Yours, mine becomes ours

When Tanner Knauth met Lauren Worley at Abilene Christian University in Texas, she was dating his roommate.

That didn’t sit too well with him.

“I finally convinced her that she was dating the wrong guy,” he said, and she eventually came around.

Tanner and Lauren Knauth were married last May. They spent the first months of their marriage apart while he finished his degree in Texas and she began working as a trainer at Orthobanc and as director of the Pilates in Motion studio.

He finished school and moved to Chattanooga in January. he works as director of sales and marketing for Chattanooga College’s corporate training division.

The Knauths’ rented town house is the first home they’ve shared together. As one might expect for a couple who is living together for the first time, they’re learning as they go.

Oh, and gentlemen, tip No. 1: Nine times out of 10, she’s going to win design disagreements. Just accept this. As Tanner Knauth said affectionately of his wife: “She gets what she wants.”

One couple’s tips: Blending furniture, styles

1. You’ve entered a new stage of your life and your home will need to reflect that. “I had to grow up when I got married,” said Tanner Knauth, who left behind his “Simpsons” posters and much of what he referred to as his “old random college guy stuff” when he moved from Texas to Tennessee.

2. Learn to love what your partner loves. Lauren Knauth is an admirer of Calla lilies. “They just have that grace and length I adore,” she said. Several small paintings of the flowers adorn the Knauth living room. Her husband shares her enthusiasm, whether he wants to or not. “I don’t have a choice, so I love them,” he quipped.

3. Remember, your first home is not your last home. Much of the furniture in the no-longer-quite-newlyweds’ home belonged to her parents, including the living room and bedroom sets. They say that these pieces are not their style and should be considered temporary place holders until they leave their rented town house and acquire a more permanent residence.

4. Be creative. A small wooden table belonging to Lauren Knauth’s parents sits in the living room of the young couple’s town house. It was white when it was given to them, but Tanner Knauth restained it to a dark walnut.

5. Incorporate elements of your personal history. “Our home is a hodgepodge of where we’ve been,” said Lauren Knauth. Most of the accessories they have reflect their history, either as individuals or as a couple. A painting by artist Tracy Gand is the first piece they purchased together. “We both fell in love with it,” she said. The Knauths’ home also has several paintings of bridges, including one of the Walnut Street Bridge, where he proposed.

6. Find neutral colors to use as a base, then add elements of color you both like. The Knauths’ bedroom has black-and-white decor. “It can be streamlined, it can be creative,” said Lauren Knauth. “I think it’s simple and elegant.” They share an affection for the colors red and blue, however he prefers green more than she does, and “she hates purple,” said Tanner Knauth.

7. Learn to compromise. Give and take is important. Tanner Knauth fought to keep his beloved recliner, which his wife declared ugly. It sits in a small room, off of the main living room, along with some other belongings that would fit well into the “man cave” he said he’d like to have one day (she wants an in-home Pilates studio). He refused to budge, however, when it came to his television. “I will,” he said, “always have a big TV.”