Home décor superstore At Home is finally coming to Arizona, with the first of its stores opening in the Arizona Mills mall in Tempe, but will a new selection of décor really be the solution couples need? Or does it take more than the actual furnishings to make décor work?
“At Home is a new brand venture from [At Home’s parent company] Garden Ridge and it’s going to give shoppers really a greater selection of home décor than ever before,” said Arizona Mills general manager David Johnston.
Although it has no online shopping component, At Home does offer an impressive selection of housewares, decorative accents, wall art, rugs, room furnishings, and patio furnishings for shoppers on a budget. The new store will occupy 105,000 square feet in Tempe’s discount mall, replacing the JC Penney Outlet that closed last year.
However, a recent survey commissioned by online art store UGallery found that almost 60% of women respondents thought “managing different home décor styles” was one of the biggest challenges when moving in with a partner. This included reaching an agreement on colors, furniture, wall decorations, and incorporating existing household items with those of a partner.
“The goal is to create a home everyone loves and feels loved and nurtured in,” said Sharon Hanby-Robie, author of Decorating Without Fear: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating the Home You Love.
In other words, having a wider selection of home décor might help make things easier for couples looking to redecorate on a budget, but it’s compromise that’s key to overcoming the challenge of home décor.
For example, say a person has an old Oriental rug from their grandfather, who recently passed away, and they need to put it in the bedroom. Their partner thinks the rug is ugly. The rug can’t get tossed or stowed away, because it has sentimental value. It also can’t go somewhere else, because to keep an Oriental rug looking its best, it needs to be kept away from the sun and out of damp or humid rooms.
The key is to compromise. If the rug stays there, the other person gets to choose the décor of another room.
Remember: things are just things. If a person fell in love with another, it should be more than possible to live with their things.