The adage “opposites attract” never rings as true as when I’m on a design job that involves working with a couple.
From my design viewpoint, I can appreciate each person’s design differences. The mix of tastes and preferences adds flair to what could be an otherwise predictable space.
Let’s say one person is drawn to natural textures and rustic themes, while the other prefers dramatic, contemporary style with bold colors. It’s not a design deal-breaker.
It’s possible to blend both sensibilities and still achieve design harmony. In the neutral/bold scenario, just integrate that natural style as the backdrop in furnishings, wall color and window coverings. Next embrace the expression of the bold, contemporary style in the details, such as a large single piece of art, or pillows and accessories.
Sometimes, design opposites make perfect partners. For example, an old-world rustic coffee table can serve as a fetching display for objects with contemporary flair. Likewise, a gleaming contemporary coffee table makes a wonderful setting for a rustic display.
Often, I advise couples to do their homework and identify their design preferences. I might return later to help them arrange furniture, hang art and create displays.
Speaking of displays, one of my favorite, most dramatic personalized design features is to show the couple how to create custom art by enlarging cherished family photos in black and white, and showcasing their heritage on an entire wall.
Photos aren’t the only things that sometimes be better, bigger.
One client showed me a small watercolor painting of a grassy field that her husband painted in high school. It was his one-and-only painting.
In the meantime, we were discussing the need for a large piece of art over their couch. I remembered the tiny painting and suggested they super-enlarge it, then have it matted, framed and hung over the couch.
The client’s husband was pleased that his painting would be honored in such a fashion.
For those who lack photos or art to super-size, paint can come to the rescue via a mural to transform rooms in short order.
Murals work especially well in children’s rooms, where I am occasionally commissioned to paint scenes that highlight their particular interests, from Beatrix Potter-style woodland creatures and Old MacDonald’s farm, to safari animals, koi ponds and fairy tale castles.
With some couples, the resistance to compromise becomes a battle of wills, with a winner and a loser.
In those situations, I suggest couples really examine their resistance to their beloveds’ seemingly irrational design requests.
The item of potential conflict might be a blue-felted billiard table, or a bizarre family heirloom, or a gigantic black beanbag chair, or even a moth-eaten Moose head.
But if that “thing” is something extra meaningful to one’s better-half, I suggest couples choose their design battles carefully and compromise, for the sake of the relationship.
For better, for worse …
Not only will the couple have gained a comfortable living space, but couples who can compromise and remain friends through the process of designing their home will gain crucial life skills that will enhance and enrich their relationship.
Until death do us part …
Shelly Shively lives in Redding. She is IRDN (Interior -Re-design Network) certified. Among her specialties are real estate staging, furnishing vacation and new homes, and the art of interior “re-design” – where she transforms and refreshes clients’ living spaces using their existing belongings. Shelly is also a freelance artist, illustrator and muralist. To inquire about a consultation, she may be reached at 530-276-4656 or leinanishively@gmail.com
