How To Blend Your Decor Tastes With Your Roommate's

By Elana Goodwin on April 15, 2016

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

Whether you’re living in a dorm, apartment, or house, with multiple roommates or just one, sharing space with others can be tricky — especially when you and your roommate(s) have different decor tastes. Obviously, you don’t really want to spend a semester, year, or longer period of time living in a place that doesn’t feel homey to you as it doesn’t reflect your personality.

So here are some tips on how to successfully (and diplomatically) blend your decor tastes with your roommate’s so you’ll both feel comfortable and happy in your dorm, apartment or house.

Photo Credit: rent.com

1. Find your similarities. Before you start putting pictures up on the walls or throwing pillows on the couch, sit down with your roomie or roomies and find some common ground. Discuss patterns to find one you both like, pick a color palette, figure out your individual styles — you can even start a joint Pinterest board to brainstorm decorating online. It’s important you don’t feel like you and your roomie are battling it out decor-style in shared spaces so make sure you communicate with each other and work together to decorate your home so both of you are happy.

2. Divide and conquer. If your style and your roommate’s really don’t mesh, consider dividing up the shared spaces so each of you is responsible for decorating a different room. Of course, your individual rooms are yours to do with as you please, but perhaps one of you should be in charge of the decor in the living room/den while the other takes on the kitchen or bathroom, etc.

This way, both of you will get to put your stylistic stamp on your home and the compromising will be minimal as you’ll just have to decide who’s doing what room. You can still ask each other’s opinions or thoughts on patterns, accessories, and other decor for the room you’re decorating but ultimately, you’ll each have final say on different parts of your apartment or house.

3. Mix and match. Keep your home decor simple and simply mix and match if you and your roomie really can’t agree on how your shared decorating should go. If they’re a fan of paisley or flowers and you favor stripes or camouflage, each of you should pick a few things you really like in your style and then figure out how to blend them with the other person’s.

Maybe your couches have paisley throw pillows on them with a camouflage blanket draped over the back. Perhaps you put up some adhesive striped wallpaper and hang up flower photographs on top. Whatever your decor tastes, if you can’t come to an agreement on how decorating should go, mix and match so your decor doesn’t clash but rather sort of complements each other’s.

4. Be practical. If your roommate is bringing a fully-functional and decent couch to the apartment or house, even if you’re not in love with the color or design, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Be practical when it comes to both you and your roommates bringing furniture you already own into your home; if both of you can bring a table but you don’t need two, figure out which one is in better condition and fits the space better and donate or sell the other one.

For bigger items, figure out how to compromise — for instance, if your roomie is bringing a living room set you’re not crazy about, maybe you get to pick the accessories and other decor for that room.

5. Take turns. Another option you and roommate can consider is to take turns and swap your decor — accessories, blankets, prints, posters — each season. For example, your roomie can have their decor up during first semester while you get the second, or you can rotate and do fall/spring and winter/summer.

Not only will both of you then get to have your dorm, apartment, or house look the way you want, but your home will feel and look fresh as it undergoes a mini-makeover on a regular basis.

Decorating your dorm, apartment, or house is no easy feat, especially when you have to consider others’ personal styles. But if you’re willing to communicate and compromise, both you and your roommate’s different decor tastes can be successfully showcased in your home.

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