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Decorating tips for the recently divorced modern man

A couple other thoughts:

1. Paint can make a huge difference in a room, isn't very expensive to have done, or is real cheap if you DIY. So many houses just have plain white, but a little color really perks things up. The only white rooms in our house are two small hallways.

2. Don't overcrowd rooms with stuff. Several of our rooms have about one more piece of furniture than is comfy.
 
Shag rug, big tv, well stocked bar, comfy club style furniture is nice, guitar whether you can play or not, stuff you like
 
I love modern pieces which IKEA has, but target has some cool accent pieces, lamps and stuff that could make a big difference. I like the way my wife has decorated, but I would like more modern stuff in our house. Estate sales and garage sales are great ways to find higher end stuff at lower end prices.

Marty
 
I went through the same thing (My kids are 5 & 7) Kept their rooms the same for when they visit. Since the EX got much of the furniture, I went for a more contemporary look and I get compliments on my home by everyone. I also have a large Library everyone seems to like. I did much of my shopping on Craigslist....Yes Craigslist. Take your time looking and get what you want on the cheap. I purchased a Bar (Yes I drink quite a bit) that sells for over $1,500 for $150 on Craigslist. Take your time, look at what you like and get what you want.

I keep my house in the condition that if I had all my friends over (Men & Women) at anytime, that I could entertain them and they would be comfortable.

Good luck and ask yourself.....What would James Bond do? :)
 
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IKEA certainly has some great products for the price. Whatever you do, don't buy everything all at once. I made that mistake and ended up disassembling some of my furniture and donating it.

+1. Ikea is the way to go. Cheap, presentable, "modern."
 
+1. Ikea is the way to go. Cheap, presentable, "modern."

The thing I like about Ikea is the Scandinavian/European style of most of the pieces...clean, modern, not ornate (i.e., "old-fashioned"), and suitable for a wide variety of tastes. Examples are things like simple wooden bookshelves, storage units, etc. that can fit in with almost any decorating style. Quality is adequate...they're not going to end up as family heirlooms, but I've got some Ikea items that are 20+ years-old now and are still serving their intended purpose quite well. For larger "showcase" pieces...sofas, dining tables and chairs, etc., I'd probably go for higher quality items, but you don't need to spend $1500 for a wooden bookcase, when a $200 one from Ikea will do just as well.
 
Don't go into debt to fill out your house. Take your time and think of needs as opposed to wants. IKEA is for you - the home store of the divorced guy.
 
I have a few items from ikea and like them very much.

They also have pretty good chocolate bars. And noone has better meatballs.
 
6 Years Later I search on google how to decorate my condo now that I'm a 34 yo Divorced father with a 6yo daughter and 3yo son who live with their mom. We have the same type of schedule. I felt compelled to reach out after seeing so many similarities. I am over a year divorced and haven't moved an inch with regards to progress. I haven't moved on. I miss my family. I want them back but know I'll never have the life I once had. And that's incredibly difficult to move one from. Anyways hope all is well and you have turned your life around like I hope to do to mine.
 
Reviving this old threat just to let you all know that I'm going through a divorce, have 5 and 8 year old girls, and I've been to Ikea threebtimes this week :)
 
Pro tip#1- Go to the store or order up from the store (instacart etc.) on the days when they come over. That way they have complete buy in on the groceries, they eat what they want (within reason) and you reduce/eliminate a bone of contention.

Pro tip #2- presuming they are sharing a room, their bed linens and styles do not have to match.

Pro tip #3- They need dedicated places to study that is theirs. That can be desks in the room, the dining room table etc. This may mean that you have to go to your room to watch TV, surf the web etc.

Pro tip #4- They get a computer/chromebook etc that you never use, ever, period. It is in a place that you can observe its use. If they are issued such from school, so much the better. If you buy it, they should SHARE it. This becomes a good life lesson.

Pro tip#5- Never speak poorly of their mother, ever. When they get older, they will figure it out themselves, if applicable.

Bottom Line-You have time, talent and treasure to expend on your children. Read to them. Have them read to you. Do flash cards with them for math facts etc. Go to their games/activities. You will NEVER regret these expenditures.

While I am now firmly in the buy quality, cry once camp, when my kids were school aged, I was all about the intersection of quality and value. The "excess" was spent on them. If my kids were playing both indoor and outdoor soccer, they got two sets of shoes. If my son pivoted to baseball, he got baseball specific cleats even if the soccer ones would have been fine relative to the game level/skill set. My daughter was playing volleyball and basketball, same deal re the shoes thought I suspect the either could have pulled double duty thru middle school.

