Houzz Tour: Balancing His and Hers Style

ledebonaire says:

Great article and very timely: my significant other is very "Sunset Magazine" and I am a "Dwell" guy, you get the idea...

We just purchased our first house and needless to say, there is a lot of "negotiation" going on and I, of course, let her win in most cases. We recently came across what is going to be our inspiration moving forward: I "get" the white walls and uncluttered spaces while she will add texture, warmth and a few accent/antique pieces.

http://www.houzz.com/photos/380159/C-Magazine-Article-contemporary--los-angeles

Damien F says:

Its so funny to me how u act like people w/obvious means are super talented- YES it takes 'absolute creativity' to hire interior designers and architects and come on.... a Stark rug- costs more that some people make in a year. Nice place - not impressed. Im loosing my interest in Houzz as time goes on. Please stop telling us how small things are in your GIANT homes-

webbsathome says:

Lovely house but looks to me like he won almost hands down style wise!!

the_misfit says:

I think high-end design can serve as an inspiration point for those of more modest means (i.e., if they had a relatively unlimited budget and bought that $700 pendant light that looks an awful lot like a $30 one at Ikea that I kind of like, then I know it's not just my budget calling the shots). And very catalog-y photos give a glimpse of how a particular style or vision appears when fully realized, rather than forced to compromise around a normal life. And of course, I am always charmed if I see a very expensive, professionally-designed home in which pairings don't really "go" and I know I could (in one or another respect) have done a better job. This house has some great stuff, but some definite misses too (kid's bedroom color palette just isn't put together right, i.e.).

But I agree with the sentiment that narrators of these sorts of galleries need to be a little more honest. In Washington, DC's design magazine, awards (and galleries) are often divided by project cost - best room remodel under $50,000; best whole-house remodel under $100,000, or over $500,000, etc. Then you can more fairly compare apples to apples. This Old House does something similar - when homeowner remodels are shown, the budget is also discussed. In this gallery, by contrast, the designer is quoted as pointing out that not every stick of furniture is custom art. But just because a piece is manufactured rather than custom-designed doesn't mean it's affordable to a person of average means, and I think that it's fair to say so. Just as there is a difference between a $100,000 one-of-a-kind sofa and a $10,000 designer sofa doesn't mean there's no a difference between a $2000 department-store sofa and a $500 discount-store sofa and the $150 sofa I bought on craigslist (which would blow all those other sofas out of the water). So quoting designers politely saying that items aren't "too precious" to a site that's probably aimed at DIY decorators of middle-class means seems, well, tone-deaf.

In sum: might be good to be a little more up-front about a remodel's budget.

Elena Vega says:

Love the concept of mixing styles and how even couples with disparate tastes can be happy! Would love to see more of this "she wants/he wants" and how they made it work.

Vanessa Brunner says:

@the_misfit and @Damien F: I certainly understand both of your points here. It's definitely worth mentioning that some pieces are more about budget, while some are more about design inspiration. Perhaps including that quote was a bit misleading in that sense. I certainly couldn't afford a single piece of furniture in this house! But I do appreciate how the designer mixed in custom and store-bought product. That's a great takeaway here – mix up where you buy your product, whether it's Craigslist, IKEA, or West Elm.

There are definitely a lot of Houzz projects that are very DIY/budget friendly where owners are more than happy to talk about the cost, while some (like this) are geared more towards design inspiration for users — projects that we can all admire for their design (or maybe pick apart, if it's not quite your style), and maybe even be a bit jealous of! :)

Katherine Sheridan says:

I've always considered "American Contemporary" to be a blend of modern and traditional; these pictures really illustrate that. Personally I'm a flag waving modernist to the point of using the flagpole as a weapon to get my way. Hopefully the traditionalist is happy with all the traditional shapes in this house and the modernist is happy with the basic colors and high ceilings. Very nice.

nasafemme says:

I wish Houzz would feature more modest homes so its users could feel inspired, not depressed.