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Many women prefer a gender-neutral or even a traditionally masculine style, and men have a wide range of tastes, too. But what makes a room traditionally feminine? It often starts with what makes an outfit feminine — warm colors like pinks, purples and mauves; floral patterns; metallics; ruffles; curves and lots of layers.
by Caitlin Wilson  
An all-white room tends to have a feminine feel as well — light and airy, like a sanctuary where tracked-in dirt is never even a consideration. Ornamental chandeliers and decorations add to that overall feminine mood.
by Dreamy Whites  
In contrast, a traditionally masculine room often takes cues from men's wardrobes: browns and grays, plaids and pinstripes, boxy and straight forms.
by Tobi Fairley Interior Design
A dark room with hues of steely gray, blues and browns automatically feels masculine. Add brown or black leather, and it's a done deal no matter how many vases of flowers you display.
by jamesthomas, LLC
A bathroom can be made very feminine with luminescent mosaic tile, peachy damask wallpaper and brushed-nickel or polished-brass ornamental plumbing fixtures.
by Alan Design Studio
A bathroom can be made ultramasculine with dark matte tile installed in a grid-like fashion, no patterns besides a possible bold stripe, and streamlined chrome plumbing fixtures.
by Carl M. Hansen Companies
You love the spaces you have created, but how do you compromise and make a moving-in partner feel welcomed and comfortable? You must combine the elements of both feminine and masculine to create a holistically balanced room.
by Caitlin Wilson  
Gentlemen, your pad looks awesome with its dark wood paneling and heavy industrial metal finishes. But if you want to show your commitment, bring in some softer touches.
by Jane Kim Design  
Combining elements and juxtaposing them helps. For example, a neutral black and white color scheme eliminates conflict over feminine or masculine colors. A leather headboard feels masculine, but having it tufted adds curves that feminize it. Layered bedding feels feminine, but having those layers be fur makes it masculine.
by Imagine Living  
Another approach in the bedroom is going completely gender neutral, as shown here. Grays are neither feminine or masculine. The boxy headboard has rounded corners. None of the decorative accessories lean toward either gender.
by Kenneth Brown Design
Better yet, a light and bright room like this can please both parties. Layers of exotic bohemian touches, like a fur throw and a Beni Ourain rug, may make one of you happy. The clean lines of the midcentury lighting fixtures and seating may please the other. The room reads vibrant yet relaxing.
by Mikel Irastorza  
This bathroom has the best of both worlds: stripes for one of you, a curvy pattern for the other. And medium brown beige tones for all. This tile pattern reminds me of the sidewalks at Copacabana beach; it has a vavoom factor.
by Nora Schneider Interior Design
In the living room, an all-white scheme leans toward feminine, but eliminating needless layers and ornamentation and keeping the furniture lines pretty boxy brings in masculine energy.
by Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech
This living room initially reads gender neutral or a touch masculine, given the hard lines of the furnishings and lack of layers. But the extra-large artwork of a woman's nude form and the tulip arrangement bring in curves and feminine energy.
by Mark Dodge Design  
Remember, compromise is good for the state of the union. A new design scheme combining light and dark elements, boxy and curved forms, heavy metals and sparkly glass can be better than either extreme on its own.

More:
Decorate With Intention: The Art of Compromise
12 Tips for Happily Combining Households
by A-Interiors LLC  

Comments

Sigrid This sounded like it could be summed up as light=feminine, dark and dreary=masculine. Luckily, I have a guy who isn't threatened by color, light, or curves. Sure, he'd object to the pink bed or the orange bathroom, but he'd also hate being stuck in that nicely-furnished, gray prison (pic 4) even if it had lots of bright pink flowers.
3 months ago · ·
amelie Great idea book! You not only gave us great photos but also your analysis and writing style was very appealing!
3 months ago · ·
fddlj Please get the violin off the floor!
3 months ago · ·
bubblyjock fddlj - the violin isn't on the floor; it's sitting on a pouff, looks like.
3 months ago ·
midmodfan That was very useful! It'd be fun to see this effect in before and after photos, like one neutrally furnished room that is being transformed into a masculine or feminine room.

My style is rather unfeminine. I never liked ruffles, lace, skirted furniture, too many layers, and all things 'cute' - with the exception of pets. My husband's taste is quite the same. We both would choose the completely gender neutral bedroom, I think. We love simple lines and good quality that needs not be adorned. A sheepskin in a chair, a folded throw, things that are decorative AND used every day - that's our style. I know I'm lucky that we agree, not only on taste, but on most other things as well.
3 months ago ·
Marina Klima Goldberg - Klima Design Group This is a great post Natalie. By mixing light and dark colors you can attain a harmonious room that is great for him and her.
3 months ago ·
Heather M. Hayes or instead of going sans color(neutral), you could communicate and find out what colors each other likes and work the top two colors into a room with some neutral for grounding.
3 months ago · ·
Tile-Stones Informative post. A balance of dark/light colors and hard/soft lines is key.
3 months ago ·
hollybar Interesting insights. Surprised that the very detailed 4th pic seems so masculine to you. Strikes me differently.
Btw,I don't think that large nude painting is necessarily female. And I can clearly see that the other nude in the room is not ;)
3 months ago · ·
Rachel Gold Beautiful collection of rooms!! Great style, every one! Thanks for the references!
3 months ago ·
jfk66 When I bought what I thought would be gender neutral coverlet that was literally neutral and plain for our move overseas, my husband hated it. He said, "Why didn't you get something with flowers?" Who knew? I don't even like floral. He likes "cozy" and bright colors and can't understand why we don't get a red or blue couch.
3 months ago ·
ModernistLighting.com The wood club chairs in the last picture are to die for. Where are they from?
3 months ago ·
BOHEMIA I really like the idea of slipcovers to blend his furniture with her accessories. The white or neutral washable fabrics are the key to harmony. Custom cut and finished to your piece will provide a background for future decor as the relationship grows.
3 months ago ·
ModernistLighting.com Yes, mid-century lighting's clean lines and neutrality can balance the sexes in decor. http://www.modernistlighting.com
3 months ago · ·
Transforming Rooms For pros and cons on lots of home interior designs, (when your taste is diffrerent than your spouse) click on these blogs:

http://www.interiordesigngreensboro.com/2012/08/blinds-versus-drapes-which-window.html

http://www.interiordesigngreensboro.com/2011/02/will-i-regret-buying-leather-sofa.html

Or, you can type what you're interested in the SEARCH box....for some examples:

paint accent wall?
sectional versus sofa?
hang flat screen?

Often you can combine both in the room....a leather sofa with fabric chairs, drapes with blinds, compromise can be a good thing!

PS- Love the gender neutral photos you featured Natalie, your photos showed that it's important not to go overboard in either direction (too feminine or too masculine)
3 months ago ·
andieeh I always laugh when guys who don't actually care about decor rule out pink, orange, floral etc. my husband just rolls with whatever. He's not threatened by a color.
3 months ago · ·
Kitchen Craft Cabinetry Gender Neutral isn't the same as Colour Neutral. Colour is genderless and there are ways of using the same colours that read as super-girly or ultra masculine. Instead of beiging down a space to marry two styles, changing colours and mixing accessories is a great way to go.
2 months ago · ·
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