Need help combining different design styles

Discussion in 'Interior Design' started by MsENigma, Jun 24, 2013.

  1. MsENigma

    MsENigma New Seed

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    Hi all,


    I'm brand new to the forums, but I'm desperately seeking help.

    My boyfriend has started talking about building a house, and he told me it was up to me to decorate. Well, that's fine; I love interior design and decorating, so I was thrilled. It was short lived though, because our styles are VERY different. I'm french country/rustic while he's modern/contemporary. Everything we showed each other was shot down by the other. Frustrated, we decided to divide up the house and decorate our specified rooms to our styles, but that's just not going to work. First of all, we're going to have an open floor plan, and I'm thinking it'd be pretty strange if the uber contemporary kitchen opened up into the quaint french living and dining rooms, but I also want to make this work. We're planning on spending our lives together, and I'd like our house to reflect how we've sort of intertwined ourselves with the other. Does that sound weird? Anyway, I've started compiling some pictures of what I THINK may be a happy medium, but I'd really like some outside input.

    HELP PLEASE!!

    Thanks in advance,

    Ms. E.
     
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  3. SusieQ07

    SusieQ07 In Flower

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    Waiting for pics.?
     
  4. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Quite possibly you two need to spend some weekends wandering through furniture stores to find things that both of you can live with for the open/main area of the house. Not making that area in the style that one or the other likes but something you both like.

    Then each of you gets a special room to decorate in their own style. Not necessarily to be used as a bedroom but as an office, craft room, getaway from each other room, reading/listening to music room...man-cave, woman-cave. Whatever you want your room to be.

    Now the master bedroom may be a designing nightmare since you each have such differing style preferences.
    French country may look good in the kitchen but most men do not want it as a bedroom.
    Modern/contemporary style with a lot of glass and metal or minimalistic design will create a room that is too cold, uninviting and you want a warm and inviting bedroom.

    Again, wander through furniture stores to find pieces that you both like. And nothing says that all the pieces of furniture have to be from the same style...it's your bedroom make it comfortable for both of you.
    Each of you make a list of your 5 favorite colors then compare to see if there are any colors you both like. If so, that could be the main color for linens, curtains or rugs, etc.
    If there is no colors that you both like, then
    the walls can be a neutral color...light grey, beige, taupe. And use some of those colors you each wrote down for the linen, curtains, rugs, throw pillows, artwork, candles, lamps, etc.
     
    Frank, eileen, Pianolady and 2 others like this.
  5. MsENigma

    MsENigma New Seed

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    Toni-

    Yes! The master bedroom was one of the biggest disagreements, and you hit the nail on the head. Cold and uninviting, that's how I personally see that contemporary look, and I told him exactly that. Definitely NOT something I could picture living in or having a family in.

    I found maybe 20 or so ideas that I thought would fit both of us, and we whittled that down to 8 ideas that we both liked a lot, so that's progress at least. He actually loves color, so I don't think we'll have a problem there. His favorite is blue while mine is green, so they tie in very nicely together as well, but I will definitely suggest that he sit down and find some things that he likes (colors, furniture, etc...) and start trying to find common ground. One of the biggest things we agreed on was the kitchen. He's the chef in the relationship, so it was important that we find a way to incorporate my style somehow, but still giving him a kitchen that he'd feel at home in, and we actually agreed on something like this:

    http://kitchen-remodeling.us/images/remodeled-kitchen.jpg

    He said he really likes the idea of the brick or even raw stone walls and the wood flooring, and I can definitely work with that.


    As for the "get away rooms", he told me yesterday that he doesn't really care what the terraces look like, and I LOVE gardening and being outdoors, so this works out very well. As far as he goes, he's an avid gamer, plus his job is centered around web-based marketing, so he's on his computer A LOT, so it was always my plan to give him a very modern office/gaming room.

    Thanks so much for the advice!
     
    Frank likes this.



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  6. Tooty2shoes

    Tooty2shoes Hardy Maple

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    Oh I love the look of that kitchen. It can be hard to bring two different styles into harmony. You could check out the DIY TV shows that are online. They have several really neat decorating shows. One couple on the show had a similar problem as you and your honey. Hope that helps some. :stew1:
     
  7. marieburn

    marieburn New Seed

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    That is definitely a beautiful kitchen and you can add stools to give him a bit of that design style he liked. It won't disrupt the flow that is there. Have fun decorating and getting to know each other even more!

    Moderator's note: removed website link, see point 1.1 of community rules
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 4, 2017
  8. Gregory Cooper

    Gregory Cooper New Seed

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    Hey, you can mix the two, like, do something that both of you agree on one thing and both of you get to do your thing also. For that you have to visit stores, discuss, and listen to each other. The house belongs to both of you, so, you both should be satisfied. All the best.
     
  9. CharlieAdrian

    CharlieAdrian New Seed

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    First, congratulations on the respect you have for each other.
    Blended designs are among the best in my opinion.
    You can have a mix of traditional and modern.
     
  10. bostavan

    bostavan New Seed

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    And I want to decorate the plate number with a nice design
     
  11. bertanon

    bertanon New Seed

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    You can make a decoration with your own hands, or you can order a new house number table. It is not just a decorative element, but an indispensable attribute of building identification. Don't want to use standard signs like everyone else? Make a sign on the house with your own hands, which will stand out against the rest of the originality and show your imagination. There is nothing difficult in this process, you only need to know the basic nuances of the work and have a little patience. I ordered a ready-made version but according to our design. It turned out very nice
     
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2021

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