5 Steps To Blend Your Home Design Styles

How Your Wedding Registry Is Like Couple’s Therapy.

Let’s set the scene, shall we?

You grew up on classics like Pretty in Pink and The Great Gatsby. Your monogrammed tennis whites have their own section in your closet. He grew up fishing and hiking in Montana, can quote Into the Wild and watch Free Solo on repeat.

But it works, until you try to pick out a couch together or find dishes you both like.

Don’t despair. Opposites have been attracting since the beginning of time and have some of the best love stories to tell. The Notebook anyone?

We know a lot of couples get stuck building their wedding gift registry, so we’ve consulted interior designer Danica Brown of Urban Trove, to walk you through 5 steps to help blend your design styles. It’s great advice in decorating and in life.

Step 1: Find Common Ground

It can be hard work, but it’s a good exercise in speaking your mind and listening to each other.

• Use resources like Pinterest and Houzz to find different images you individually connect with. Break down the images into colors, shapes, finishes, patterns and textures. There’s bound to be overlap in one of these areas.
• You may prefer linen upholstery, while he is drawn to leather. Instead, focus on the shape of the sofa or chair and see if the silhouette is common ground.
• Focus on the things you have in common, and that will help you work around the ways that you are different. Maybe you both like chrome finishes on light fixtures, start there!

Helpful tip: Ask questions. What do you like (not like) about this room, sofa, fixture, glassware? This process works from designing an entire room to selecting glassware for your bar cart.

Step 2: Add Texture

You've probably heard location is key when buy a home, but I say texture is key when it comes to design.

• One way to mix-and-match design styles is to select large items in neutral, solid colors and let the details (pillows, dishes, linens) speak to your differences.
• Mixing natural textures like wood and cotton with polished modern finishes looks amazing. A variety of textures makes for an interesting room, bookcase or tabletop.
• Adding texture elevates your aesthetic no matter what styles you’re blending. Mix warm and cool neutral shades, a pop of black never hurt, and deep navy often works as a neutral.

Helpful tip: Pair opposites like organic and luxe textures or polished and honed finishes.

Step 3: Balance + Invest

If you're like me, you swoon at showstopper pieces. But when you bring together your individual items, they're fighting for attention.

• Take inventory of the items you each value. Maybe they look nothing alike but are related through memories of travel. That’s OK. Things work together because you work together.
• Finalize those must-have pieces, then round out the space with simple items that allow your eyes and mind to rest. Let’s say you have a carved mask from a trip to Africa and he has an old clock from his grandfather. Set the clock to Kenyan time and now your wall tells both stories…together.
• Keep in mind, the showstoppers might be investment pieces, but they're worth it! When you find items you both love, splurge a little if you can. Quality never goes out of style!

Helpful tip: Make sure the items that are seen often and used for more than holidays are the showstoppers.

Step 4: Color Play

Don’t let our advice for neutral textures scare you away from color and pattern. When mixing design styles, color can actually tie everything together.

• A minimalist place setting with traditional linens can absolutely work!
• One of the hardest things to mix and match is colorful patterns. If you do it wrong, it will make you dizzy. Don't try if you’re unsure.
• Identify the core cohesive colors early on and filter your additional selections (no matter the style) through that.

Helpful tip: If you both like different colors, then start by picking a bridge pattern. A bridge pattern should incorporate both of the colors that you want to use and will make everything look intentional!

Step 5: It’s For You

You should love what you have! And let’s face it, marriage involves compromise. Learning to listen to your partner and seeing them happy will bring you joy in the end. I’m not suggesting you deck out the living room with his old recliner or that he loves your bed pillows but DO allow each other to have a voice. Do this, and you’ve won the marriage and design lottery.

The Dowry, a curated wedding gift registry website, has identified 5 core design styles so you can register with ease: Boho-Eclectic, Classic-Traditional, Fresh-Prep, Rustic-Industrial and Scandinavian-Minimalist. This is a great way to see how color, texture, shape and pattern broaden an item across different design styles.

In the end, when you both feel represented in your home, it’s a much more interesting and dynamic result. Now go out there, register, and make us proud!