Orlando Wedding Advice | Guest Post: 5 Tips for Decorating Your First Home Together
There’s nothing quite like living with your significant other for the first time– it’s definitely a fun, yet challenging experience to say the least! Whether you are dating, engaged or newlyweds, it is really a true test of your relationship since it takes lots of communication and compromise to share a space together. This week I have been inspired by the home design experts at Arhaus to offer 5 super helpful tips on how to decorate your first place together… without strangling one another (hopefully)
;) Enjoy!
Many couples do not move in together until they are engaged or married, and planning a wedding while searching for your first home or apartment can make even the most laid-back couple stressed and anxious. Here are some tips for how you can avoid becoming one of these couples and make your marriage and home search as happy as possible!
#1: Pick a few “deal breakers” each
The chances of you and your significant other having the exact same taste in furniture and decor is very slim, which can lead to many disagreements about what will look good in your home. One way to avoid spending time in a room you hate because you don’t want to voice your hatred of an item your partner loves is by picking “deal breakers” before you two begin shopping for decor.
For example, if one of you hates yellow, that can be your deal breaker, and if the other is wary of the high maintenance of suede, that can be theirs. This way, you never have to live in a room with an eyesore that would make you dislike spending time there. This extends further than visual elements, though, and is also smart when you two are looking for an apartment or house. Structural and location dealbreakers are just as valid, as are exterior style and noise concerns.
#2: Go Digital with your design
On every home renovation show, the designer shows the clients a computer generated mock up of what each room will look like when it is finished, which allows even skeptical clients a chance to visualize the potential in their homes. While that is often done to give tv audiences an idea of what a completed design will look like, it can be helpful off screen too. Apps such as DesignHome offer users the chance to create mock rooms with furniture from real home furnishings companies.
#3: Design your bedroom together
If you get the doctor-recommended 8 hours of sleep, you are spending a third of your life in your bed. Because of this, it is important that both you and your spouse can relax in your room. If neither of you are too particular about your bedroom design musts or already have a bed, a way to make the space feel fresh, new and calming is to paint the walls a shade of blue that you both like. Blue is proven to be a calming color and can help lower your heart rate when you are trying to sleep or unwind.
#4: Use your registry to get your dream home
While weddings in Orlando can be very expensive, one of the many perks of getting married is that you and your spouse will receive monetary and tangible gifts from family and friends. A way to cut costs for furnishing and decorating your first home together is to register for items that you two have your eyes on.
#5: You are investing in your love, so invest in your home
You and your new spouse may only be currently able to afford a starter home, or even a rental, and most couples do not stay in the same home for their entire lives. However, even if you and your spouse move, you will probably take your furniture with you. This is why you should pick a few sturdy investment pieces that will last you decades. You each eat three meals a day and will likely be eating dinner together for the rest of your lives, so it is worth it to invest in a statement dining room or kitchen table.
BONUS TIP FROM YOUR FAVORITE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER :)
Set aside a safe & special place on a coffee table or shelf to display your wedding album. Also make sure to get some of your engagement and wedding photos up on the wall (and no, I’m not talking about your Facebook wall!) to personalize your space. Large canvas prints are one of the easiest ways to add a super special touch without too much work!
Author: Molly Kay, a furniture and physical space enthusiast.