Before getting to work on our registries, Dave and I started talking about the look of our future home, and one thing became apparent very, very quickly: our styles are drastically different. I love all things white, bright, and feminine, and he wouldn’t be able to stand living in a home that was “too girly.” Y’all, my middle name may as well be “Girly,” so I was baffled by how to meet in the middle and decide on a look that would make us both happy. Finally, we sat down and talked through some of my favorite home inspiration images on Pinterest–what did I like about them? What was “too girly” about them for Dave? What specific features did we agree on?  After doing this little exercise, we compiled the images we both loved on a secret board, and were pleasantly surprised by how quickly an aesthetic and color scheme emerged! Here’s a peek at some of the inspiration we ended up with, for a bright, light-filled, cozy home, filled with classic pieces in white and gray, some wood, pops of navy blue, and a handful of stripes.

House Beautiful, A Cup of Jo, Unknown, Unknown, Studio McGee, Domino

A quick tip for any other engaged couples: I definitely recommend coming to an agreement on a look and feel for your future home before starting your registries–it has made a huge difference in guiding our decisions and keeping us on the same page. Best of all? It was a great exercise for two admittedly stubborn, design-minded people, and proof to ourselves that we could “compromise,” but still end up with a result we both love–a lesson I hope we’ll take into marriage with us. :)