What to Do When Styles Clash? 4 Tips to Help Marry Two Sensibilities

March 27, 2017

What happens when you’ve found your perfect partner but when you go to live together, you find out there’s one big difference: You have totally different styles in interior decorating? This can seem like an insurmountable problem but Half Price Drapes has several ideas to help you move forward.

1. Decide what goes into a room together

Unpacking both of your pieces into a room and then deciding what should be taken out can be a testy situation. Instead, start with everything outside of a room and decide what should go in – together. If the room is already furnished, then take everything out and start fresh. This makes it easier to bridge gaps and lets both people better understand the style of the other.

2. Embrace the differences

Don’t fall into the trap that makes you believe that you need to pick a single style and stick with it. You can combine furniture from different periods, you can layer velvet curtains over sheer draperies, and you can both hang artwork you like – even if they don’t seem to match up. The final goal is to have a space that you both love and that feels personal to you both.

3. Find your common ground

No matter how different your styles may seem, there is bound to be some common ground. Perhaps you can both agree that silk curtains are beautiful, or you can agree on the size of bed that works for you. If you start with the things you agree on, it will make it less tense to try and decide who gets to keep what.

4. Turn to a third party

Some couples hire a designer not because they don’t know how to design their own space, but because they can’t agree on anything. A professional designer will know how to combine both of your tastes and create a cohesive space you’ll both love – and you won’t have to fight to get there! If you don’t want to take on the expensive of hiring a private designer, consider simply asking a neutral friend what their opinion is. Some couples sit down, make a list of things they can’t agree on, and choose a friend whose style they agree is good to come over and make the final decisions. The key in this situation is to not let the third party know who’s picked what so they can’t be accused of choosing favorites.

Back to blog