How to share a bedroom without falling out

Create flexible bedroom space with DIY Homefit’s new wardrobe doors

So the moment has come. You and your partner are finally moving in together. It’s a big step, but an exciting one. Congratulations!

Moving in together is the start of a whole new phase of life and things will change for you both in so many different ways.

However, as you will soon find, this does mean that you will both need to make compromises to ensure that each of your needs are met. It’s important to do this right from the start. You will both be keen to please the other, but if one of you is always giving way and letting the other make the decisions, resentment will soon start to build.

One major area of conflict can be the bedroom. You both need to be able to rest and relax in this room, but may have very different ideas about how the room should be. You will both bring existing habits and expectations into your bedroom, and it’s really important to find ways of accommodating as many of these as possible.

Let’s take a look at some common areas where you may need to find a creative solution to try and achieve the best of both worlds.

I hate clutter but my partner seems to love it

This is a tricky one. If one of you has been used to a minimalistic and orderly bedroom, and the other treats it rather like an animal lair, you will need to strike a compromise. The key thing to understand is that neither approach is right or wrong, they are just different preferences.

We would suggest trying a half and half approach. Neither of you has the right to impose your desires on the other, but nor do you want to annoy each other by being set in your ways. So why not designate half of the bedroom each; your own zone to do with as you will?

In the image below, the minimalist half of the partnership could claim the left hand side of the bed and related storage areas, leaving the more cluttered person with the surfaces and floor by the right hand side of the bed. Stylish drawer fronts and cupboard and wardrobe doors can also help to conceal much of the clutter.

If you adopt the above approach, you will both have an area of the bedroom to call your own and to keep as you please. And what you may well find is that, over time, you gradually begin to adjust each other’s way of thinking. So the messy part of the bedroom becomes neater, and the minimalist part just that little bit more laid back. Which could result in something like the bedroom below. 

Again, with skilful use of new wardrobe doors, you can give your bedroom an updated look and also choose what you do and don’t want to be on show. Win win!

We both have very different styles. How is that going to work?

Fortunately this is not as big an issue as you may think. If you read our recent article Bedroom furniture – mix or match? you can see that it’s very on trend to mix textures, styles and colours. So you can create a new quirky bedroom by using some of both your favourite items.

For example in the bedroom pictured below, the contemporary style bed matches the inset colour on the wardrobe doors, then there is also an interesting mix of very ornate lighting and, at the front of the image, a grouping of soft furnishings.

I love a dim quiet bedroom but my partner prefers it noisy and bright

The amount of lighting and noise in a bedroom can often be a bone of contention. You may prefer dim lighting and peace and quiet, a place to unwind and escape the pressures of the day. But your partner wants to wind down by sitting in bed to read, watch TV or play computer games. All with lots of light and noise.

One option is to take turns to incorporate another room in the home into your bedtime routine. For example, you may decide to have a long candlelit bath to get your dim light and escape fix. And/or perhaps they could watch TV or play games in another room instead of disturbing you.

But you may also be able to achieve a compromise by coming back to the principle of having separate zones of the bedroom. Have the entertainment section on their side, along with whatever kind of lighting they need. But keep your side clear and uncluttered, with dimmer lighting. 

Think along the lines of the bedroom pictured below, and you may just have a workable way forward.

So, if it’s time for you to start sharing a bedroom, we hope that you can create a mutually workable space that you can both enjoy without having to neglect your own needs.

For more ideas, take a look through our gallery of bedroom pictures and start planning the ideal configuration for you both.

Do check back here soon for more lifestyle tips from DIY Homefit.