Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Becky Posted: Jan 28, 2004 11:19 AM

Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

I am at my wits end with my DH. We are finishing our basement and had agreed on painting it a blue/gray/slate type of color. This is the first time we have agreed on anything related to decorating our house. We have two rooms painted and you don't even want to know the drama that caused

I really think that my husband, although he wants color in our home, is unable to match colors or envision anything that he has not seen in a magazine.

Last night he told me he wants to do the carpet downstairs in a color that is close to white. We already have a verly light beige carpet throughout the house and down the stairs. I wanted to use the same carpet. He is insisting that the color will not 'match' a blueish-gray color. He also doesn't think that the terra cotta in the kitchen will match anything other than green or yellow

The inability to come to a decision without a debate is sucking a lot of the home decorating joy out of this experience for both of us. Admittedly, I have a control problem and I am super pickey, but he has the strangest taste in home decor. At Christmas time when we had to adjust our couches to face each other in order to make room for the tree, he went on and on and on about how the ONLY way you can arrange couches is in an 'L' around the television.

Help me keep the peace? Does anyone else deal with this?

Sonicstef Posted: Jan 28, 2004 11:23 AM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Oh god yes. My husband never ever just agrees to anything I want to do. Its always a battle. And when he wins and I acquise to him, he later regrets it. But does he learn to listen to what I have to say? NO!!

There is no resolution really. Sometimes he gets his way, sometimes I do.

dietzer Posted: Jan 28, 2004 11:32 AM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Sometimes, but he usually comes around to see things my way. Our most recent ongoing 'battle' is that he wants to get a hot tub for the house. Hello???!!!! We just moved in a few months ago, need to do major remodeling of the bathrooms and kitchen, but he wants to get a hot tub. He's a compulsive buyer and that really annoys me.

Also, I seem to be more gung-ho about doing things like taking the paneling down, painting, etc. That bugs me.

Didn't exactly answer your question, but thanks for letting me vent!

starhead Posted: Jan 28, 2004 11:34 AM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

It's funny b/c DH is the decorator out of the two of us. He picked out almost all the furniture and decor. I'm like 'whatever' about decorating unless I totally don't like what he picked out. We agree on most stuff, but there have been times that I've brought home something for the house and he couldn't believe I thought it matched our house. So I kind of gave up on that. People come to our house and tell me how nicely I decorated it and I have to be honest and say I really did not have much to do with it!

Diane Posted: Jan 28, 2004 11:34 AM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

We do all the time. His taste is very plain, and Im not like that. There are things that we do agree on.
We are thinking of redoing our kitchen cabinets, and expanding the kitchen, but we cant agree on cabinet colors.
We need to be on Deigners for the Sexes

I usually get my way, by buying it anyway

alina Posted: Jan 28, 2004 11:46 AM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Becky, check FM

MarcellaBella Posted: Jan 28, 2004 11:48 AM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Yep, same here.. lol

Becky Posted: Jan 28, 2004 12:00 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Oh, thank you all for letting me know I am not alone. It is one thing to not agree on which movie to rent because we just take turns. But I can't even bring myself to give him a room to decorate without my involvement, because his choices are scary to me.

I am thinking about caving on the basement carpet if he lets me pick the exact color for the walls. Does anyone think it will look strange to be coming down the stairs that are carpeted in a light beight and then to step down onto a very much lighter color carpet after the last step???

I think we will be in Home Depot fighting this weekend. Whenever we go, there are all these couples around us gushing about how excited they are to own and paint a home and there we are - squared off and arguing with an empty shopping cart between us.

cooky11111 Posted: Jan 28, 2004 12:02 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

We had a deal because we built a house, he designed it and I decorate it. Don't get me wrong though he puts his imput in....I always say that sounds nice then end up doing it my way (only because I have more decorating sense)!

alina Posted: Jan 28, 2004 12:03 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Posted by Becky

I am thinking about caving on the basement carpet if he lets me pick the exact color for the walls. Does anyone think it will look strange to be coming down the stairs that are carpeted in a light beight and then to step down onto a very much lighter color carpet after the last step???

I think it should be ok. My parents have every bedroom carpeted differently, but within light shade. I doubt too many people will notice, and/or make comments.

curly2003 Posted: Jan 28, 2004 12:23 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Thank God DH never gives me a problem.

nrvbrd Posted: Jan 28, 2004 12:25 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Oh yes we do.

It is not that his taste is bad, but different from mine sometimes LOL.

jannshari Posted: Jan 28, 2004 12:27 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Geez, FH and I don't even own a house yet and we've been arguing for years about how we're going to decorate our homes. He is so anti-color! I want color on my walls and he insists that 'nobody he knows has ever done that,' or 'everyone I know disagrees.' The second one always pisses me off because it doesn't matter what anyone else does or thinks...it's OUR home.

Anyway, enough of my ranting...have you thought about getting some of those paint sample cards and seeing which colors look best together so that maybe he can envision it more? Or finding a website that allows you to design a room?

I feel your pain, and I'm sure once we own a house, it's only going to get worse.

Fran M Posted: Jan 28, 2004 02:00 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

DH dosent really bother with decorating too much. I will run ideas by him and once in a while he will question my ideas but usually he is fine with what ever I want. The one exception is the finished basement. That is his space end of subject (according to him )

Sonicstef Posted: Jan 28, 2004 02:03 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

and there we are - squared off and arguing with an empty shopping cart between us.

This is so us!

I always thought it was really weird that he cared about these things b/c every other man I know could care less.

Claud2001 Posted: Jan 28, 2004 02:05 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Honestly, I often create the 'vision' for a room, and just steer my DH in that direction. He will often say he doesn't like an idea or something, but I just tell him to pipe down and be patient! I am fortunate that 99% of the time, he tells me when everything is finished that he really loves it, and is glad I chose the colors/accessories that I did. He just doesn't have (as I assume MOST men don't) the ability to picture how something will look when it's pulled together and completed.

anna Posted: Jan 28, 2004 02:16 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

I have to say, we are total opposites in MANY MANY ways, but as far as the home, we have almost identical tastes in colors, furniture, styles, everything. I can be a bit more daring with things, and he might give a slight look but its never an argument, he trusts my creativity and then loves the outcome
But for the most part, on major purchases (furniture, appliances, etc) we are very much in the same direction as far as types, models, styles, colors, etc etc.

PHEW on that one!

Becky Posted: Jan 28, 2004 02:22 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

LOL, Steph. Each argument ends with me throwing my hands up and saying 'I am the girl. Let me be the girl. You aren't supposed to care.' Its all very exasperating.

And everytime I win, he ends up telling me that I was right and he loves it.

Sometimes I think he is just trying to drive me insane.

NYCHICK Posted: Jan 28, 2004 02:35 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Yes because FH and I have slightly different tastes. He once wanted to put up a picture of George Bush in or living room

Claud2001 Posted: Jan 28, 2004 02:36 PM

Re: Does anyone else battle with their DH/FH about decorating your home?

Posted by Becky

LOL, Steph. Each argument ends with me throwing my hands up and saying 'I am the girl. Let me be the girl. You aren't supposed to care.' Its all very exasperating.

And everytime I win, he ends up telling me that I was right and he loves it.

Sometimes I think he is just trying to drive me insane.

OMG - this has definitely happened to me! I am LMAO right now...I feel your pain!