Home Decor Broken Heart: 4 Things That Awaken Romantic Feelings | Real Estate

In the midst of the excitement of a new relationship, there are players in the game of love who are quiet and often overlooked. It's home decoration.

In the early stages of dating, your home decor choices have a bigger impact on the future of your relationship than you think. When your partner steps into your home for the first time, your decorations can invite or run them into your love sanctuary. Even if a good relationship is established, fights over decorations, cleanliness, and clutter can push partners into a corner.

Here are common pitfalls that can turn your space into a relationship roller coaster, as well as choices that can set the stage for lasting love.

In a recent study by Redecor, a realistic design simulation game based in Finland, approximately 3,600 women around the world were asked to share their interior red flags. The questions were multiple choice with an open-ended box for options. Out of six questions, her number one word used to define a relationship red flag was “dirty.”

“For women, a clean home is paramount, but the bedroom and bathroom are more important than anywhere else,” says Natalie Gall, senior director of content at Redeco. “Dirty” doesn't just include things like dishes in the sink or a bathtub with soap scum on it. It may also include evidence of clutter, hoarding, or poor overall hygiene.

Based on the findings, “the lack of clean towels, holes in comforters and sheets, and mattresses on the floor are considered dirty or disgusting by many women. That's a big red flag,” Gall said. Other red flags include the lack of curtains and the use of plastic utensils for meals.

A big source of friction in new relationships is clutter. “If you're just starting dating, you're going to see two different lifestyles, and everyone has different standards, especially when it comes to clutter,” says Clutter Fairy, a professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas. says owner Gail Goddard. A weekly podcast about organizing, cleaning, and getting rid of clutter.

“Often, a dynamic develops where one person has a lower tolerance for clutter than the other, and one party consistently reaches a level of frustration that creates dissonance in the relationship,” Goddard says.

The key to reducing friction, especially if you're in the process of merging two households, is to tackle the disruption head-on. Clutter needs to be discussed and dealt with to determine how to manage it. Failure to do so may cause major problems in the future.

The third most used word in Redecor's survey was “pet.” People love their furry companions, but it can be a crossroads to a new love.

“Fifty percent of respondents said it would be a deal breaker if the person could take their pet anywhere, including in the coach and bed,” Gall says. “The other half said it would be a deal breaker if their partner didn't allow them to have a pet at home.”

If your stance on pet policy is important to you, discuss their views with your new lover or partner before the relationship gets too deep. Failure to do so may lead to major heartbreak in the future.

The second most frequently used word in the survey's open-ended responses was “former.”

“Women said that if there was something from an ex in the house, that would be completely ignored more than any other red flag,” says Gall. This can be photos of ex-lovers, old toiletries or clothing, etc.

Good news for those who passed the first upholstery test. When it comes time to combine households, most partners are excited to be able to combine their individual design tastes and belongings.

In the survey, 77% said they prefer to agree on what each other likes. Only 4% said they wanted full control over the design of their home with their partner. The key is to ensure that no one decoration overwhelms the purpose of your home. This can be difficult if someone has a different design style than you.

Gall describes an extreme case in which her neighbor got divorced and her husband converted their house into a Star Wars-themed living space. “He said his wife wouldn't let him eat any of it, so he lived with it,” Gall said. For some people, too much of certain decorations, such as toys, alcohol, or other collectibles, can be seen as a red flag. However, most partners seem willing to compromise on things.

Approximately 43% of respondents said they had never forced their partner to dispose of anything while living together. Maybe love really is blind.