How Do I Blend Two Different Styles in One Room?
Decorating for couples (or anyone) with two different styles. Part 2/3
If you and your partner have opposite styles and both of you happen to care about how the house looks, decorating can start to feel like negotiating a hostage situation.
You realllllly want that lamp you scored at an antique shop 10 years ago, so you concede your favorite color. They have to have a giant-ass TV on the wall, so you agree if it means you can get rid of that god-awful recliner. You know what I mean.
It’s overwhelming enough trying to plan and style a room with one cohesive style going on, but make it two? You’re cooked. (Not really, but it feels like it.)
The back and forth, the round and round, the resentful yes when you want to say no? It really and truly can affect your peace and relationship — and this doesn’t just apply to couples! It applies to roommates, family or even your own sense of style when two competing parts of yourself that both feel important enough to be seen!
Wouldn’t it be nice if the other person would just roll over and let you do what you want? 😅 That’s the unlikely dream, but I’m assuming that you’re here because you care about their feelings — or you’re looking for ways to undermine them — I don’t judge.
Either way, blending two styles is absolutely possible, and I do it using the same Home Alchemy Method I apply to any other room.
Blending Two Different Styles, Part 2: Color
Last week, we talked about getting rid of everything that’s for sure not it. We took the opportunity to make a priorities list and find some common ground, too. If you missed Part 1, go back and read it. It's quick, crucial, and sets you up for this step.
Now we're moving into Step 2: creating the atmosphere of the room through color.
Of course, without seeing what’s going on at your house, I can only give you general advice— not the specifics of your situation. If you want that, book a free Vibe Check Room Audit (while available). Otherwise, let’s truck on and start making some changes.
Start Small: Just 3 Colors
You're not going to do anything crazy here, but you’re going to pick a color palette for the room using just 3 colors: one mutually-agreed-on color (your Switzerland) and one color each you’re bringing to the party.
If I’m in the room with you, this is where I start asking questions: How do you each want to feel in this room? Who else uses the space? What's the vibe when someone walks in? The answers almost always reveal hidden overlaps you didn’t even realize you had. Amazing.
Now you each get to pick a color that does what you want it to do, or creates the “vibe” you want to create. You might need to do some adjusting for shades or tones, but after that, you’ve built yourselves a palette that works for everyone.
Keep Going or Stop at 3 Colors
You can add a fourth color, a fifth, or just stop here. What actually matters isn't the number — it's that you now have a set of guidelines to make decisions within, instead of re-litigating your taste every time you're at Home Goods.
As mentioned, color is just Step 2 of the Home Alchemy Method — a framework built for exactly this kind of indecisive, high-stakes-feeling moment. We move through it one step at a time, so you're not second-guessing yourself or your partner into oblivion.
“But now what do we do?”
So glad you asked. Now that you have compromise firmly on the brain, you’re ready to decorate, armed with your color palette and the confidence of two people who know what they want.
I wanted to lay out these foundational steps a little more thoroughly before we cover the rest, because downsizing and settling on colors needs to happen before you start bringing things into the room willy nilly. The next post will cover what to do after you’ve mapped out your color scheme.
Come back next week for the third and final installation of this series. You can subscribe right here if you want these Alchemy Transmissions straight to the inbox.
