YOU KNOW a trend is serious when Justine Frischmann is on to it. But somehow you do not expect the Elastica frontwoman to know about interior design. Until you recall that her father was an architect who helped to create Centre Point, the West End office tower.

Frischmann was an early celebrant of the “new maximalism”. In search of this opulent style she went to the Sanderson Hotel in the West End, and to Les Trois Garçons restaurant in Shoreditch, for BBC Three’s Dreamscapes architecture and design series. In the hotel she found purple velvet and gilded chairs; further east she encountered high-camp scenes of huge chandeliers, outrageous candlesticks and stuffed animals. All a complete turnaround from the pared-down, minimalist vibe favoured by John Pawson and 1990s Ikea, which urged us to “chuck out the chintz”.

Now even Marks & Spencer has embraced the new maximalism. The autumn/winter homewares range boasts gorgeous mirrors, sumptuous bedspreads and grand lighting that wear their good value with pride. “We didn’t set out specifically to create the maximalist look,” says Sally Bendelow, head of design for homes at Marks & Spencer. “It is a reflection of what is going on in the market, and on the catwalk. Our take on it is very much the Bloomsbury idea: hand-crafted, embellished, showing off what you have collected. Each piece must be beautiful in its own right.”

Her favourite items to suggest the vibe with minimum expense include the feathers vase (£15) and the feathers candle, a bargain at £5.

Luckily for cash-strapped shoppers, lots of other high-street shops have caught on to maximalism too. That means acquiring maximum amounts of glamorous, textured, shiny, magpie-like stuff in rich colours such as damson, chocolate, burnt orange, jade and, of course, gold. It is easy to get carried away.

There is, however, glamour on the cheap, and cheap glamour. What you are after is the former. The look is all about layering and texture, not piling everything together so that your bed/sofa/armchair resembles a jumble sale. If funds allow, invest in a stunning piece of furniture and build around it. Marks & Spencer has the most decadent chaise longue, which starts at £699 in jacquard or chenille fabric and goes up to £1,099 in leather. It would be splendid in a bedroom or sitting room, piled with cushions.

And if one item is key to the maximalist look, it is cushions. For £15-£20 you can transform even the most unassuming sofa into a pillowy haven. Clever cushion-hoarders seize on attractive finds at department store sales or market stalls and stash them away to await their moment of glory. If you have not acquired that habit yet, then avoid ubiquitous Mongolian fur-fabric (I’ve spotted these in Aldi, and even I have my cheap-shopping limits) and hard, shiny faux-leather. What you are after is two or three plain velvet or satin covers, set off by a selection of little treasures decorated with pretty beading and embroidery. Dunelm Mill shops, with more than 75 outlets across Britain, has an impressive range, starting at about £5 each. If you cannot find exactly what you are looking for, then Dunelm stocks acres of furnishing fabrics at prices to make John Lewis choke. In addition, visit sari shops for delicate silks and tulles with glittery thread running through. Anyone should be able to cut out two squares of material and sew them together, by hand if necessary.

Even the laziest would-be seamstress is capable of picking up a piece of fabric and draping it artfully. For two years I have had some patterned velvet from a Laura Ashley remnant bin swathed across my bedroom chair. One day I will get around to backing it with satin and sewing in some of that clever beads-on-ribbon trim (from haberdasheries). What I really want this maximalist season, though, is a crochet throw. Not the multicoloured doll’s-blanket sort, but a thick, chunky spider’s-web (Dunelm has a great-value crochet throw in coffee or cream at £15.99). It would look good in the sitting room or in the bedroom. But upstairs is where the maximalist imagination can really run riot. Some of the most exotic bed linen is available at Debenhams. Designers such as John Rocha and Julien Macdonald have expanded into homewares. “Star” by Julien Macdonald includes four bed linen sets, all featuring embellished designs combining sateens, velvet, faux fur and silk. Prices start at £12 for pillowcases.

Is this all beginning to sound rather too tasteful? It is a natural urge to push maximalism to, well, the max. That means junk shop finds such as old paintings in battered gilt picture frames or, if you dare, curious objects in glass cases. Set them off with aplomb.

If grubbing around brings you out in a rash, then a chandelier or two will achieve a pleasingly kooky effect. In small rooms such as bathrooms, chandeliers play with perspective and lift the ordinary in an instant. And they are surprisingly inexpensive. Try Matalan, which has an impressive glass chandelier for only £20. Or at Marks & Spencer the Jesse chandelier comes in wrought metal and crystal, and the Waterfall pendant is a 1970s-style circular design with pearlescent beads. Both are priced at £39.50. Considerably less than supper for two at Les Trois Garçons.

www.marksandspencer.com or 08456 031603

www.matalan.co.uk

www.dunelm-mill.com

www.debenhams.com or 08445 616161

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