Decorating For All
If you share your home with another person or people, chances are good you may need to take them into consideration when it comes to decorating. Perhaps you could cover your entire house top to bottom in ultra feminine pastel florals and your husband wouldn’t care in the slightest…then I stand corrected in your case. Whether you live with your spouse, partner, friend, children or otherwise, I believe it is important for everyone to feel comfortable in their home.
Over the years we have been together, Mark has taken more of an interest in our home decor and appearance. I enjoy his input and he has good taste…I’m going to take partial credit for that. As much as this pains me to say, there have even been a few occasions in which I disagreed with Mark’s design choice but ended up happier with the result he chose. Even if we aren’t selecting something together, I still try to consider his preferences and point of view in addition to what I like. Because of this, we have reached a balance of masculine & feminine details in our home that represents us both.
How can you accomplish this? Here are 3 things I try to consider…
1.Compromise with Color
Example: Blush & weathered blue; Muted tones can be easier to blend and neutrals are always a safe bet.
2.Mix Materials
Example: Leather or burlap & lace; Blending different textures such as these keeps from going in a direction that is either too hard or too soft
3.Play with Patterns
Example: Paisley with plaid; Focus on coordinating or complimentary colors so you don’t have to worry about looking too random
And if those don’t help, you can always…
4: Assign Spaces
Example: Man cave or a she shed; This is more extreme and requires the living space to accommodate, but I know plenty of people who have made this work. You do you!
By The Poole 