Tips for Women: Decorate for Dating

Have you ever been on a date and felt everything was going well until you saw his or her house? Suddenly your Prince Charming has turned into a horny 15-year-old boy who is obsessed with Star Wars, and he’s filthy to boot. Unfortunately, men have the same feeling when they encounter your homage to age six, with pink ruffles and stuffed animals everywhere. And he’ll never understand your love of candles.

If you’re serious about finding that special someone for your life, then you’ve got to live like an adult who is serious about themselves and about having a future with someone. This does not mean that you have to entirely lose your personality, but it does mean some redecorating may be necessary. If done correctly, you may even get to keep some of your treasured mementos on display, but not out for play.

It’s true that men are often attracted to young women, but they don’t want to date children. Keep youthful by dressing hip and having a lighthearted approach to life, not by filling your home with snuggly, cuddly toys. Just as a man’s house full of action figures is a turn off, so are your stuffed animals.

If you just can’t live without your teddy bear, how about moving him to a chair or a shelf and adding some other treasures from childhood, like a few photos or cheerleading ribbons. Turn your treasures into an obvious nod to your past, rather than keeping them on the bed where they look like regular playmates.

Cleanliness is also an issue that men raise with women’s homes, but not in the same way. Typically women have a clean base but mountains of clutter and clothes everywhere. So if you’re expecting your date to visit your home, makes sure you spend a few minutes putting your clothes away and picking up other odds and ends; you may even want to reassess all those knickknacks and candles.

Women tend to hold onto sentimental items, but if you’re ready to move on to a new relationship, then you should be ready to remove all tokens from past boyfriends from your decorating scheme.

If you want to create a successful dating decorating scheme, try to keep your home gender neutral in the general décor and let your personality show through in small ways, rather than overwhelming waves of childhoods past. A few ruffled pink throw pillows are one thing, but a couch in a ruffled pink floral pattern is just too much for most people. Keep this in mind as you create the overall image of your home decorating scheme.

Stuffed Animal Bed

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