Battle of the Sexes!

I think it’s safe to say that couples don’t always agree on everything – and this can also be said when it comes to couples deciding on how to design the interior of their home. It is certainly not uncommon to have one side of the party looking for the warm, organic curves of a feminine touch while the other wants the cooler, bold and geometrical feel of a masculine touch. This is a situation that needs to be approached with compromise since everyone deserves to love the space that they are in! I have found that in order to make everyone happy in this situation, the best route is to go gender neutral. This does not mean that you have to give up that leather mid-century modern chair or that antique crystal chandelier.

The key to this solution is balance. Of course there are some tricks to this gender nullifying solution that we will get into – but the main key to remember here is balance. For every excessively feminine object you use, you must balance it out with a masculine one. Who knew that interior design had a checks and balances system too?

The most important trick that I was talking about earlier is choosing and agreeing upon a color scheme. I suggest keeping it neutral and then throwing in some pops of color. Neutrals keep the majority of people happy and it makes your home easy to change color schemes within your accessories. I like to have a variety of color tones – for example if you choose all cool colors like black, blue and grey you will end up with a very masculine feel whereas a selection of all warm colors like pink, yellow and orange starts to get feminine. Variety is the key to success when creating a gender free zone!

When it comes to picking actual pieces to fill your space, it’s easiest to separate them into large and small pieces. I consider your large pieces items to be sofas, large tables, large rugs or chairs. Small items would be things like pillows, blankets, lamps and really any piece that you would use as an accent. I like to keep my large items neutral and get crazy with my small pieces. Why? Interior design is constantly changing – trends come and go. You will find it much more cost effective to keep up with fast paced changes if you keep your large and expensive pieces classic and change out the smaller, less expensive items to stay trendy.

Going along with our relationship theme – it’s important to remember that opposites attract. Maybe you love the style of a French Bergere chair but it’s just a bit too “girly” for your significant other. Try keeping the organic style of the Bergere frame but changing up the fabric to something more masculine. Or maybe that beloved leather and wood lounger he loves just needs a fun throw pillow and blanket tossed on it with a vase of flowers nearby. We’ve already been working with this concept in fashion – ladies are wearing boyfriend jeans and guys are wearing skinny jeans. Opposites can work!

I can’t stress enough how important compromising will be in this situation – each of you will need to step outside of your comfort zones. Maybe she gets the accent wall done in her favorite floral patterned wall covering but he gets to accent with brass throughout the space? Even some of my favorite light fixtures are a compromise – think about wrought iron fixture frames with crystal pendants on them. As long as you balance things out correctly, you can get as extreme as you want and everyone will feel like they are winning!

Lastly, there are certainly some items that you should make sure that you do together. Take art for instance – art is full of such a personal pieces that should take some serious consideration and mean something to the both of you. If you truly can’t agree on your pieces, then think about it in a different way. Art doesn’t have to be a painting of something or a sculpture – try using photos of the two of you and your friends or maybe patterns or textual art is something that is more your style? Take some time to choose some pieces that you’re both happy with so you always have something to agree on!