Hey guys, my dear friend Molly Mesnick has a great blog that’s full of fabulous beauty, fashion and lifestyle posts- make sure you check it out! I recently shared my take on moving in together on her site and thought you might like to read it here too!
A year before I went on “The Bachelor” I decided to paint my room a bright coral. I figured since I didn’t have a ‘man’ in my life this was about the only time I could have an over-the-top feminine bedroom. In fact, if you looked around my space I had baby blue damask wall paper, white Louis chairs, chandeliers and enough throw pillows to make any guy run in the other direction.
So here’s my advice if you’re looking to keep your space girly AND dude-proof when you move in together. Don’t throw away the glitz and sparkles, just keep them tucked away, cause you better believe they are coming back out! Seriously though there is one thing I have realized about guys – they actually don’t MIND a feminine space as long as it’s COMFORTABLE and there are at least a few reminders that he lives there.
Here are few pointers:
1. Take down the Michigan state party lights and pennants down one by one. SLOWLY ladies. Slowly.
2. On the same note: add only one decorative pillow a week. No pink or any pastels in the space in the first 6 months!
3. Charcoal is your best friend. Down the road it goes perfectly with creams, peaches and feminine hues. But for now he thinks you’re a hero.
4 . Lucky for us, reclaimed and industrial textures are in. Burlap, reclaimed wood, antiqued metals- all great for him and you’re a design diva.
5 . Graphics. Guys (the straight kind) love BOLD graphics, so bring out the stripes, herringbone, and zizzag. Unfortunately the damask will have to take a back seat for a while.
6. Antlers. Or vintage pools balls, a vintage alma matter book or anything ‘manly’ will distract him from your crystal chandelier and Louis chairs.
Basically what I am saying – is take it slow and (sigh) think of the other person. Try to bring bits of EACH of your personalities in, but both parties should pull the items that they know are taking it a bit too far, ahem: stuffed animals and nudie posters.
Here’s a moodboard I created to depict a perfectly shared space:
And here are some examples I decorated:
Ali and Roberto’s old space:
And mine and you-know-who’s-space:
Wait a second. On second thought…. neither of one of these couples are still together… maybe I did it all wrong 😉
Have any funny stories about moving in with your guy? Share ‘em below!
