Would you live in barbie's town house? How important is your home aesthetic to you?

[just_monicat]

how do you decide who and how things are decorated when you share a home? for the sake of discussion, let's all assume we're talking about living with a spouse.


i have married friends who live in a house that is decorated impossibly girly--pink frilly touches everywhere. i would go as far as saying that they live in a home that channels decorating inspiration straight from "barbie's town house". when they married, he moved into her home, and i assumed they'd redecorate to accommodate a more unisex feel. that was two years ago.


the fact that i couldn't live in such a home makes me wonder how a guy tolerates such a thing. or maybe he doesn't care.


on the other hand, another married couple i know lives in a cabin decorated with several mounted animal heads, and it sort of reminds me of the place that time forgot. she says with a laugh, "i live in a man-cave!".


i can't help but wonder, do some people just not care how they live, or what things look like?

or is it all compromise? i'm rather curious what you all think.


how important to you is living in a home that suits your aesthetic preferences?


what CAN'T you live with??? how would you describe what you prefer?


how much are you willing to compromise about your living environment?


what would that compromise look like?

 

[cinder]

Well I'll be the voice of opposition here and say, no it isn't at all important. Some of us are rather unaware of our environment and for me if the furniture is comfortable, then I don't care too much how it looks or what color it is. The most I ever come to be aware of my environment is when I get a day out of the city and in nature I'm just like, aahhhh, I didn't realize how much I don't like living in the city, but it's not something I'm conscious of anymore on a daily basis.

 

[zeroturbulence]

This reminds me of what a woman I used to work with told me about her son who had married a woman whose parents won the big state lottery (we're talking millions here). The parents used to work multiple jobs to survive and they lived in a small, one-story home. Now these parents did not like the man that was marrying their little girl because they wanted their daughter to marry someone of the same ethnic background but he was caucasian so they were not so kind to their daughter even though the man was a good person and a hard worker. He had been dating her years before the parents won the big money.

Anyway... after winning the lottery the parents of course bought themselves a not-so-modest home and decided to give their old house to their daughter and son-in-law. Sounds good right? Not so fast.. the mother insisted that they do not change anything in the house! Not the curtains, not the furniture.. nothing! So they had to live in that house with decor that they hated until they could afford their own. I don't know if the parents ever helped them buy a new house but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

 

[PopClick]

I like functionality. I'm probably one of the least-visual people I know, so I wouldn't have many things just to look at. I do have a dead shark in a jar that I'm rather fond of though.

I would want lots of free space to spread things out if I'm working on something, and I don't like wasted space or things that make no sense. Everything must make sense.

 

[Stephen63]

I for one wouldn't live in Barbie's Townhouse! First of all, it's made of plastic. One little fire & major meltdown!
Then there's that open-air problem. All the rooms can be seen by the public, including the bathroom & the bedroom!
And let's not forget that without a wall in front our kids & pets can fall off the 2nd story!
Anyways, I don't think such a place would pass inspection.

 

[zeroturbulence]

I like functionality. I'm probably one of the least-visual people I know, so I wouldn't have many things just to look at. I do have a dead shark in a jar that I'm rather fond of though.

I would want lots of free space to spread things out if I'm working on something, and I don't like wasted space or things that make no sense. Everything must make sense.

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[PopClick]

View attachment 77651
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Lol, okay, I know the drill... pics or it didn't happen.



Carry on with the thread.

 

[just_monicat]

i'm probably somewhere in the middle of of the spectrum when it comes to concern about home aesthetic.

what i care most about:

+ i prefer rustic and nature-inspired. while i hate lots of bright lights, i like natural light. dimmers are essential. i'm also a big fan of re-purposing old/unusual things--i currently have an old yoke on the wall that i made a coat rack of.

i think rocks are pretty cool (i have a big jar of them mixed with beach glass) and i have a giant slice of a big old tree trunk that i plan to make into something sometime soon.

+ clutter kills me. i like negative and white space. or at least i put the clutter behind a door. ; )

i also hate redundant spaces, such as dining rooms and breakfast nooks.

+ i live very simply, in that i'm not a fan of much gadgetry. or collections (i hate dusting). i recently donated a large percentage of my books, which took up a decent amount of space. electronic media has inspired me to get rid of a LOT of stuff, which has literally freed up quite a big of space. i find such things terribly exciting.

all that said, i've also learned about myself that i can be happy almost anywhere and find easy compromise. i've lived in shoebox spaces--a sailboat, a tiny meat storage area that was above a butcher's shop, and in an attic that everyone claimed was haunted. i was pretty happy in all of those places.

i've also lived with roommates who were in training for the show hoarders, and yes, i did grow from that. : )

 

[Grace-Like-Rain]

I do care about decor, but I'm not picky, and I can compromise. My tastes are pretty mainstream, nothing crazy. Pink and frills definitely don't appeal to me, nor do animal heads. I like bold, or contemporary, or traditional, or colonial, or whatever as long as it looks well put together.

It's funny, I have a male friend in his 20s who is very particular about how things are decorated. He jokes that he won't get married until he has his house exactly like he wants it so that his wife can't come in and change anything. I can't wait to see how that works out.

