Going forward, every Friday I’ll be selecting one “Reader Question” to answer here, so if there’s something you’d like advice or an opinion on, email me at jordan@ramshackleglam.com with the subject line “Reader Question”. Topics can include anything from food to relationships to the weird sounds you hear in your room at night; it’s up to you!
The first Reader Question (snagged from the comments) comes from Idioelectric:
Q. A pressing question from a girl who likes design veering towards bright colors, clean lines and the Anthropologie vibe (not all at once, obvs) married to a boy who literally wears only black and grey and likes minimalism: How do we compromise? Is there a middle ground?
I don’t mind his style, but he can’t handle the vintage floral thing. (I can just see his reaction to the Liberty of London stuff.) Do we go room by room?
A. One of my best friends asked me almost the exact same question when she moved in with her fiance. All of their furniture was heavy and masculine, and the place simply didn’t feel like hers. She ended up incorporating design elements that were uniquely special to her without being particularly gender-specific, and softening the space with plants and fabrics. What I’d do: select larger pieces of furniture in strong, minimalist shapes and colors (these aren’t pieces you’re necessarily going to want in bright florals anyway) and add interest and color with accessories (vases, throw blankets, wall hangings). Kendrick and I had a version of this discussion when we moved to our new place, and we decided that I could go more feminine in the bedroom (although at his request I restrained myself from using pink, which I thought was a fair compromise), while we’d keep the living room a little more gender-neutral.
Any other ideas about how to reconcile opposing aesthetics?
