Decorating Advice for Newlyweds

Follow our advice for getting the look you want and living happily ever after.

Make sure there are comfortable places to sit. If your husband is tall, make sure there’s a chair with a deep enough seat for his legs. The man cave is evidence that men have been exiled from the American living room, which is a shame. Decorate with a man’s larger frame and seating habits in mind. If he likes to put his feet up, put an ottoman table in front of his favorite chair.

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Make sure there are comfortable places to sit. If your husband is tall, make sure there’s a chair with a deep enough seat for his legs. The man cave is evidence that men have been exiled from the American living room, which is a shame. Decorate with a man’s larger frame and seating habits in mind. If he likes to put his feet up, put an ottoman table in front of his favorite chair.

Next »Be Selective, Not Secretive

This is good marital advice for the ages but especially when merging furniture. Let him keep his ratty recliner, or beloved sofa, but gently suggest it be recovered in a fabric of your choice. Respect his need for a space that reflects his taste as well as yours. However, if he begins suggesting furniture that evokes office decor, put your foot down and remind him that a home should be a haven from the business world. One recent newlywed permitted her husband’s hunting trophies in the house, but only in his office, where he can admire his dominion over the animal world in private.

Previous Choose Your Battles

Don’t ask for your spouse’s participation in every decision. If he or she is design-impaired, they will simply be intimidated by the abundance of choices. If you show him a magazine picture of an elaborately draped bed, he will be so alarmed by the bed hangings that he’ll be unable to see the charming shape of the headboard. Keep him in the loop by sharing your most subdued paint color choices and conservative furniture selections. Keep your riskier decisions to yourself until their successful integration proves your design genius.

Next Be Selective, Not Secretive

3 of 7 Make sure there are comfortable places to sit. If your husband is tall, make sure there’s a chair with a deep enough seat for his legs. The man cave is evidence that men have been exiled from the American living room, which is a shame. Decorate with a man’s larger frame and seating habits in mind. If he likes to put his feet up, put an ottoman table in front of his favorite chair.