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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