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How to merge interior styles when moving in together

May 3, 2018 1 Comment

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By Jessi Deakin & Sarah Yarrow

The issue of merging styles once you move in with your beloved can be a particularly challenging one โ€“ particularly if youโ€™ve both spent years collecting and cultivating items prior. What exactly are you supposed to do if youโ€™re all about The Hamptons and your partner wants to rock the industrial distressed metal look?

However, if you and your partner have decidedly different ideas of what constitutes โ€˜styleโ€™, and itโ€™s an ongoing headache, then never fear – there are actually ways to combine the two as well as compromise without changing your Facebook status to โ€œItโ€™s complicatedโ€! Here are our top tips:

1 Define what youโ€™re both wanting in your home in terms of look and feel

This could be a mind map of key descriptive words like โ€œrelaxedโ€, โ€œcosyโ€, โ€œminimal” or some visuals of spaces you love and can see yourself living in. See if any of your key words overlap or coincide in any way. Chances are the images you are each drawn to are very different – at a glance you might think โ€œthis is going to be impossibleโ€ but look closely. Are there any common threads? Do you both like the same types of timbers? Cool or warm colour palettes? Patterns or textures? Minimal or eclectic? Fingers crossed youโ€™ll be able to find some common ground and use that as the basis of your decor.

2 Agree on your โ€œmust-havesโ€ and โ€œabsolutely-notsโ€

Whilst you might have your heart set on open shelving to display your collected treasures (that your other half refers to as โ€œclutterโ€ grr โ€ฆ), your partner might have a more minimal look in mind. At some point if you want to really pull a complete look together you both need to compromise, take a deep breath and cull the items and furniture that are outdated or simply donโ€™t fit into the greater scheme.

In most cases, if you dig deep enough, there are usually only certain, specific elements of a space that someone is non-negotiable on, with the others not really mattering to them as much. Determining where each of you stand on these is key as you figure out a compromise. For example, when out shopping your partner might be drawn to a black leather modular lounge which you can instantly see isnโ€™t going to fit in with your โ€œthemeโ€.

Before you run out of the store screaming, find out exactly what it is that he likes so much about it. It could be that he likes the size and shape of the modular lounge as it means he can stretch out and put his feet up at the end of the day. Perhaps he isnโ€™t fussed on the fabric or colour which means you can agree to look at modular lounges but perhaps in a grey textured fabric instead (which would fit in with your Scandi colour palette much more nicely). Boom – compromise complete!

3 Dedicate separate spaces to be styled exactly to each of your tastes

If your belovedโ€™s still in a sulk, here are two words for him: man cave. If hubby has a collection of sports memorabilia or bizarre ornaments from overseas that he refuses to keep in storage which youโ€™d prefer not have displayed front and centre in the living room, then encourage him to decorate his own space with pride. The same goes for yourself โ€“ designate yourself an area which you can pretty up whatever way you please.

For a home that doesnโ€™t look disjointed, it is still preferable to come to some kind of compromise on a central theme or colours that will define the main rooms and have cohesion. Whatever you do, donโ€™t go down the path of, โ€œokay you can choose the coffee table if I get to choose the entertainment unitโ€. This is a recipe for decorating disaster!

4 Compromise with the user-friendly Bohemian style

So what kind of style options are out there for couples that wonโ€™t cause a cold war? In our experience the one style that can pull together differing items coherently is Bohemian. We are experts in this eclectic style and the beauty of it is that if you do it well, itโ€™s quite versatile, unlike some other styles such as French Provincial or Scandi which are more rigid in their aesthetic.

Bohemian embraces different cultures, displays of interesting, sometimes clashing items, and utilizes different textures and natural materials. It embraces the carefree, the relaxed and the unusual. Tones are often warm and many varying colour palettes can be applied to suit different tastes. Thereโ€™s also a mix of patterns and elements donโ€™t need to fit in a traditional way. So your grandmaโ€™s antique 19th Century chair might look completely fine next to your partnerโ€™s retro 50s table!

5 If all else fails, hire an interior designer!

If youโ€™re facing a really tough stand off that shows no signs of wavering then a designer can step in and help both of you make those tough calls. As interior designers, a key part of our process is to get a sense of our clientsโ€™ personal tastes. This often involves two extremes and sometimes the opinions of other family members as well.

The best part is, an interior designer can provide technical reasons as to why one way is a better option than another and even offer completely new ideas to suit all parties. Once a vision is clearly outlined, you both may end up actually agreeing!

–Jessi and Sarah Yarrow are co-founders of Black Arrow, a Sydney-based interior design company focused on creating immersive, relaxing interiors that feed your soul. All photos are of their work.

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Want to try a different tipple this weekend? Toda Want to try a different tipple this weekend?

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Before & after: Renovating a kitchen while keeping Before & after: Renovating a kitchen while keeping ALL the character!

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It's not just the award winning designer houses that get us excited here. It's also the beloved family homes which are renovated and extended to make them fit for purpose so people can continue to live where they love ๐Ÿค—

@inspiredspacesaus helped her clients with teenage kids transform this house in Sydney's Hills District inside and out, making it their forever home. 

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Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps ๐Ÿค•

Oh what a night. Thankfully Hornsby Hospital were as amazing as always and we avoided stitches. All taped and glued  back together and now to keep him calm for the next few days (๐Ÿคช) and watch for signs of concussion. 

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Funny how we go into super organised mama mode in times like these. Grabbed dinosaurs, textas and scrapbook on the way out in case we had a long wait!

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And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

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Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! ๐Ÿ’ง 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!๐Ÿค—

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap ๐Ÿฅด) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon ๐Ÿ˜†

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too ๐Ÿ˜‰

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
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  1. AvatarDakwerken says

    May 5, 2018 at 11:12 pm

    These are really great tips. Thanks for sharing them.

    Reply

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