When it comes to moving in together for the very first time, challenges and questions abound. What do you keep? What do you toss? How do you create a space that represents both of you? For some expert advice on the subject, we turned to design pro Glen Peloso. As principal of his own design firm, Glen Peloso Interiors, and a frequent contributor to popular TV shows, such as Restaurant Makeover, Take This House and Sell It and Renovate My Wardrobe, Peloso has seen spaces of all kinds. What’s his personal design philosophy? The right living space will enable you to have a happy, productive life. With that in mind, here are his tips on creating a harmonious newlywed nest.
Maintain Perspective
Both people have an emotional relationship with the items that they bring to the matrimonial home. Remember that these things are simply that―things. If one of you is moving into the space that used to belong to the other, then start with a clean slate by cleaning the room out, so that you can create your new space together.
Compromise
Marriage is really all about compromise so start with a list of things that each of you considers a must-have. You might have a problem with that comfortable chair that he really wants to have. He might not understand why you hang onto a ridiculous antique piece that doesn’t work very well. If it is on the must-have list—find a compromise.
Make it Work
Perhaps that revolting chair can be recovered to suit both of you, or earmark some funds to get a new comfortable chair of his liking. Perhaps your antique dresser can be used in the bedroom as an accent piece. Whatever the choice, remember that the piece makes the other person happy.
Combine Your Styles
It is perfectly acceptable to create an eclectic room, which can be perfectly beautiful. The only real rule here is to try to keep the pieces approximately two time periods apart (i.e. something from the ’60s with something from the ’90s). If you try to match the ’60s and the ’70s, one of the pieces just ends up looking like a hand-me-down. The combination of a great ’50’s coffee table with a very modern carpet will give the feeling of an impressive loft-like setting, and you will both be thought of as a hip couple, and purely by accident!
Pay Attention to Scale
Scale has a major part to play in creating a room, and this may be an area that requires compromise. If you are moving into an 800 sq. ft. condo, oversized furnishings just aren’t going to work. You both have to be realistic. Obviously if one of you lost sixty pounds, you wouldn’t wear the same clothes; the same is true for furnishings. Be prepared to sell some things that don’t work and use the money to get belongings that are scaled properly to the space you will share.
Accessorize
If your combined items end up being somewhat eclectic it can all be pulled together with accessories. Wall colours, window coverings and accent cushions, made of complementary fabrics, can give the space a completely unified look, regardless of the furnishings in the room. Choose the paint colour and fabrics together so that you will both feel comfortable in your new space.
Maintain Personal Space
Collections can be the one area where you may have to create “his space” and “her space.” Not everyone is going to respond to a stuffed animal collection, or a collection of beer cans from around the world. Consider starting a collection of things you both respond to as memories of your new life together. Contrarily, if one of you has to have your collection and the other person hates it, then find a space for it, perhaps just not on display for all-the-world to see.
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