How to blend lifestyles when blending families

As spring approaches and wedding bells are on the horizon for many, I think about all of the people I know who are embarking on their second marriage. As exciting as this is, there is a little stress that comes with blending families and blending styles. In this newsletter, I will tackle a few things to consider  through an FAQ. If you or someone you know falls into this category please feel free to reach out as this is something I have had the joy of working with quite a bit.

Blending families and blending styles

3 Frequently Asked Questions

You've finally found the love of your life and now you are trying to create a new home that expresses the story of this new relationship. How do we handle this delicate topic of creating a new home by blending styles and not stepping on toes?

Below are 

three FAQ's and my best Design solutions.

1. HELP! My husband has kept lots of pieces from his college  and previous marriage days that he loves and wants to use in our new home, UNFORTUNATELY I hate them! What do we do?

Don't fret too much, he may hate a few of your pieces. I would suggest you put them aside, use everything that is important to both of you and then fill in holes with those extra pieces.  It could be that they get a new life by repainting them or with new upholstery. Perhaps his kids might want to take them to college.

2. Between the two of us, we have accumulated so many small pieces of furniture and accessories, how do we use them even though they are completely different styles and don't seem to match or work together?

I worked with a client a few years ago who dealt with this very same problem. We created a "Black Lion" room in one of her spare bedrooms where we put everything that we could not find a home for. We worked through the home placing furniture and accessories, and whenever we needed something, we first went to the Black Lion room to look for it. If we couldn't find the right piece we knew it was something we had to buy. You could potentially end up placing all of your Black Lion items in your home!

You might be surprised as to how different styles can actually work together.

3. My taste is very traditional and my wife says she prefers modern. How do we create a home that speaks to both of us and looks beautiful?

This can be tricky if you do not know how to do it. There is a fine line between balance in sizes, materials, textures and colors that can be accomplished, however it is easy to make a mistake. If you are really feeling challenged trying to incorporate this look, please reach out before you make a costly mistake.  As designers we are trained on different styles and know how to bring both traditional and modern styles together to complement each other. 

Feel free to send me your questions and I will do my best to answer.