Creating a Home Style as a Couple

The bad news: your significant other likes farmhouse chic, but you prefer something sleek and modern. The good news: finding a mix of styles that you both love is a lot easier than you think.

When redesigning your home (or even just one room), denoting a specific style for that space is high up on most lists. It helps to determine the color of the walls, the shape of the furniture, and the kind of accessories needed to make it feel complete. It’s important to remember that mixing design styles is not impossible – it’s not even hard – it just takes some cooperation and compromise.

Tip 1: Talk it Out

Determine your unique styles. Find out what you’ve got in common and what is vastly different. Sit next to your partner and take a look through Pinterest or Instagram to view different style rooms and make a note of what you think will work for your space. Gathering inspiration this way will help you both see what’s inside your significant other’s head. It will help you both to discover what you definitely want in your space and what you don’t want.

Download our Style Worksheet to spark a conversation with your partner about finding a mix of styles you can both agree on.

Tip 2: Stay Neutral

Stay as neutral as you can. Pick colors that are in a small, neutral palette. Think creams, whites, greys, and earthy tones. Whether you choose light or dark or somewhere in between, neutral colors will work with almost any style. Plus, they will allow the uniqueness of your mix of styles to shine through.

Choosing an accent color (or an accent pattern) that goes well with your color palette is where you can bring in that uniqueness. Start small. You can always add more color later, but less is more when it comes to accents. Think throw pillows, an accent wall, or artwork.

Tip 3: Create Balance

Avoid making your room like thrown together haphazardly. One way to make your two styles mix well is to find pieces that are the same size, height, and feel. For instance, if you want to use a mid century modern couch, choose other low to the floor seating to fill out the room.  A heavily built bookshelf with thick shelves will look better with a large chair versus a dainty one. This creates a balance that is both pleasing on the eye and helps to make the room look put together intentionally.

Tip 4: Mix Things Evenly

Mix things around as evenly as possible. One mistake to make when combining styles is to split pieces up too much. If you’re designing a living space, for instance, don’t mix your traditional bookshelf with traditional frames and neutral-toned book covers while on the other side of the room is a shabby chic couch with distressed side tables and farmhouse themed throw pillows. It will make the room feel lopsided, and your guests won’t know where to focus their attention.

Instead, put a throw pillow on the chair by the bookshelf, and pile some of the books on the distressed side tables. Keep items from each style in all areas of the room – it makes the style look purposeful and won’t confuse anyone.

Tip 5: Stay Consistent

When it comes to building materials (like wood, leather, etc.), stay consistent. Try not to mix colors of leather – two or three versions of a brown leather couch will look messy instead of cohesive. Multiple different shades of wood will have the same effect. Whichever style or color you choose, keep it similar throughout.

Tip 6: Keep It You

Rules are made to be broken. No one can tell you what you and your partner think looks good or what is right for your home. Your opinions are the ones that matter most. Your own unique and eclectic styles will work together as well as you do as a couple. Just remember to talk it out and share your concerns with your partner. Just like with your relationship, communication is key!