Blessings to you and yours in this time.
 
The only tip I can give is this. Don't compromise, do what you want and how you like it.

Example. I'm 6'6" and the mirrors in the house were for me and my height not someone else. I only dropped the height when I married the last girl friend. Even now they're still higher than normal.
 
As someone who is much older than you at 58 and who is now negotiating my own divorce, I understand your apprehension. While I would rather not see us divorce after 27 years of marriage, I also have come to terms with the reasons why it has come down to this and realize that I can benefit from our split if it ultimately happens. Life does go on. And life can be very good post divorce, and may be better or much better than pre-divorce. Anyway, I realize this doesn't relate to your design question specifically.

I feel that I am fairly design oriented and enjoy creating a space that is comfortable to me. Maybe that is because my soon to be ex-wife and I each had equal say on decoration ideas and we equally contributed to our living space arrangements. For me, each room has its own purpose and the more your furnishings apply to that purpose, the better it should turn out. So, for example, we recently finished our basement. The basement has multiple purposes. The washer and dryer are down there so there is a separate area for that. Not much to add there. Then the large room is divided into three areas. One area is where my drums and my son's basses and amp is located. The music area. It's carpeted over the vinyl flooring. I love sitting down there, playing my drums and there is room for several musicians to jam. I have been jamming with another bassist and guitarist and have even jammed with my son and his friend who plays guitar. It's comfortable. The second area is for working out. We have a universal weight machine and an elliptical machine. Both are sitting on foam pieces to protect the floor. It serves it's pupose. The best part is the "entertainment area". I feel this is essential for you to have something like this. We have a 65" TV, and a 5.1 surround sound speaker system, along with a turntable for playing my large record collection, a couch with a pull out bed, large chair and massive beanbag chair. So, it serves as a great place for watching TV and movies, playing video games and listening to music, which goes nicely with the adjacent music "studio".

I like to cook so having a kitchen that is properly equipped is essential. And I like coffee so I have an area devoted just to coffee. having a nice bright place to eat is also desirable. We have a small yet pleasant breakfast nook area that is essentially part of the sun porch and gets a ton of sun. It's the perfect spot for having my morning coffee and breakfast to start my day. Then, as a bachelor, I would think a bar is an important element. I am not an alcoholic but you'd think I was if you looked at our bar. If alcohol is in any way important to you, and I love to enjoy my adult beverages, all you realy want is to have all of your favorite bottles. So for me that means Ketel One vodka, Lagavulin 16 and 8 scotch, Clyde May's Alabama Whiskey, Bombay Sapphire gin, El Dorado 15 rum. And then you want to have things on hand for the friends that come to visit. Having the proper gassware for those drinks makes drinking them that much more enjoyable.

You need a place for your kids that they can feel safe and comfortable in and room for them to play. And you should have a place that you can call an office since we all have some amount of business that we conduct. It's nice to be able to have an area devoted to that stuff so it doesn't get in the way of your other areas of the house. The bedroom is easy. A bed and a place for your clothes.

Ultimately, what should guide you is what would make YOU feel comfortable. This is especially important as we are all cooped up during this pandemic and spending much more time at home than we used to. I know I haven't really addressed entertaining other people. That is because many kitchens are often open concept and are merged with the famiy/enterainment room. A dining room is an easy one since all you need is a large table for people to feel comfortable sitting around and that is where your bar can be.

I don't know if anything I've said is even helpful. If not, then I apologize. For you I think the area for the kids is probably the most important since yours are so young. That means a large open room that isn't cluttered with furniture. They will fill it with their stuff and they need lots of room to spread out with their stuff. Good luck man. This is the beginning of the rest of your life. You'll find someone else better suited to you and who makes you truly happy. I know I will as well.
 
Ultimately depends on what you like and your budget.if you‘re ok with spending some money then Design within Reach has top quality pieces that work well in an uncluttered set up. Rugman has great rugs at fair prices. My own first priority would be a good sound system. Then a decently equipped kitchen.
 
In all honesty..it doesnt matter what we say..you are the one who makes the final choices...if she is great she wont really care whats on your wall or the brand of your jeans...she will like you for you..sounds corny but it really is true
 
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