Designing a Compromise

By Chayse Dacoda

You got married, finally found the perfect house and now what? You're merging your belongings and finding out that your things are not as compatible as you are with each other. So what to do?

This is where you first learn about compromise. The initial form of compromise usually leads to stagnant rooms with things that you each like and don't like. You end up having rooms that aren't welcoming and you both don't love to be in.

I call these the "avoidance rooms" – rooms you avoid spending time in because you don't like what they look like or feel like. It's a crime for a new house, and a situation that can definitely be turned around.

Often a little mediation and observation of design tastes can make all the difference in the world. While sometimes people can work it out, more often it is one-sided decision-making or lack of any decision-making and action that makes the task of creating a perfect space an overwhelming challenge.

But there are solutions and sometimes you can even have it all.