I thought I’d take a stab at something different today and look at the dilemma of combining two very different styles into one cohesive look. You married folks know what I’m talking about right? Not so easy when your spouse has a heartfelt love of all things Nascar and you prefer…well, anything but :).
Today, we’re pretending she loves contemporary style with clean lines and not too much fuss. He loves all things earthy. Give him wood grain and leather and he’s a happy man.
Meet the happy couple’s bedroom:
As you can see, Ms. Contemporary and Mr. Earthy have learned the art of compromise. She gets a bed, nightstands, and artwork with stylish and clean contemporary lines, while he gets his manly leather chair and warm earthy colors. They even managed to find a mirror that combines both simple lines and his beloved wood grain. Ahhh, a match made in heaven.
Now, don’t worry. This single gal isn’t going to attempt to give marital advice here, BUT I have a few suggestions when it comes to combining styles.
- Find a Common Thread: What do you both like (I know…duh)? Even if it’s something as simple as a color, or a texture, that’s something you can build on.
- What’s REALLY Important To You?: Our contemporary gal would feel completely suffocated in a a room full of intricate details, raw wood and cowhide, right? What’s really important to her is clean lines that let her feel like she has order and can breathe. And, let’s face it, a pristine white room would make our earthy man break out in hives. He really needs to feel the warmth of earth tones around him in order to relax.
- What Can You Live Without?: In the example above our contemporary gal would probably prefer brighter colors or a nice tone on tone palette, but as long as she has a simple, orderly bedroom she’s content. And our earthy man would rather have a solid oak bed (and he isn’t a big fan of throw pillows), but he feels comforted in his warm hued space.
Feel free to let me know if you want me to do this again, and if so, are any particular styles you want me to try to combine?
Finally, thanks to all of you who entered the Pleated Poppy giveaway! The winner of the set of 3 posy pins is lucky number 81, Stacy from Snow Business.
9 Suburbanites Said:
How about the man who likes boring, staid, monochromatic, neutral, traditional stuff and his wife, whose taste he describes as "Mexican restaurant style"? Not that I'm speaking from experience. :-)
Hey -- where is that rug from? I think I might be in love with it. Actually, I'm sure I am... I've got to have it.
Love it! How about a She who likes luscious, gold and burgundy European style and a He who thinks more junk is best? :D
He likes uber traditional (ie. don't ever paint a piece of wood furniture!) and she has more eclectic tastes (ie. she likes traditional with a spin to it...some painted pieces, made-over thrift store finds, a FEW SMALL ruffles here and there, maybe with a little French Country thrown in?).
Sigh. I don't even dare get started on this topic. His style is best described as "What's wrong with the way it is". Her style is confused, cash-strapped and falls somewhere between Pottery Barn and Coastal Living.
PS - great theme, by the way. I take comfort from others in blogland with the same problem :)
He: Asian jungle dark timbers. WOod. Leather. Dark colours.
She: White paint. The more the better. Cream and blue stipes. Coastal meets french meets preppy.
They: Have agreed to ban interior decorating discussions until its absolutely necessary and then try REALLY HARD not to kill each other.
Thanks for posting this! I'm looking for ideas for our guest room!
Love it - YES DO IT AGAIN!
How about HE who loves everything traditional, traditional and she who loves cottage!
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