, leaves, candles, and a framed photo of three young women.

A wooden shelf displaying various picture frames and decorative items in a living room or gallery setting.

Decorative bookshelf containing framed photographs, figurines of monkeys, statues of women, and various books and art pieces.

Shelving unit displaying framed black and white photographs of people, a decorative owl figurine, a vintage small radio, a glass vase, and various decorative objects.

A decorative arrangement of vases and a candle holder on a wooden surface. Includes a large beige vase with dried flowers, a brown geometric-patterned vase, a tall white vase with ridges, and a slender blue candle in a gold holder. A framed photo and a black shadowy background are also visible.

Decorative black and gold octopus sculpture, white lotus-shaped candle holder with a tealight, partially visible brown patterned object, framed picture and a mirror reflecting a woman with dark hair and a black dress, bookshelf with books and decorative items.

Bookshelves with various books, framed photographs, a globe, decorative items, and bust sculptures in the background.

Decorative wooden table with a vintage bell, a framed photo of a woman, and various vases with branches and plants, near a window.

A cozy living room decorated with colorful pillows, black bookshelves, and large windows with yellow curtains, with various decorative items and plants.

Living room with black leather lounge chair and ottoman, blue velvet armchair with black knot pillow, small white side table with decorative objects, a fireplace with framed photographs, bookshelves with items, and a gallery wall with artwork and photos.

Living room with large window, yellow curtains, black bookshelves, blue and yellow couches, coffee table with plants and chess, patterned rug, various decorative items, and a gold cat figurine on a side table.

Colorful living room with a bright blue velvet sofa and decorative pillows, including a floral pattern and eye design, near a large window with trees outside. Black bookshelf with decorative objects and a black armchair with a patterned pillow, on a patterned rug.

A black bookshelf with various objects, including a sculpture of Lady Justice holding scales, several books, a gold lion figurine, a small bottle, and a decorative green object.

A black tabletop clock with Roman numerals on the face, sitting on a white windowsill. Next to it are two amber-colored glass bottles of different shapes and sizes. Behind them is a window with a mesh screen, revealing green trees outside.

Interior of a room with a wooden table set with a chessboard, a black lamp, a glass vase with green leaves and lemons, and a candle. Background features black leather furniture, bookshelves, and decorative items.

A wooden shelf holding various decorative vases and candles, with framed photographs and a black floral wallpaper background.

A wall decorated with various framed photographs and artwork, including a digital artwork of a Boston Terrier dressed in a tuxedo, hanging by chains from the wall.

Wall-mounted decorative deer head with large antlers, chain detailing, and a textured surface, displayed amid framed photographs of various sizes.

A stairway landing decorated with various framed photographs and artwork, featuring mounted animal heads, a round mirror, a sign that says "Today is a good day," at the top of the stairs with a hallway leading to a room. Natural light from a window illuminates the space.

Wall decorated with a collection of picture frames, including a deer head wall mount, various geometric and decorative frames, and a starburst mirror.

custom artwork of the family's late dog riding a narwhal into battle