How We Curate Timeless Homes for Partners with Different Design Tastes
It has been joked that many professions also include the role of Marriage Counselor! Realtors, stagers, architects, and designers know that reality all too well!
When two people share the same house, there’s plenty of room for disagreement, even among the most amiable of partners. And when those two people have completely different tastes, one might wonder:
Is it really possible to create a design that both parties will be happy with?
Here are some tips to help you both get the design you want and stay together happily ever after!
1.) We Always Welcome & Encourage Complete Honesty
In cases where two people seem to have radically dissimilar styles and desires, it is common for one person to decide it’s not worth it, shut down, and let the other have their way - obviously not the most healthy approach to a sound marriage, or a happy design result.
So we encourage each partner to be open and honest about their needs, desires, and expectations of how the design should be done. Depending on the scope of the project, the spaces being redecorated may affect one person more than the other, and vice versa - such as one person’s study, or another’s craft room. So desires can be weighted accordingly.
Once each has made a thoughtful statement about where they are coming from and have felt heard, it is much easier to see where compromises can be made on each side in order to come up with a design that represents them both.
This is a far better situation than leaving one person behind while the other makes all the decisions, yes?
2.) We Have the Expertise to Blend Styles Beautifully
As I teach in my course, The Envied Nest Academy, most individuals gravitate toward a combination of styles and are rarely locked into just one. A professional designer knows how to blend even seemingly contradictory styles into one that reflects the personalities and preferences of both parties.
This is actually part of the fun of design! And it renders a perfectly custom look, one both can be proud of and thoroughly enjoy.
3.) We Tell Couples to Expect Compromise & Flexibility
The art of a home design is no different from the art of life. In order to remain a happy couple, each will have to expect to compromise and be flexible with the other. That’s the beauty of relationship - we share all the movements and the give and take of life together!
I like to begin a design journey with clients by introducing the good/better/best approach. This is particularly helpful in setting spending expectations, but can also help a designer see where each partner places their emphasis.
Does one value natural materials more than the other? Is one looking for investment-grade artwork more than high-quality case goods? Where are the commonalities between what is critical and less critical?
With open and honest communication, it is possible to find a path both can happily agree on.
Conclusion
When a couple hires a designer, they are usually looking for a way to make their home a perfect representation of their lifestyle together. Different opinions are all part of the deal! But a life beautifully shared together can produce a beautiful, authentic, and cohesive home - one that no one else could create!
Embrace the challenge, get assistance from a true professional, and watch the magic happen in your home as it has in your hearts!
