Unpacking Avant Basic Design—the Maximal Aesthetic Born on Instagram

Behind the DesignUnpacking Avant Basic Design—the Maximal Aesthetic Born on InstagramAD PRO unravels the origin story of the style that has swarmed social media feeds with wavy patterns, checkerboards, and pastel hues

By Rachel Davies

November 30, 2021

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Lizzie Soufleris

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In recent years, a new flavor of maximalism has taken hold, one defined by pastel colors, patterned textiles, and meticulously curated trinkets. The decor style, which has proved particularly enticing to zoomers and millennials, mostly falls in line with a clothing trend that has been named Avant Basic. Where the clothing of Avant Basic turns to beaded jewelry and chunky, David Hockney–reminiscent knit sweaters, its home decor iteration goes for DIY spray foam mirrors and busy blankets, and owes quite a bit to Memphis Design. While the “Avant Basic” label is disparaging on its surface—“basic” is never employed in a complimentary fashion—it’s proved useful in describing the style. For those who are enlightened, it’s impossible to avoid noticing it across the internet. But where did Avant Basic design come from?

Rugs by Cold Picnic, sold by Coming Soon.

Photo courtesy Coming Soon

“There was a backlash to Marie Kondo. People were like, ‘Wait, I don’t want to live like that,’” says Fabiana Faria, co-owner of Coming Soon, a well-curated design store in New York that has become a much needed source for decidedly spirited home decor. Areaware’s Goober Candles, Cold Picnic’s colorful abstract rugs, and Mosser Glass’s subtly effervescent tableware are among the many textbook Avant Basic accents the shop carries. “It’s like I don’t need to overanalyze it if it brings me joy. You know what, if it’s 1,000 things that bring me joy, then it’s 1,000 things,” says Faria. While she and fellow Coming Soon co-owner Helena Barquet have felt the tides shifting to maximalism in recent years in reaction to a decade dominated by minimalism, they agree that the pandemic and more time spent at home contributed to a major growth spurt for the style. A particularly enticing selling point? Its photogenic nature.

When the pandemic hit, the content of Instagram feeds had to change. When OOTDs—outfits of the day—and elaborate restaurant dinners could no longer offer social-media fodder, eccentric home decor filled the gap, serving up connection and creativity among app users. “[Different trends] create a community of like-minded individuals,” says Kimberly Christenson, buyer and cohost of the trend-dissecting podcast The Department. Christenson emphasizes the importance of social media in the proliferation of trends: When they’re shared over a platform like Instagram or TikTok, certain aesthetics or products, like memes, can indicate a shared knowledge or cultural reference point—a visual language in common.

Tables and mirrors by Sophie Collé.

Photo courtesy Sophie Collé

A custom bookshelf design by Collé.

Photo courtesy Sophie Collé

Not so coincidentally, the career of funky furniture maker Sophie Collé took off on Instagram. She started selling at the beginning of the pandemic as a means to raise funds for charitable organizations and has since transformed the endeavor into her livelihood. Today, her colorful designs have racked up a lengthy log of backorders. Other trendsetting artists, like Jasmine Archie of the visually delectable Pretty Shitty Cakes and Viviana Matsuda of Mud Witch, the ceramics brand known for their bulbous and vibrant mugs, have experienced similar booms recently. “What I like about the past year and a half has been that my work has been like people’s gateway and access point into more playful design,” Collé remarks. “The design community had never seen such a boom of female-, queer-, nonbinary-, and people-of-color-run businesses.”

“There are a lot of designers or makers, and it is nice to have this inclusivity in your home, to have a lot of different types of perspectives and voices,” Barquet concurs. “I do think there’s quite a lot of people who want to support, for instance, women designers. People will get excited when I say, ‘Oh, yeah, she has a studio down the street.’ I don't think it makes you like the thing; I think it’s just an added bonus.” Faria agrees: A decade ago, she says, “even if you wanted to get, you know, towels from a young up-and-coming designer, you wouldn’t know exactly where to get them. Now you do.” Avant Basic maximalism stands not only as a symbol of the unique personality of those who choose to decorate their homes in the style, but as a true representation of the designers whose work they support too.

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