Decorating disagreements with DH - do you have them and how do you solve them?

[jamaisjedors]

We have been living in our house for about 8 years now, and I have lived with a lot of the décor because we had young children and both work full-time so not much time to redecorate.

Gradually now I am emerging from the mists of tiredness, and looking round at all the tired-looking rooms and chipped paintwork.

So I have bought paint. And sanded.

For example, our hall has orange terracotta tiles on the floor, (which we love), white walls, and then v. bright blue trim around the doorways and on random ugly pipes.

I went to a "posh" paint shop and asked for advice, and was told (and agreed) that those features did not need picking out in blue, and to go for off-white.

But now DH is protesting and saying that the hall looks pretty like that and he doesn't want all-white/grey/cream.

I don't know where we go from here.

Do you and your DH always agree on decorating decisions? Or do you just go ahead and do it anyway?

[redlac]

I am v lucky in that DH is a decorator so I pick the colour/wallpaper, he puts it on, I tidy up and wash out the rollers. We do have similar taste luckily but one thing we agree on is that all ceilings and woodwork should be white

[jamaisjedors]

I have to admit DH is better with colours than me in general. Which is perhaps why he is reluctant to trust me.

But here I took advice from a professional deliberately.

And he hasn't even looked at the colour I've chosen. Just said a point blank no to changing the blue.

I have now checked the basement and we don't have any of that blue left anyway (was painted by the previous owners).

At the moment, the back of the front door (iyswim), two doorways, some pipes and the radiator are blue.

I'm going to suggest just doing the pipes (screamingly ugly) and the doorways (badly chipped) and leaving the rest blue for the moment - it's too cold to paint the door and radiators anyway!

Grr, do you not ever get like this, suddenly really want the job DONE and can't bear to look at it any more?

[skandi1]

You need to make him think its his idea. Not in a patronising way but by dropping subtle hints and show him lots of photos of things which look like your idea (magazine and house to home and houzz.com).

My DH thinks he is practically an interior designer. The very first advice MIL gave me regarding DH was: "I love my son but he has terrible taste in interiors and furniture. You make sure you choose."

So I have taken this on board and spend a long time very subtly planting seeds. Works well. I get furniture and decor that I believe tastful and DH spends hours telling our friends it was his idea. Everyone's happy.

As you have now both fallen out over the hallway and colours sadly you can't do this. You will have to sit down and both agree on something.
Get your DH onto houzz.com and see if you can find something you both like. Results may surprise you. And it will be fun doing it together.