Deciding what stays and what gets tossed out can quickly turn the fun and exciting transition of moving in together into a minefield of bickering and arguments. Not if you have some fun, quirky and engaging decorating tips up your sleeve that can make setting up your new home a breeze.
Decorating Tips For Couples Moving In Together
So, your SO asked, “Will you move in with me?” And you jumped in excitement and said yes. It was all fun and games until you were living in the fantasy of how awesome it’d be to live together. Now, as the moving day draws near, you’re both scratching your brains over how best to blend in your lives. To help you on that front, here are a few decorating tips for couples moving in together, regardless of your respective tastes:
1. Identify your favorites
Decorating should be centered around favorite items, even if each partner’s preferences in this area are markedly different. Let each partner choose the favorite items they want to be incorporated into the décor. These may be family photos, trophies, awards or mementos of trips. Then put the rest of the items in storage and gradually figure out how to make the rest work.
2. Don’t denigrate their prior decisions
You can guarantee a fight if you throw out his old band shirts or her glass perfume bottles. Don’t get rid of their stuff without their permission. Instead, have discussions about winnowing it out, choosing what to put on display and what to put in storage. When they set up a corner of their own or decorate a room according to their tastes, don’t mock it. If you really don’t like it or it clashes with the rest of the room, you can try pulling out some of the items that you consigned to the storage to make it all blend a little better.
3. Give everyone a place and space
It isn’t uncommon for people to try to mix their décor in every room of the house. If you can’t agree on decor ideas, you too can try a similar approach. You can also explore two other solutions that will work better from an aesthetic point of view. One option is giving each person a room to decorate per their tastes such as one decorating the kitchen and the other decorating the living room or let one decorate the bedroom and the other decorate the office. Another way is letting one person’s décor dominate a room while there is a corner or focal point that represents the other person. For example, she might decorate most of the living room, but he has a display shelf in the corner for their favorite items or personal mementos. It could be as much as a corner of the room or space such as a desk or workstation in the back of the living room. This is the better approach if you are living in a small apartment rather than a house.
4. Take your time to find your mutual style
Don’t rush out to buy new, joint décor. Start by decorating with photos of you as a couple. Take your time finding things you both like to add to your shared home. Slowly cultivate a joint image and create a home you share. For example, take your time as you replace separate pieces of furniture with individual pieces that fit in the home. Take your time to find a sectional for your living room before you get rid of your different living room chairs. There are exceptions to this, of course, such as when you replace your separate beds with a single large bed when you move in together. Just like much else in a relationship, doing up your first home after moving in together is all about finding a middle ground. Prepare to give a little, accommodate your partner’s wishes, and soon, together you’ll find a sweet spot that works wonderfully well for both.