Most of the men I've talked to seem to expect whatever woman they marry to move into their home. I've always found myself wondering if it would be awkward for her to move into a home her husband has been living in for years, and try to "nest" in it. I guess it works since people do it all the time. My ex didn't really care a whole lot about how things looked, so he just let me do what I wanted as far as paint colors, etc. We did pick furniture out together, but we never disagreed about it.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

Heh I guess I'd be in the camp of guys that really doesn't care about the house aesthetics. Not to be too sexist, but I figured that be something the woman get to have command over. To be old school about it, way I see it the Husband makes sure there is a roof over your head, the Wife gets to choose how that roof looks.

At least that's pretty much how it was with my parents' relationship. Dad just buy the stuff, mom decorates it how she sees fit. For me I'm not too concerned about living in Barbie's Dream House, I'd be content just to have Barbie lol.

Though I do have to say if Barbie forced me to live in an all pink house I'd do it, but I'm definantly gonna have to annex control over one room for purposes of having a Man Cave for refuge lol. Not that I have to have a Man Cave, but in an all pink fantasyland house, I think it be a necessary for sake of my sanity lol.

 

[maxwel]

I am going to move to Kenya, where polygamy is legal, and let each of my wives decorate one room however she pleases.

What can I say... I'm just a thoughtful guy.

: )

 

[just_monicat]

My ex didn't really care a whole lot about how things looked, so he just let me do what I wanted as far as paint colors, etc. We did pick furniture out together, but we never disagreed about it.

funny you mention that. my ex was very, *very* opinionated about everything decor related, down to the tiniest detail. while i have lots of opinions, i can't really get worked up enough to "fight" for all that many things.

i always knew that if we stayed together, i would be doing a LOT of compromise to find some happy ground.

also, i struggled with that knowledge, considering how aware i was of his penchant for gray.

like, all gray. gray everything. gray, gray, gray. *yawn*

 

[GodIsSalvation]

I am going to move to Kenya, where polygamy is legal, and let each of my wives decorate one room however she pleases.

What can I say... I'm just a thoughtful guy.

: )

Lol so I suppose your house would look like a war zone as your wives commence to do battle against one another for your affection.

(Yes, I realize you're just joking lol, at least I hope.)

 

[kayem77]

I do have some aesthetic appreciation of things, but like Grace, I'm pretty mainstream and I can compromise. I care about a home looking nice, orderly, and clean, but I also care about having a home that feels like home. Most of the decor styles I like are pretty unisex, so I don't think I would have a hard time accomodating to someone else's taste. Unless he wants to have a Star Wars themed house or something like that.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

I do have some aesthetic appreciation of things, but like Grace, I'm pretty mainstream and I can compromise. I care about a home looking nice, orderly, and clean, but I also care about having a home that feels like home. Most of the decor styles I like are pretty unisex, so I don't think I would have a hard time accomodating to someone else's taste. Unless he wants to have a Star Wars themed house or something like that.

I like the style depicted in those pictures and be real happy with that. However, I gotta say, what really caught my eye in this comment was the idea of a Star Wars themed house lol. Made me think maybe I should reassess my policy to not be the decorator lol.

Though I guess I am more of a LOTR nerd than I am a Star Wars nerd. Bag End or the Death Star, sigh, such tough choices.

 

[Hellooo]

I love home (or in my case, apartment) design, it's one of my creative outlets.
I love that I come home to a place that reflects my personality... With that in mind, I am incredibly picky about furniture, what goes up on the walls, and visual details.

What can't I live with?
Those posters or wooden carvings with the cheesy sayings ("live, laugh, love" "dance like no one is watching). Sports memorabilia on walls. a bunch of beige and brown. things being too matchy-matchy. formal furniture (anyone else grow up with the couch you werent allowed to sit on?) candles that never get burned (only for decoration? WHY?!!) Disorganization.

What do I prefer?
I prefer neutrals - particularly grays and white. stripes, clean lines, framed maps/art, unexpected bursts of color, eclectic details. and to make guests feel simultaneously special and like they're at home in my home.

Of course, once I'm married, I dont think he really cares, but I'm all about helping create a home that reflects both of our personalities.

popclick, I saw this in the local news today:

 

[kayem77]

I was trying to post some pictures of the styles that I like, but the pictures didn't come up really well. I think the website is not letting me post the full resolution pics. Let's see if this works:








Now this would not be okay:



Or this:

 

[ww_21]

If I had it my way this is what my house would look like!! lol

Jokes aside, I can and will compromise anything as long as it means I get to have a life with the one I love. What matters are the people in the house, not what it looks like from the outside.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

@Hellooo- I like your thinking on the matter of home decoration. Lol especially on not having the cheesy wood carvings with slogans on them (lol not to be hatin' on my momma, but she loves those lol, so I have pretty much seen enough plaques with sayings for a lifetime.)

@Kayem- I can see the pictures. You have good home decoration taste indeed!
EDIT: I'm not a big sports fan at all, never watch em, but I do have to say though, that football Man Cave does look pretty cool to me though. Maybe not something I'd have for my style of a man cave, but definantly a decent set-up that dude has there no doubt.

 

[kayem77]

I like the style depicted in those pictures and be real happy with that. However, I gotta say, what really caught my eye in this comment was the idea of a Star Wars themed house lol. Made me think maybe I should reassess my policy to not be the decorator lol.

Though I guess I am more of a LOTR nerd than I am a Star Wars nerd. Bag End or the Death Star, sigh, such tough choices.

I would be okay with having a LOTR or Star Wars themed bedroom...for the kids! haha But I don't want Darth Vader in my living room.