What It’s Like Co-Decorating With Your Significant Other
Just a few months ago, Matt and I moved into our second place together – a beautiful apartment in one of my favorite areas of Los Angeles. This time around, I really felt we were able to make this space our own and invest in pieces we knew we’d keep forever.
But, as most of you probably know, it can be hard to decorate a shared space – whether you’re sharing it with a friend, roommate, or in my case, a significant other. You have to meet the needs and styles of both people. What does the guy want? What does the girl want? And we all want something…and naturally we all want a few things differently.
That said, when it came to designing our home, it was refreshing to know that we actually had really similar goals for the aesthetic and feel of our space. Since we don’t have kids or dogs yet, we had a lot of leeway when choosing colors and designs (ie: we opted for lots of whites). Our space is really bright and open, so we made sure to add modern colors throughout like white grey and black. Once we decided on an overarching color scheme, we added decorative elements like rose colored accents and plants (for greenery) with black planters that represented each of our unique personalities. While we chose big ticket items like a couch and dining table together, he handpicked a chair in our living room and I made the final decision our our bed which I am obsessed with.
Decorating Tips
I am in love with our space, and cannot wait to share pictures with all of you once we’re a bit more settled. In the meantime, though, I want to share some tips on navigating the sometimes-tough waters of sharing a space with another person.
Create a Shared Vision
Like I said earlier, Matt and I have a pretty similar vibe when it comes to décor, which made it pretty easy for us to agree on pieces and color schemes. That said, we didn’t agree on everything, which is fine! To create a vision we both loved, we spent evenings scouring Pinterest, ventured out to stores together, and pulled inspiration images from design magazines. While it was hard at times, mixing more masculine elements that Matt liked with certain feminine colors I was drawn to has made our space more interesting.
Listen, Listen, Listen
It’s simple: you and your roommate may not agree on every single detail, but if you listen to their vision, that’s the first step to success. One of you may love a certain couch, and one of you may hate it. One of you may want to spend more money on a piece of art, and one of you may want to splurge on a new mattress. The important thing is figuring out how to compromise so you don’t end up resenting each other in the process.
Have Fun with It
Designing a space should be fun, not stressful! I’m happy to report that Matt and I had a blast creating a space we are both proud to call home. So, make the process fun – whether that means venturing out to that once-a-month antique market, making the trek to that awesome new furniture store across town, or scoring awesome pieces of art on your travels.
Do you guys have any co-decorating tips that worked for you when moving into a new space? Share them with me in the comment section below – I’d love to hear what worked for you!
