The little stuff I don’t even run by him – he could honestly care less about colors or fabrics or accessories. I mean…looking at that stuff is pure torture for him. If I asked I’d get a “that looks great!” for everything anyway. That being said, he’s always appreciative and comments on it when it’s done. When it comes to medium-sized projects like the idea of moving our laundry room to the basement or extending our kitchen island, I discuss it with him for budgeting reason and so he’s not totally shocked when he comes home from a business trip. ;) Ha! Just joking. Kinda.
And of course the big stuff we decide on together, like knocking down the wall in our family room last year. Actually my husband was the one pushing to build on to the house and I was trying to convince him the other option would work out pretty great. He couldn’t visualize it like I could but as it started to happen he saw my vision. That’s the thing – we’ve been together so long, he now knows that he’ll love what I do to the house. There are very rare occasions when he HATES an idea so when that happens I squash it right then and there.
But there are items we have to compromise on. There are a few things in our home that he LOVES and is adamant about keeping. I’m really not one for a “perfect” house – I want a lived in, comfy house. But I’m a girl who loves to decorate and a blogger who talks about decorating so, yes, there are things I’m not crazy about that he wants to keep around.
One is the sofa in our living room. I hate it. OK, hate is a strong word. Loathe:
It looks all sweet and innocent from here but (I’m going to rant for a second, prepare yourself) it’s impossible to clean, any type of cleaner leaves glaring marks on the upholstery (even water, grrr), it’s ginormous, the cat hair sticks to it like a magnet and the back cushions are attached so I can’t take them off to fluff or adjust or anything. Oh and I hate the color.
Yes I picked it out. We got the sofa ten years ago to fill this spot, and I made a few purchases I regret as I was just trying to “fill spots.” Live and learn.
BUT! It is so crazy comfy – almost too much so. You literally sink into it so it’s kind of funny watching guests sit down for the first time. ;) This is his nap couch – does your husband have one?
He has conceded that’s too big for the room (mostly because it makes the placement of the huge Christmas tree that he loves difficult). He loves the tree more than the sofa, thankfully. So yes, one day this one is going, or at least moving to a different spot in the house. But it’s not a priority, obviously, because I’ve been sharing my loathing of this sofa for at least six years now. It’s comfy, I can hide most of the spots with pillows and we’re lucky that we even have a sofa in this room. (That’s what I repeat to myself.)
There are two items that he won’t budge on – no matter what. No way, no how, THEY ARE STAYING WOMAN. I present to you, the recliners:
Well, that’s one. The other one is in his office and even though he never uses that one and it’s too big for the room IT’S STAYING. Fine!
My husband is seriously the most patient, sweetest soul but when I talk about his chairs he gets a teensy bit protective. Now I know they’re never leaving, ever, as long as I live, so I’ve succumbed. But when I joke about replacing them someday he throws himself across one and declares his love and then I’m all, just joking, calm down man, wow!
We got these chairs as a gift when we got married, so they’ve been around for a while. Yes, I helped pick them out. Yes, they appear to be purple in some light. Yes, they are insanely, wonderfully, scrumptiously comfortable:
You see that I try to hide it with a cute pillow and a blanket. I like to pretend it helps.
But I deal. It’s not worth doing anything in our home if he doesn’t love to be here too. It’s just as much his house as it is mine, it doesn’t matter who picks out the pillows or accessories.
Here’s another angle because you know you want it:
Dead sexy!
See? The throw helps, yes? No?
These are his babies and they are staying. I took a nap in this one the other day and was secretly loving it but don’t tell him I said that.
These are just a couple of the items in our home that we compromise on. The decorator in me has learned to deal. The wife in me knows that it’s more important that we both feel at home here. But as I said, I think I have it pretty easy when it comes to this stuff. He knows this is my passion and gives me freedom. I know many of you have spouses who are a lot more involved and I would just say to you to try to compromise as much as you can. The chair you hate is probably the comfiest spot in the house, am I right? As you can see, a perfectly placed throw makes ALL the difference. ;)
(By the way, I hope you all know to take my “ranting” with a grain of salt – I appreciate every bit of our home but I appreciate the people in it even more.)
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