When a man and woman are moving in together and begin to go about decorating their place consider giving up the mindset that stuff is identity and that moving in with someone erases your identity because you have to get ride of some of your stuff…so you fight for things that in the end don’t matter.
Be willing to look at things from a different perspective, change a finish, recover grandma’s chair, and change a lamp shade. You will be creating a new space that reflects both of you while maybe keeping something that has meaning to you. You can always call in an interior designer for a few hours of consultation to help you see the possibilities in the collection of things that you have.
(Image: Real Simple.com)
Below are a few questions and answers the team at Design Lines has come up with for all those newlyweds out there.
(Image: Martha Stewart Weddings.com)
1. What specific “bachelor pad” decor items that the guy should consider giving up?
It can be difficult to throw away that door set on cinder blocks that you used as a desk all the way through grad school or the black “leatherette” sofa from your first apartment but they will have to go! You may also have to get rid of the mismatched bed linens and towels, your collection of beer bottles and the random sets of glasses, dinnerware and cookware. Be selective about keeping the sports memorabilia for a future media/game room knowing that now the Hurricanes Stanley Cup limited edition print will not go over the sofa.
2. What specific decor might a girl need to consider giving up?
Women will need to tone down color…get rid of the pink and green, floral bedding, stuffed animals and decidedly feminine art and accessories. Save that frilly mirror, paint it black and pair it with a tailored lamp…to create something you both will like.
3. For the items/or decor that the man or women have have to “give up” when moving in together in order to mesh their two styles, any suggestions for what the couple should/could do with them?
Have a “flee market” party and invite friends to come over to claim your junk as their treasure. Invite another couple to pool their discards with yours. To give back to the community you could donate to a shelter, or check in with your church to see if there may be some need who would welcome your donation.
4. How would you suggest a couple find a style of home decor that matches them; that represents them as a couple?
Walk through furniture store vignettes and read home decor magazines and talk about what appeals to you and what doesn’t. I find that some of the most important decisions when buying furniture as a couple is to find the right scale of upholstery…something that both the woman and man finds comfortable. Allow each to have a favorite chair that fits only that person. You don’t have to be comfortable in every piece you have. To start with stay somewhat neutral…rule of thumb the bigger the piece or the more expensive it is the more neutral you should make it. (Neutral doesn’t have to be beige!) Color and personality can be used with paint, pillows and accessories that can be economical and easy to change. Do splurge on that one antique or leather chair that you will have forever. Buy the best that you can afford.
To see more from the four part series click here.