Opposite Upcycle Aesthetic: Cyberpunk Maximalism

Featured image: AI-generated image through chatgpt.com

As I have discussed in my previous posts, I am currently creating an Ikea-inspired bedframe to add to my shuttle bus build. For my chosen aesthetic, I wanted to go with minimalism to give the limited space a simple and clean feeling. Additionally, I wanted to implement a natural aesthetic that replicated the colors and feelings of the outdoors. To contrast this with the opposite aesthetic, I will be exploring cyberpunk maximalism. This aesthetic is not fitting at all for my shuttle bus build, but I think it will be fun to explore for the sake of contrast.

While minimalism emphasizes simplicity, clean lines, and functionality, maximalism embraces excess, boldness, and an abundance of overlaying elements. To accomplish this, I will pursue vibrant colors, intricate patterns, diverse textures, and an overall feeling of abundance. My idea with this is to take everything I like and not choose one thing in particular, but rather throw it all down together.

The cyberpunk aesthetic aims to counter the idea of naturalness. Nothing about this design will feel organic, and instead, I will try to pursue the beauty of human synthesis. I am thinking for this aspect to include neon colors, plastic materials, and highly decorative ornamentation. When combining this with maximalism, I hope to achieve a chaotic and exuberant design. This definitely isn’t my personal favorite aesthetic, especially for something being added to a very confined space, but I believe it will have its own beauty aspects.

Image 1: example of a maximalist bedroom from beatifulhomeideas.com

This image perfectly exemplifies maximalism. With a wide variety of colors, shapes, and textures, it offers a pop of everything. There is no restraint in the expressiveness here, but—with proper taste—I believe this aesthetic comes together to look quite nice. This aesthetic still goes with naturalness, with the flowers and designs replicating natural patterns of nature. However, in terms of minimalism and simplicity, this example offers the opposite of my bedframe aesthetic.

Image 2: example of a cyberpunk bedroom from artofit.org

This image showcases the cyberpunk aesthetic really well. The neon lights and artificial material give a synthetic vibe. This is definitely the opposite of an earthy wood-toned feel, but it still offers a cozy and tranquil feeling. This human made theme is very futuristic and is hyper-stylized.

I tried to use the above two images to inspire my drawing for a cyberpunk maximalist bed. For the bed, I wanted to have sprawling legs that blossomed out like flowers. I can’t illustrate this in the drawing alone, but I would also want to use plastic as the building material and have the underside of the bed be lined with neon pink LEDs. See the below image for my sketch.

Image 3: My cyberpunk maximalist bed design drawing