Ty and I are a gay couple who have been married for five years now. Of course, it was just recently made legal by the Supreme Court. Hurray! But the validation of our marriage certificate wasn’t ever a problem to us. We didn’t need a piece of paper to prove our love. Our biggest issue was how to decorate our newly purchased home.
Like any other married couple, we wanted to make our home warm and appealing to us and our guests. After a few minor renovations, we had a blank slate. The first problem was to choose a color palate on which we both agreed. He likes the airy pastels of an ocean cottage, while I am into the primitive, country colors that are all the rage now. We must have spent a whole afternoon looking at paint sample cards in the home improvement store.
I had read somewhere that wall colors can be chosen by fabrics or other items in the room. We decided to look at our furniture and other décor to figure a color scheme. I just wasn’t a big fan of the peachy color that matched to the conch shells he so loved. Nor was I impressed with the Hawaiian Smurf blue he chose for the kitchen. It just was not going to match the buffalo-checked curtains I wanted.
Thankfully, we did come to a happy compromise. After consulting many design books and a designer friend, we came up with an eclectic French provincial style. I got the primitive distressed look I treasured and he was able to blend in his oceanic inspirations. In the end, it was a look we truly loved. I still have misgivings about the conch shell on the wall, though.
