Hey buddy!

Yeah, I'm talking to you with your "I let the wifey do all the decorating stuff" attitude. Knock it off! Are you really telling me that you don't care if she paints the walls neon yellow, adorns your walls with male nudes, and upolsters your furniture in velvet? Or, are you doing the whole, "I trust her" thing? Now, while that's sweet… it's your home too. I know you love you wife and you trust her with your life (and what surrounds it), but I want to convey the mixture of your amazing personalities in this space.

I'm cool with you quietly observing with the occasional input, but don't send her off to the meetings while you tell her what she can and can't have from the background.

What is this? The 1950's?

And while we're bringing ourselves up to date, let's recognize the fact that more and more men are staying home to be with the kids while their spouses work, there are same-sex couples who don't have design know-how just because of their sexual preference, and some of your wives don't know what they want and don't want the pressure of doing it alone!

I hate to gender stereotype, but I do want to tell you an interesting fact about my experiences designing with the different genders. More frequently, women design with passion and let emotion guide their decisions. Men design for function and budget. Now, if I did every design based purely on passion and emotion, we'd have a lot of pretty spaces that need to be re-designed soon because they don't work. Or, pretty spaces that are just plain disappointing. If I did every design based purely on function and budget, well I'm already falling asleep just thinking about it.

This doesn't mean that you give your wife a number and tell her to take care of it. This isn't how it works guys. Sure, she'll come home and show you the design and you'll nod. But, don't you really want to know what you're buying?

You don't buy your house without seeing it first- why would you alter that house without understanding the reasoning and the process behind the design? I really care about your input, and are you ready for more of my general experiences???

One comment can make or break the design

That little, single comment made after ten meetings from the husband is often one of the most valuable comments in the entire design process. I recently had a quiet husband make his first comment after about eight meetings and it may have saved the couple a LOT of money and the entire design!!! He let me know how they use their space in a way that I hadn't gathered from the wife!

Now, let's talk a little about your style. Men DO have good taste in design. Not only that (and I'm going to be frank here), but masculine design is sexy. Sure, your wife says she wants floral bedding and lavendar walls, but show her your idea of a bedroom…. Who knows? It might just turn her on!

Look at the popular styles right now!!

Industrial:

Steampunk:

Contemporary:

Midcentury Modern:

See a consistent theme here? Oh.my.god. They are masculine, simple, functional, and sexy. So, let's hear it, guys!