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At Home<br />

If your home is your castle, then it<br />

must be fit for royalty — an oasis to<br />

which modern day monarchy retreat<br />

— but sometimes even a king and queen<br />

can disagree on what constitutes good<br />

style.<br />

Fortunately, with a little ingenuity,<br />

you and your partner can enjoy a chic<br />

home without either party needing to<br />

compromise their unique design sense.<br />

The only battle might be who gets to take<br />

credit for the finished product.<br />

DUELING<br />

By Andrew Scholz<br />

Photo courtesy of Bellwether Interior Design.<br />

Design<br />

AVOIDING ALTERCATIONS<br />

Let’s face it, with different genders come different<br />

design tastes. While there may be some give and<br />

take, you don’t always have to sacrifice your own<br />

style for the sake of your partner. Christa Vogt and<br />

Leslie Wilson, owners of Bellwether Interior Design<br />

in Neenah, are well-versed in keeping the peace<br />

between sexes.<br />

“Having a gender-neutral space is the goal for most<br />

couples,” Vogt says. “Our job is to mesh both styles as<br />

seamlessly as possible. When working with couples<br />

they have to understand that compromise is key.”<br />

Vogt says some design elements, such as color<br />

and shape, can be stylish without being genderspecific.<br />

“Using a neutral palette and geometric patterns<br />

can lend to both sexes,” she says. “Design is<br />

subjective; we always take into account lifestyle,<br />

purpose of the room and other variables when<br />

completing a project.”<br />

For any remodel, the budget is always a source of<br />

contention. Keep peace in the kingdom by starting<br />

with small, inexpensive projects.<br />

“Painting a room is the easiest and least<br />

expensive way to spruce up a space,” Wilson says.<br />

“Purchasing new bedding and off-the-rack curtains is<br />

also an easy way to breathe new life into a room. You<br />

can purchase window treatments for as low as $10 a<br />

panel at stores like Home Goods.”<br />

Getting the best deal for the penny-pincher<br />

while maintaining a certain panache for the styleconscious<br />

may seem like a stretch, but it is certainly<br />

attainable. Cory Hathaway, founder of Appletonbased<br />

furniture, consignment and retail store, Milo<br />

Milo, says investing in a few statement pieces is a<br />

good compromise.<br />

“Less is more as far as accessories,” she says. “I’d<br />

rather have one wonderful and unique point of<br />

interest than 10 so-so pieces.”<br />

MAKE IT MEANINGFUL<br />

One surefire way to appease both individuals in<br />

a relationship is to design a space that’s meaningful<br />

to each. Katie Hoffman of Oshkosh worked with<br />

Bellwether Interior Design to create her dining<br />

room which now serves as a tribute to both her and<br />

her husband’s families.<br />

16 | foxcitiesmagazine.com | February 2013

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