“Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor, but they couldn’t all possibly have good taste and a sense of humor.” -- When Harry Met SallyHaving designed rooms for couples and families for more than a decade, I can tell you my role as designer crosses over into marriage counselor more often than you’d imagine. A client will tug at my sleeve whilst their spouse steps away for a moment, handing me some offensive object, “Whatever you do. Get. Rid. Of. This. And remember, it was YOUR idea.”
The sports trophy, the fish mounted on a plaque, the ceramic figurine, the odd commemorative plate/spoon/challis--I’ve seen it all. Combining two lives into a home and keeping the peace is often one of the reasons my clients hire me. They want good design. They want functional spaces. And they want the beer can collection gone.
When I met my husband and saw his beer stein collection, lovingly arranged on a wood plank suspended by cinder blocks, interspersed with the bottles of beer he had drank using them, I will admit I took pause. Perhaps it was the Budweiser Girls Poster that completed the vignette, but I had the reaction many women do. “Yeah, that’s goin’ in the attic.”
Years pass, and my German mother is packing her things to downsize to a smaller place. I am offered no fewer than 5 authentic German beer steins that were my grandfathers. Maybe it was the family history, maybe it was their non-adjacency to cinder blocks, but they were beautiful; each one more colorful and intricate than the next. I lined them up in our butlers pantry combined with my husbands’ steins and get compliments on them from party guests often.
One technique I have seen many clients use is to corral the offensive objects into one confined area (typically a basement – I believe the current term for this is Man Cave). The barstools, the wagon wheel coffee table, the antler chandelier, the framed sports jersey at its side, wine corks in a vase….maybe a stack of Rush concert tickets nearby.
The problem with this is two fold. First of all, the owner of these prized possessions feels banished in their own home. Second, when you pull equally unattractive items together, it tends to have MORE of a visual impact than if they were dispersed and worked into a room. I have made grown men cry (in a good way) when they have seen their things incorporated into a design in a meaningful, beautiful way.
The sports trophy, the fish mounted on a plaque, the ceramic figurine, the odd commemorative plate/spoon/challis--I’ve seen it all. Combining two lives into a home and keeping the peace is often one of the reasons my clients hire me. They want good design. They want functional spaces. And they want the beer can collection gone.
When I met my husband and saw his beer stein collection, lovingly arranged on a wood plank suspended by cinder blocks, interspersed with the bottles of beer he had drank using them, I will admit I took pause. Perhaps it was the Budweiser Girls Poster that completed the vignette, but I had the reaction many women do. “Yeah, that’s goin’ in the attic.”
Years pass, and my German mother is packing her things to downsize to a smaller place. I am offered no fewer than 5 authentic German beer steins that were my grandfathers. Maybe it was the family history, maybe it was their non-adjacency to cinder blocks, but they were beautiful; each one more colorful and intricate than the next. I lined them up in our butlers pantry combined with my husbands’ steins and get compliments on them from party guests often.
One technique I have seen many clients use is to corral the offensive objects into one confined area (typically a basement – I believe the current term for this is Man Cave). The barstools, the wagon wheel coffee table, the antler chandelier, the framed sports jersey at its side, wine corks in a vase….maybe a stack of Rush concert tickets nearby.
The problem with this is two fold. First of all, the owner of these prized possessions feels banished in their own home. Second, when you pull equally unattractive items together, it tends to have MORE of a visual impact than if they were dispersed and worked into a room. I have made grown men cry (in a good way) when they have seen their things incorporated into a design in a meaningful, beautiful way.
Just imagine – the antlers dismantled, whitewashed, and artfully stacked in an unused fireplace. The barstools reupholstered and refinished, placed at a stainless steel topped kitchen island. The wagon wheel suspended from cables holding large pillar candles above a vintage farmhouse table.
Love your mate, love their stuff. It’s part of who they are.
{photo credit: IMDb}
{photo credit: IMDb}
Does the same apply for a room"mate"?
ReplyDeleteIn a word, no. From a design standpoint, sure, it's always better to have cohesive, pulled together items in your home. But if you and your roomate have opposite design styles, you may want to consider a design detente in common areas. Keep them neutral, free of specific memorabilia, and filled with mutually agreed upon furniture.
ReplyDelete