In my last entry I talked about the approach of decorating a master bedroom to reflect a more feminine side. In this entry we'll discuss the merits of a more balanced approach in decorating a master bedroom.
Creating a bedroom that unifies both masculine and feminine is a beautiful way to honor each partner and their taste. The idea is to create a space both people feel totally comfortable in. Where as in a more feminine room the spirit of the room invites a man to enter, in a combined room both sides are equally represented.
The most difficult part of creating such a room is in the communication and compromise when it comes to style. It's really important for each of you to take the time to search through magazines and choose pictures you each love to use for discussion and reference. As the two of you gather more and more photos you will begin to notice patterns in the examples. For instance, I have been gathering pictures of beds I love for many years. One day I lined them all up and looked at the collection as a whole, I noticed that a certain canopy treatment showed up multiple times, and when it wasn't featured one very similar to it was. Now I know exactly the type of canopy my dream bed has, because I had already chosen it multiple times from various sources. You will see patterns like this too.
Here are a few patterns to look for:
Color are you repeatedly choosing warm colors or cool? Black and white with a hit of one color, or multiple colors? Do your colors have a more naturalistic feel with lots of browns, greens and other earth tones? Are your colors bright or subdued? Do you see a lot of white in your pictures? What are your favorite colors to wear, often this is a color you are very comfortable with.
Textures are you seeing a lot of soft, fuzzy, furry textures in your pictures, or finishes that are harder, sleeker and clean? Texture applies to carpets and fabrics, even the plants you are drawn to. Think of a lacy delicate palm versus a wider leaf plant.
Style do you see a more tailored, finished look showing up over and over or a more layered, relaxed look?
Patterns Stripes, flowers, geometric, solids, or a collection of all of these?
Lighting are the spaces you admire bright and cheery, or dim and romantic?
Groupings what is the accessorizing like in the pictures you've chosen? What are table tops like in your pictures, are there candles, flowers and a well loved book perched just at arms reach or are the table tops simply featuring a simple lamp? Are there collections to look at, or is the room very sparse?
Paintings and artwork are there people in your paintings, animals, landscapes, abstract or graphic art? Or are you drawn to sculpture?
The more pictures you each gather the more clear your tastes will become. You will begin to notice these reoccurring patterns everywhere if you look. As you gather these pictures I highly recommend you don't analyze them in the magazine. If you mind says "yes" tear it out if it (even if that yes surprised you at first) if it says "no" just pass it, move quickly, your initial gut response is what you want to be listening too. You won't second guess yourself this way and you'll get a lot more information.
The first year Josh and I were married I felt a great desire to unify our tastes and create a master bedroom that reflected both of us. I chose a leather finished headboard, and matching chairs. I used clean lines and a tailored finish on the bed skirt. The blankets were brown and white and were quilted with subtle geometric patterns. The inspiration fabric was brown and teal, colors we both loved, the fabric featured lovely intertwining, swirling tropical flowers. I hung vintage looking tropical flower paintings on the wall, as a nod to our honeymoon in Maui, and hung long flowing curtains. The table tops were kept very clean with simple black and white engagement and wedding photos. It was a beautiful marriage of our tastes and we both loved it.
When we moved from our California abode to Washington I changed everything. Josh was deploying a lot and I felt a need to create a space that truly supported me while he was away. I wanted a romantic space that felt like an extension of me so that whenever he returned home from a deployment or a long day at work he felt entirely encompassed by my embrace, I wanted that embrace to extend into the very room he walked into.
Both approaches were just right for us at the time I chose to implement them. Josh has loved me in a master bedroom designed to reflect each of us equally and he's loved me in a room that I created to be an extension of myself. We have both been very happy in each space. Whatever approach you choose for your marriage at this time is just right for you.
How have you found ways to incorporate differing personalities in your master bedroom room?
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