Yes, I do-- and I do the same thing you do, trying to visualize DH and others (females) in the room, seeing if I would feel comfortable with that!

On the other hand, DH ONLY cares if something is comfortable to sit on. What does your DH say?

Always an interesting and difficult design question -- and each house and home is different -- and any choices that could be called "masculine" or "feminine" are according to the ideas of the folks that live within its walls.

My décor style has always been referred to as "masculine" -- and here's a pin board that is one of my favorites ....

Here is a link that might be useful: Pinterest -- an interesting pin board

I do. That's why I've always stayed away from florals. But sometimes checks seem masculine. I've leaned towards neutral colors and more texture, which helps my rooms to not compete with all of my clutter!

I don't know --- do you feel uncomfortable in a hunt club room?

My DH doesn't care. I myself am not particularly drawn to the ultra feminine.

The house that come's to mind is Kirstie Ally's beachhouse. It's pretty, but not just feminine, I find it girlish.

Here is a link that might be useful: more pics

I don't see my taste as either overly masculine or feminine. I don't really think about that when I decorate. My husband is actually drawn to the occasional floral.

Kirstie Ally's beach house does not strike me as someplace where men would like hanging out. It looks like a place to giggle and eat tea sandwiches.

I've never been a girly girl/woman. I would probably be more comfortable in a more masculine-leaning space. Not man-cave or neanderthal. :) I like plain and uncluttered, but not sleek or modern. Just honest and comfortable.

My tastes always run toward the masculine side...my favorite wallpaper books are always the 'gentlemen' ones...I always feel at home in university clubs and libraries with leather furniture. I don't mind some feminine stuff, but too much frou frou is, well, too much.

i definitely lean towards masculine i think in my decorating, though i like some sparkle!
i redid our Mbath a couple of years ago and will prob be putting house on market in nearish future and look at the master bath selections wondering if it is abit too masculine looking for the average buyer... i hope not!
KA's room above does not appeal to me!!

I like the more masculine too. I'm surprised at Kirstie's house. It looks ultra feminine (and girlish, as mtn said) and she doesn't come across that way at all- looks more like it should be Dolly Parton's house!

Well, I have a floral print in the bedroom and white furniture (I tried to stain it espresso but made a mess, gave up, and painted it white). So, I guess it is on the fem side....lately the large floral pattern is kind of getting on my nerves so am thinking of switching it out to maybe a geometric and toning things down a bit. The only other floral I have is in the spare bedroom.

I have a rug in the LR that has an abstract flower on it...that's about it....guess my style isn't super feminine either.

I have never been a girly-girl.
I never wear pastels.
I despise most florals.

My style is simple.
I prefer Art & Crafts/mission furnishings.
I love earthy colors.

So, no... I NEVER worry that my design decisions are too feminine!

The living room I was planning was a more feminine space(not frou frou) but what I am getting is a way more masculine look but I am really liking it. I love florals if they are an Indiennes or Jacobean type print and paisleys are my all time favorite. I never really thought of paisley being masculine but I suppose it is. I am not fond of big overdone flower prints or tiny little girly looking ones. I like a very simple but classic elegance. I also love the sparkle of crystal and the shine of silver.

When my husband and I married, he had more furniture than I did. So I initially adopted his style: masculine and leather. I liked it, and while I have softened the look over the years with fabrics and accessories, my favorite design elements are metal, wood and leather.

I have never been in danger that my spaces would be too feminine; ruffles and such are not my style. Looking at teacats' link, I lean masculine, but with more color in the space. But our place does not go so far as to have all the dark wood and hunting trophy look.

I vaguely recall a 1982 Barbra Walters interview with Kirstie Alley. I can't recall the exact decor of her home, but I do remember being extremely impressed with the beautiful interior design. As I recall, she designed it herself. Wish I could find photos of that house; I doubt it was was at all girly like the more recent example, because I would not have like it. It it likely true that both of our tastes have traveled a log way since 1982 though.

edit: to clarify I meant K.A's interior design

This post was edited by Gyr_Falcon on Thu, Nov 14, 13 at 16:28

LuAnn: I'm on the same page as you. No florals or pastels in our house. Our home is probably a bit too masculine for most people. When they visit for the first time, they either love it, or just don't comment. We find it welcoming and cozy.

No. I am not a girly-girl at all, but gardening is a passion for me, and I love flowers. So I am drawn to florals but try to keep one floral element per area. I have floral wallpaper in the hallways (upstairs and down), floral lace panels in the dining room, and floral valances in the living room and kitchen. But there's also floral oil paintings and vases filled with flowers so come to think of it I am breaking my own rule.... Not that husband and sons even notice , or care.

While I can appreciate an ultra feminine look, I can't bring myself to commit to it. I consider it all part of the shabby chic/cottage look, and don't want to get caught up in something that comes off as trendy, even though it seems to be here to stay. I 'don't do' pastels, either in my home or clothing, but like them on other people or in a little's girls bedroom, maybe a master, but in public spaces, they're just TOO standoffish.

I'm definitely more on the masculine side, and always loved helping my dh choose herribone, houndstooth, tweed jackets, pin stripe worsted wool suits, as well as paisley and striped ties. Although such fabrics are not in my home, the colors I've chosen might apply, although there is no brown or gray, or floras and pastels.

