Compromise is like Brussels Sprouts

It's official - we are moving in at the end of the month!  We had spent several very long months dedicated to hunting out THE best place in San Francisco in this terrible market.  For a while, it seemed luck was not in our favor, and after several mini meltdowns (on my end), we found a place... and its just one block from where I live now!  The irony!  I am looking for movers, and can't wait to see their faces when I tell them to take the furniture down the street.  I also can't wait to see their faces when I tell them I am moving out of a four-floor walk up... ayayay!

As we are gearing up to move, and inevitably merge our assets, the inevitable "whose stuff are we bringing" conversation has come up - multiple times.  While Kris has accepted the fact that his college Ikea black bachelor sofa is not making the journey, I have relented that some of my more girly pieces will be going on Craigslist.  Even though I am sad to part with some of my single-self purchases, I am so excited to start our life together, and furnish our new place with things that reflect BOTH of us.  Yes, compromise is like brussels sprouts - hard to swallow, but you know its good for you.  In fact, I've actually begun to enjoy the taste :-)

The tough part is that Kris loves everything ultra modern, while I am drawn to more classic pieces.  If he had it his way, he'd live in a world of angular furniture, sharp edges, and lots of metal and glass.  As for myself, I'd love to live in the pages of Pottery Barn.

After much discussion, and shoving many MANY design magazines in front of Kris's face, we have come to a compromise.  Classic contemporary.  There will be no faux finishes, no frills, floral, or shabby chic touches.  There will also be no glass tables, anything with metal poles for legs, and no uncomfortable furniture.  We will focus on classic lines and muted colors for the core pieces (sofa, etc), with pops of color and patterns in the accessories (throw pillows, artwork, and rugs).  The real challenge is the artwork, but after some digging around online, I have found a few great pieces that really suit both of our tastes fairly well!

 

These first two are quite similar - the first from Ballard Designs, and the second from ZGallerie.  Both I love because of the muted colors, and the depth of the pictures.  They are soothing, but not boring.  Kris would love them for their modern potential, and also because they are not overtly feminine.  They are classic, without being "traditional" and I can't wait to show him!

I happen to LOVE this one - especially as a compliment to one of the first two.  I can already hear Kris saying that it is way to frou-frou, but I think the colors pair really well with the abstract greys and tans and taupes and blues from the first two paintings.  This is from ZGallerie as well, and it makes me wonder if the buyers had the same thing in mind when they purchased both of them.

This is just cool - if they carried this in a San Francisco version, this would look great in the entry way by the front door, or next to my desk in it's nook.  I am by no means a Paris fanatic, so would not buy this exact one in a million years, but to have it personal to MY city - the city that stole my heart with it's great food, beautiful architecture, and proximity to everything I love (the wine country, the beach, the mountains, and my family).