Blending Your Styles Making a House a Home

So the wedding bells have rung, and you now find yourself at a crossroads of sorts – as you look through all of the beautiful gifts you’ve been given and take a glance around the first place that you’ll live as a married newlywed couple, you may find a bit of a mismatch.  You see if your place looks anything like our little apartment did, the space may be mixed with an assortment of thrifted or hand-me-down furniture, paired with the things you so carefully selected for your registry.  Not to mention, the stuff that you two probably both already have to add to the (in our case, tiny) space and before you know it, you have quite the hodgepodge of stuff.

If you’re already feeling a little overwhelmed with the picture that I just painted, I understand!  It makes me cringe a bit too just thinking about it.  But at any rate, I think we can all agree, at some point – in some capacity – it’s time to start minimizing some of the stuff so that it feels cohesive and calming, instead of an array of stuff that leaves you feeling a bit frazzled.

Side note: one of the things that I try really hard to prioritize as we’ve start making our house a home is to really focus on making the home ours and not just the way that I want it to be decorated.  After all, Morgan lives here too, and while I don’t always get this process right (Morgan will be the first to tell you that I have a hard time letting him hang his artwork anywhere that’s not the garage), I really do try and do my best.

Now as we’re looking back to the combining of our styles, furniture, and home projects, here are a few things to think about:

  1. Boys usually think really practically, and so they are much more likely to agree to something if it is also functional and not just something that looks pretty.  This means that if they’re anything like my husband, they don’t love things with a white surface that will be easy to get dirty, they don’t love extra trinkets (that don’t hold meaning) to be places just for the sake of it, and whether or not it will get dirty or will break easily is at the forefront of their thoughts.
  2. On the other hand, sometimes we girls really love things that look pretty but are super unpractical.  For example, Morgan will tell you that I really love white everything, but with a black dog and a firefighter husband who is constantly fixing things and tracking dirt into our home, white is not always the most practical.  Finding those pieces that kill two birds with one stone is definitely a key, and those should always be keepers!  For example, that means that when I’m searching for the perfect rug, as fun as a light colored one may look, it’s just not practical for me.  I’m much more likely to convince Morgan that it’s a good idea if it has the ability to hide dirt too, but we’ll compromise and have a slightly more feminine pattern in a darker shade.  And since I’m the writer of this blog, I’m going to tell you ladies that it’s okay to keep a few things that are impractical, but only in moderation!
  3. Color is a huge place where you can win your guy over!  When I’m thinking about common spaces in our house, and really just in general, I try to use a lot of neutrals with pops of color that can be more on the masculine sides of things.  You see, my favorites colors are teal and coral, but those colors are far from inviting to Morgan, so instead I try and substitute those for a tiny pops of oranges and a more neutral blue scheme.  Those subtle changes can create the perfect compromise.  Ladies, that means I’m putting my foot down now – no pink allowed unless it’s in your office space.
  4. Material is also a huge place of compromise when it comes to the style of your home.  Boys tend to love more wooden materials, and a more industrial feel where girls are more content with linens, fabrics, and cozy things.  A mix actually is super simple to accomplish, you just have to balance the masculine furniture with the feminine pieces.  This makes everyone feel at home.

And finally, as we’re thinking about how to create a cohesive space that brings meaning to us as a couple, I try really hard to ask these questions (to remind myself of the purpose of our house) before I purchase something or add something new to our home:

Is this something that’s functional, practical, and going to serve us and our guests in some way?

Is this something that is overtly girly? If so, try and find the same thing in a different shape, color, material, or pattern that’s more in the middle.

Morgan, do you like this? If not, why don’t you like it? The second part of this question is key to finding a direction to find the compromise.  Sometimes, I still say yes to something even if Morgan doesn’t like it, but it’s rare, because I really do value his opinion!

So the next time you look around your home and are thinking about how to blend your styles and define it as a couple, these are great questions to ask yourself!  Happy decorating, friends!

Posted:

January 31, 2017

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Wife, mama, wielder of light & joy, and capturer of moments.  I thrive off of conversation and genuine connection.  In between wrangling our kiddos, and hanging my husband, you'll find me dreaming up my next idea or creative endeavour.  It's these things that culminate to give my imagery a warmth and joy to them - the greatest compliment I could receive.

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