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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want to be a bit more daring with decorating choices?

10 replies

cheesenpickles · 12/01/2019 09:12

Major first world problem here but hear me out.

Dh and I have lived in our home for almost 8 years. We have slowly been changing and decorating it and we're now in the position the last two rooms to do are our living room and dining room.

Dh isn't a big fan of "stuff" and is a big fan of magnolia. Our hallway is magnolia, our bedroom is magnolia, a lot of our furniture is leather in neutral colours, he baulks at any jazzy bed covers I look at etc.

He's always allowed me to make the final decision with decorating but often I'll end up selecting something neutral to appease him.

The living room is looking very tired and I have a particular way I want to go with it but everything I suggest is too expensive (particular F&B paint), pointless (cushions), too dark for the room (grey walls), too bright (white gloss on features), too cluttered (small pot plants dotted on the shelving), too "out there" (mismatched but complementary sofas).

If it were up to him he'd just paint it magnolia and buy another leather sofa I think.

We're not planning on moving at all and I'm not asking to paint the bloody walls black. I'm not massively design-y or creative but I just want to put a bit of personality in things.

Any ideas on how to compromise. He's usually really good and let's me lead the way but it's the one thing he's a bit fussy about.

OP posts:
Houseonahill · 12/01/2019 09:20

So every room is decorated how he wants it and your not allowed one room how you would like it? I think you should have free reign of the lounge or maybe for the sake of compromise he could Vito like 2 or 3 things he really hates (no mismatched sofas and no white gloss for example) and then you should get free reign

BovrilOverkillOhMyInsides · 12/01/2019 09:24

I think you should be allowed to go wild.

I'm currently organising the decorating and accessorising in our new flat. At first my OH worried I was treading over him to be didn't get a day, but now he's really pleased I insisted on making the final choices (which I based on his favourite colours and themes anyway).

BakerBear · 12/01/2019 09:30

My house is full of colour. I ve had a few people say its not to their taste.

I didnt want a magnolia and brown house as dh wanted.

You do need to compromise on a house so he has chosen a few things like the fireplace and a few bits of furniture etc

TulipsInbloom1 · 12/01/2019 09:32

I think you should get half of the house each to decorate as you like.

Horsemenoftheaclopalypse · 12/01/2019 09:33

I hate magnolia!
I love colour 🌈

Go to leyland they will colour match farrow and ball it’s cheap and better quality

BentNeckLady · 12/01/2019 09:39

You definitely should get some colour in your life. Ignore your husband and do what you want, the worst that can happen is you have to re paint. My husband has learned after 15 years to just let me get on with decorative choices or I won’t be happy with it and it’ll have to be done again Grin

possumgoddess · 12/01/2019 14:02

We always discuss our decorating decisions but to be honest my OH usually lets me do more or less what I want. If he says he really doesn't want something we don't have it, but if he is ambivalent then we go with my choice and he ALWAYS tells me afterwards that I was right and he really likes it! So I realise I am really lucky. It may just be that your OH is nervous about making the wrong choice and is not able to visualize what the change might look like. I agree with PP about getting him to agree that you can do a room to your own taste, and don't go too overboard with your choices, then hopefully he will realize that it does actually look nice and let you loose somewhere else!

Onlysocks · 12/01/2019 14:39

My sitting room is cream (furniture, walls, carpet) with a large brightly coloured rug and a large colourful painting. It suits the minimalist in me because it is main,y cream but the two large colourful items inject personality. Is that an option for you?

Villanellesproudmum · 12/01/2019 15:18

Can you get some magazines to visualise as some people struggle with that.

Laiste · 12/01/2019 15:39

It's hard if you both have different preferences for how to decorate the main rooms.

Compromise IS the way, but doing half of this and half of that does means neither of you will have the room looking the way you would prefer.

Have you taken time and looked together through decorating ideas sites to see if there's anything both of you quite like and could copy?

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