When remodeling our new/old house, the contractors begged me to allow my 5yo to have a softer purple on the walls instead of the dark grey I had claimed was purple (they were right and I yielded, of course!) and one of favorite recent acquisitions is an old print of a fruit bat which hangs in our butler's pantry. So - not too feminine here. Maybe I need to find my inner girl!

I am DEFINITELY a feminine decorator. I ADORE that Kirsty Ally house! It is what draws me to shabby chic, even though I cannot LIVE with it!

I like Kate Spade, Ferragamo shoes with bows, flowers in my hair...flowers everywhere....sorry....

Nancy

I don't have one single flower print (fabric) In the house. Even though I like them I just don't gravitate towards them for some reason. But I do have a lot of toile in touches in almost every room, and I consider that pattern to be. fairly feminine. I couldn't live in that Kirstie Alley room and certainly wouldn't ask DH to live in it although he might not notice---- our mstr BR is light yellow and green and white and is very "pretty," if I do say so myself.

I guess I'm not girly either, as your thread made me think about it. I adore fresh flowers in my decor though.

I love picking DH's ties and pocket squares, shirts, etc.. and for decor I definitely lean towards what most would call masculine looks.

I admire other's more feminine decors and all the details that go in it. I like androgynous looks in fashion .

DH would not be uncomfortable in a more feminine decor though.

I've never been a lace or ruffle gal, even with clothes. My work environment was in the days of tailored suits, now a much more relaxed arena. Have tried and end up going another way. Something rustic always sneaks in too. I don't dislike the feminine edge, am intrigued when it is done well. Often wonder if those who embrace it dream and create differently.

Is paisley feminine? White furniture? I do go there. I would love the entire soft surroundings catalog in my home...it just showed up in the mail and fits my style.

Thinking back as a child, my mother was fairly tailored too, and I wasn't dressed in more than plain. Most was also hand made, she taught me to sew at a very early age. Perhaps our income status drove this along with her experiences through the depression when a child.

There are also many years of farm life and dealing with the work involved for my love of animals, tramping through the house and general cleaning of less is more.

well, no. I consider myself a pretty girly girl, but my design sense isn't floral or frilly or anything.

and it wouldn't matter anyway, as I am single.

It is interesting to see what people consider feminine.So many different interpretations. I think some of my rooms may be considered feminine, like my pink living room. The thing is my husband is the one that first wanted the pink living room! We saw it years go on the cover of House & Garden or House Beautiful and have dreamed of having one ever since. They mixed some masculine touches in it, like chairs with brown leather, to make it cozy and inviting. I actually don't consider my style either feminine or masculine. My goal is luxurious and cozy and somewhat tailored.

I have a constant tension between the masculine and feminine. I love soft colors and patterns.. and I think everyone needs a little sparkle and shine. I also like wood tones and rich leathers. My decor reflects that struggle. Finding the right balance is tricky. I recently cleared out/sold a lot of my more feminine items and now I feel like my spaces are too dark and masculine so I am now looking for pinks and/or corals to soften the overly heavy browns and wood tones.

I think a room can be beautiful, interesting and very comfortable when you find that perfect balance.. it brings to mind the cowgirl look-- soft patterns and fabrics-- ruffles with chunky silver jewelry and cowboy boots. Denim and pearls. A black turtleneck with sparkly jewelry.

Rustic/romantic is my favorite style, with a compromise between the lodge look and cottage. I tend to keep large pieces a solid color, but add in leaf prints and a bit of damask. My favorite color combination right now is shades of green, blackberry and cranberry, with a bit of gold. Our bedspread is actually purple, but in an earthy, blackberry shade, so my husband even likes it. And he's a John Wayne fan :)
{{!gwi}}From Home pictures

Close up of painting above shelves....this seems very rustic/romantic to me. {{!gwi}}From Home pictures

I'm as turned off by overly masculine as I am from overly feminine. It's why I am turned off of granite - most of them seem so dark and heavy and manly...

Okay, not QUITE. If I had to pick, I'd lean masculine, I think. I really have a problem with pink. And frills. And bows. And "fancy".

I do like MCM which could maybe be considered masculine.

I find that most bedding is very feminine. It was hard to find a comforter set that both DH and I liked. We have paisley. I also have white BR furniture which is also probably feminine, but I paid a lot of money for it, and it's not going anywhere. Our bed is white iron/metal.

I like both masculine and feminine styles but when they are balanced and not too extreme either way. The public rooms of my house are more masculine and my bedroom and one guest room more feminine. Even there I use no ruffles and limited lace.

My bedroom is the most feminine room in my house with floral chintz wing back chairs and light colors but since I don't live in it (consciously) for hours it's a nice room to wake up in and a nice room to sleep in.

Years ago when very feminine Shabby Chic was all over the net I thought I wanted to decorate in that style but after beginning to do one guest room I realized it's definitely not me. So it morphed into pastel cottage and that's OK for a guest room but not, for me, anywhere else.

I like a combination of styles, especially rustic and refined for that tension that makes a room more interesting.

I've always decorated neutrally, in terms of gender, not color. But I find myself dreaming of a very small retreat for myself that has pink-apricot silk curtains and a small crystal sconce.

No lace though. And not pink and white. Pink and tan.

I hang pictures and mirrors at the height which is comfortable to me (I.e. lower than the optimal height for my husband). I don't worry about this. I worry far more about making the wrong design decision. I have a matching set of sofas in COM fabric which I detest (and two new ones -for a different room- due to arrive next Friday). I am a-worrying.....