Roadmap to Decorative Bliss
© Candice Cowin
In my humble opinion, decorating is a metaphor for coupledom. The ability to compromise is at the heart of good relationships as well as good decorating. In keeping with the spirit of compromise, I offer the following steps to decorative bliss...
1. Schedule a 'keep or chuck' session:
The first thing you will need to do as a couple is to get rid of items that are dated, unnecessarily duplicated, or in poor condition (beyond repair).
A rule of thumb is to chuck out furnishings and other household items that you can't agree to keep. Bear in mind that chucking does not necessarily mean that the item goes in the trash. It can simply mean that the item will be stored out of sight for an undetermined period of time.
This keep or chuck session is the most painful part of the decorating process. It is very difficult to decide whose furniture and accessories should stay and whose should go.
Remember that no one's style is necessarily better than the other's. In decorating, as in all things, there is no reality, only perception.
Try to use logic rather than emotion when explaining why you think his permanently stained recliner should go to a charity organization, or why her stuffed animal collection should be put in storage.
Rather than telling your husband that his recliner is a 'disgusting piece of junk', look for potential. Can it be reupholstered or refurbished somehow at a reasonable price? If not, perhaps you know someone headed off to college that can use it in his or her dorm or apartment?
As for the stuffed animals - tell your darling that you are the only one she needs to cuddle up to at night. If she is still unwilling to let go of her childhood friends, maybe she would be willing to give them away to a young niece or nephew as a special gift. If she is planning to keep them for her own children, perhaps it would be best to clean and store the critters away in a cool, dry closet until those children arrive.
It is best for each half to leave behind the trappings of their single lives and march bravely toward coupledom. But if you just can't agree on what to keep or chuck, you may both find it satisfying to give each other one room in the house in which each person has free decorative reign.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Candice Cowin's Decorating How-to topic, please visit the Discussions page.