Moving in with your boyfriend is exciting right? Think about all those new furniture options, whether to have a “statement” wall or flock wallpaper… And just think about the arguments you can have about where the gold fish bowl goes…
Well apparently according to research gay couples are actually more harmonious than their straight counterparts when it comes to the style decisions.
Online furniture retailer Furniture Choice surveyed over 1,000 couples to establish trends in the home; looking at who occupies the most space and who makes the majority of the style decisions.
In heterosexual relationships women took control over the style choices – with 1/3 taking sole control of the decision making process, whilst only 1/5 of straight men took the sole decision role.
However men in same-sex couples seemingly share those decisions more equally with 42% sharing homeware decisions. Whilst 41% of women in same-sex relationship made decisions equally.
Tom Obbard, managing director at Furniture Choice, said:
“For some couples decorating the home can be an easy task, but for others it can prove tricky. We often see many couples who have different tastes, but an effective way of overcoming this is to communicate ideas clearly to each other, so that neither partner is left in the dark.”
They also discovered the top 10 bad habits that drive your partner crackers.
- Being untidy
- Being too tidy
- Having bad bathroom habits
- Placing items in the wrong place
- Snoring
- Hoarding
- Being bad at DIY
- Moaning
- Smoking
- Leaving electronics on
Donna Dawson, relationship psychologist, said:
“Living together and making style decisions that suit both partners can be tricky, but pre-empt any problems by talking about what you both envision before moving in.
“For example, if one or both of you needs a study, it could be agreed beforehand that these rooms can be decorated in the style of that person’s choice. If one of you is a collector and the other is a minimalist, agree beforehand which rooms will display items and which rooms will be left more spacious.
“Items such as laundry hampers, desks, bureaus and tables with many drawers, or cabinets with generous shelving, can help a messy partner to stay tidy.”
