Regardless of whether your home is a rental or personally owned, you will want to embed a bit of your personality into its design and decoration. But if you’re married or are living with a partner, you have to take their preferences into consideration since both of you are occupying the house. Oftentimes though, couples tend to have differing tastes. So what do you do then? Do you sacrifice your wants and needs or will you ask your spouse to sacrifice his or hers?
To avoid arguments, it’s best to have an open mind and agree to meet halfway when designing your home. Here’s how:
Jot down the things that both you and your spouse or partner need to decide upon
This could be deciding on new living and dining sets or the color of your master’s bedroom. Regardless of who’s paying for what, you need to come to a compromise. This is especially true for large purchases like the exterior paint color of your home and garage renovation.
What to keep and what to throw
If you ask your significant other to throw away certain things, you will have to accept that you need to do the same. In other words, deciding what stays and what goes should be a give-and-take process. That way, no one will feel that their opinion doesn’t matter.
Take note of the items that you can concede on
You might be obsessed with designing the kitchen since you’re the one who loves to cook, while your partner is more interested in designing the basement-slash-home office. If this is the case, you can agree to concede to what the other wants to do with such spaces. This way, both of you are suggesting something that reflects each of your personalities in your home design.
Also Read: 10 Tips You Need to Know When You Remodel an Old House
Design spaces that both of you will enjoy
Although you might have free rein on your living room’s design, don’t forget that this space isn’t just for your personal use. Of course, you’ll be spending some lovey-dovey time with your spouse in this room, which means that you’ll also need to take their wants into consideration. By doing so, you are letting your partner know that you are not alienating them from your home.
Finalize decisions with love and respect
Don’t let pent up emotions get the best of you when designing your home. Set those negative feelings aside and focus on the problem at hand. If you do that, you’re eliminating the chances of a major argument or worse, a meltdown. On top of that, you are letting each other know that, despite your differences, your love and respect for each other is immensely important.
In summary, it is important that you take the time to discuss with each other what should be done when designing your home. It is also essential to pick a time when you are both relaxed, not tired, to talk about each detail of the home improvement project. Also, let your partner know that you are doing this because you want them to have a say on the changes that will happen to your home. If you do all of these, you are guaranteed to have a smooth-sailing renovation endeavor.
