The thought of going shopping for furniture might appeal to many people, but add in the thought of shopping with your opinionated soon-to-be spouse and it doesn’t sound so thrilling.
You may know what you like when you see it but you’re going to be shopping for two people’s tastes, and that’s not easy. Here’s my advice on how to make these shopping trips less stressful and more enjoyable–after all, you’re about to get married. This should be a happy time!
1. You should have an idea of what you like and your soon-to-be partner should have an idea of what they like. Do you like modern, country, contemporary, antique or formal? Find common ground and merge your asthetics – in most cases this is doable.
2. If you are not for sure, then plan a browsing trip to a furniture store just to look around. This is a must. Go with the intention of not buying, just looking. And discuss with your partner why you like certain pieces or why you don’t like certain pieces.
3. Decide on how much you will spend on the furniture. If you haven’t crunched the numbers don’t go to the store. Most people say that they argue more about money than anything else. These are big purchases and understanding how much money you both are willing to save or spend is a vital part of this event.4. Pull out the pictures of the rooms you have saved from “the rooms that inspire you.” These are the rooms from magazines, interior design blogs, Pintrest (like Arkansas Bride’s Pinterest, Décor Pad, and furniture store catalogs. Sit and look at the items in each of the rooms and ask your partner what he or she thinks about the room. Keep in mind though that you won’t necessarily find the exact pieces from the pictures.
5. Finally when you are shopping with your future husband or wife it is important to be open to change and be willing to really listen to what they have to say. Ask them why they prefer this couch over that, is it the arms or the fabric? Compromise is the name of the game.
If you both cannot agree on an item in the furniture store, just agree to walk away. Many times one of you will have a change of opinion and will be willing to discuss the other option when there has been some time to think. Other times you will both see something different than what you had originally like and can agree this new item is better.
In the end your marriage will be full of compromises, this doesn’t mean you have to give up your style all together. It just means that you are blending two style together to create both of your new worlds.
Meredith Yaney is an interior designer in Little Rock. She unloads her design inspirations and advice on her blog, “Design Logic” in hopes of inspiring others to redesign and create.
