Recently as we began a long term plan to save up for new furniture, we found some important discoveries that may help you in your home to decorate with a man It started with me sharing some of my ideas I've culled from savvier friends of mine; Susan, Katherine and Erica. They have interesting and lovely homes they have spent a lot of time shopping for and getting artistic in decorating. I know when I love something in a junk shop, but have little idea about wall color. I just painted my kitchen from a dull pale green to a vibrant Tiffany's blue, but now the rest of our 1920 bungalow's resigned colors do not play well together.
I can see we'll need to paint the rest of the house but feel overwhelmed about it. And we would need to know about what furniture we like, what colors for the rooms and so forth. We'll do one room at a time, but need to see the end results in advance. So I start asking John what he thinks. I start telling him some thoughts I have developed and then he says," Well it sounds like you have decided everything."
I say "No, but I have been thinking about it. How much time have you spent thinking about decorating?" Blank Stare. "Have you talked with your friends, looked at Pinterest, ogled paint swatch catalogs?" Blank Stare. He starts to get annoyed by me and I make it worse by asking could we cuddle up together and look at Pinterest together. Every Man's Dream. This little endeavor brings us to my first Tip On Decorating With Your Man:
- Look for ideas that you both like or dislike on Pinterest. Set a time limit or any other bribe you need. Explain to your husband that you want to understand what he likes too since you both live in the house. By looking at decor ideas and talking about them, we realized my Husband doesn't like happy colorful busy. He enjoys more classic and calm environments. Good to know since I would paint everything that wasn't moving a different color. We agreed I could "have fun" with the bathrooms and kitchens but we would keep the other living areas more neutral.
- Watch Your Language! We learned this about ourselves early in our marriage. John will say "Let's go look at couches." I hear "Let's go look for couches." Can you see the difference? One word is recognizance for a future purchase, the other better go shopping in a pickup truck cuz you is buying a couch today! Clarify language with your spouse and have a laugh at the same time.
- Agree in Advance. Plan your decorating goals long range. Maybe even in writing. Decide together on a budget, timeline, colors, cost and priority. This helps keep awesome communication going with no surprises. We are currently shopping for a sexy water softener since we do not have one, and we have tabled our furniture shopping until June to keep ME from driving around in a pickup truck.
- Preselect choices for your husband. Most men (NOT ALL) will not enjoy all the choices and wandering through paint chips you may. If the roles are reversed GREAT, switch these concepts to suit your household. Narrow down themes, colors, styles you like and suggest your Husband choose from those. If he doesn't like any of it then you may need to try another time or start over with him this time. Decorating with a man is different, but you are a team and it will work!
I would love to hear from you all what works for you and your husband when you are decorating your home. Guys and home decor do go further than a man cave. Please share any tips you may have to help us all decorate with a man...John and I will thank you for it!
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