In our house, I do all that. However I do consider what my husband, or kids if it affects them, preferences of course.

A major decorating factor in my home is that my husband is very tall. At 6'5" he is just past the ergonomic curve rule of design (designs are almost always created for the range from 5% to 95% of average population size/height). So, the poor guy literally lives in a world that doesn't fit him! Long ago I decided that at least his home would be as comfortable for him as I could make it. This means that in the bathrooms the shower heads are mounted 7' high so they don't hit him in the face. The bathroom vanity is custom made so it's almost 38" high so he doesn't have to bend down to wash his face so far. The refrigerator in the kitchen is a built-in which not only satisfied my aesthetic preference but yielded a very tall fridge that puts food right in his line of sight. The chairs in the LR are deep enough so he can sit comfortably. And so on.

As far as color, style etc....all me. Except for yellow. The tall guy HATES that color. Absolutely loathes it. I don't know why but since it's the only preference he has ever expressed, I defer to that dislike.

DH and I had a similar discussion this morning regarding something he wanted to do in landscaping. It's always kind of understood that he decides on the exterior and I decide on the interior.

However, my home is more masculine than many, lots of leather, no florals, no frou-frou accessories. I want him to feel comfortable and he does. Well, the leather and the washable surfaces and the lack of items setting on tables are mainly for the excess-hair shedding dogs and cats, so maybe the animals actually decide the interior!
Dee

We make the larger decisions together, but I have the final say, I think. But I would never choose something that he disliked. I pick out pictures, lamps, etc. I don't think he really notices things like that very much. I think I prefer it this way- I wouldn't really want someone helping me with decorating.

I think I'm somewhat like dee in that my home is somewhat masculine, and we both feel comfortable with that.

For the most part, I make decisions about what is seen in the rooms, on the walls etc. and he makes decisions about what is not seen in terms of hvac, plumbing, wiring etc!

But I never make a major purchase without his involvement - sofas have to be comfy for him, he needs to like our headboard/footboard and even the bedding. But we have very complimentary tastes so even compromises don't seem to be a hardship for either one of us. Of course he operates on the Happy Wife/Happy Life principle after almost 30 years - smart man! It's OUR home and we both want the same level of comfort (physical and visual) for the other. Kids are not here anymore but their spaces were treated in the same way when they lived at home - they had input within a budget and I did my best to help them make rooms they wanted.

It is definitely a joint effort here between me and my DH. He has very strong opinions on these things! We do have very similar tastes, so it's usually not a struggle.

For furniture and other big ticket items (flooring, bathroom tile, etc) we go shopping together. For smaller items and decorative things, I usually do that without him. I love shopping for these things. He doesn't. So, I buy things I love and bring them home. He usually likes them too and everything is good.

But...once we needed a new tea kettle to live on top of the stove. We are not big tea drinkers (more coffee drinkers), so it's more of a decorative object in the kitchen and used mostly for company or the occasional cup of tea when one of us is sick. I happened to be at Tuesday Morning. There was one that I thought was fine and a good price. Brought it home. DH hated it. I mean really, really hated it (hated the color and the shape). So, packed it back in box and returned it. Found another one somewhere else. All my friends that I told this story to thought I was crazy. Why do you care if he likes it? Why does he care so much? I was surprised by their reaction. Why wouldn't I care if he likes it? He lives here too. And, I don't know why he cares so much (all their DHs never care or notice these things) but he does. Why wouldn't I respect his opinion?

I've often wondered if it would be easier if DH didn't care. It might be, but I like having him involved in these decisions, so I prefer it this way.

I do. DH, surprisingly, has a very good aesthetic when it comes to decorating, but he lacks the vocabulary to express it, so it falls to me by default. I used to think he'd decorate in 'early bachelor pad' complete with the poker playing dogs painting and an oversized Lazy Boy green vinyl recliner. But I realized if he did that it was simply that he didn't feel confident enough in his decorating abilities to find better things.

He's a big HGTV fan, so he's gotten more comfortable with design. He also knows my taste (which is similar to his) so he's gotten better at finding decent decorating pieces. Just this weekend he found the perfect leather sofa for our family room. But he still can't figure out the names if colors, so I can't ask him to pick out paint, but I can trust him to pick up a lamp, for example.

We confer on some things, like flooring, but I choose the paint. I just learned that he doesn't like blue walls. Our guest bath & living room are painted in shades of pale turquoise. It's been this color for a few years now and I just learned this! Most (all) of the time, however, DH just let's me go with my vision and he likes it. He's easy that way.

We both decide. We also work together, so we're used to *discussing* things. I do have more of an opinion on color and form. But we have a nice balance of give-and-take. And I really value his opinion.

Joint effort here too - for most things.

tina

For big ticket things, I do the legwork & research and then show him what I'm considering. So far, he always agrees with my pick so they system works well. :^)

The basis for any conversation about an item is always regarding cost, not the look. So far, I've always been able to get what I wanted. Except in a car. And then I don't really care so I'm easily persuaded to give up the BMW x3 (which I saw yesterday for the first time and haven't researched at all but know he'll never agree to) or the Mini Cooper (he's 6'4" and has stated for the record that I cannot have one).

He has little to no interest in smaller items so I don't even show him that stuff. I usually add it to the house and note how long it takes him to notice it.

If he did show a dislike for something, first I would be shocked that he had a strong opinion on something decorative, and then I wouldn't buy it or I would return it. I wouldn't want, I dunno, a velvet painting of dogs playing poker with Elvis, so I respect his wish not to have something in the house that he dislikes.

Like Ann did for her DH, when I renovated my DH's bathroom I raised the height of things to make him more comfortable. I think I take that into consideration much more than he does. He's used to being outsized and has adapted. But I try to pamper him when I can. Like not pushing for the Mini Cooper. :^(

We have a running joke in my house. I'll show DH a picture of, say, a table, and ask what he thinks, and he'll say "You've already ordered it, haven't you?" Or I'll sent him an email at work telling him I'm thinking about painting the bathroom and he'll respond, "It's already painted, isn't it?" In other words, I guess he doesn't think I need his OK, and I just ask him as a formality. He really has very few opinions about the house, unless we're talking about artwork or the comfort of a sofa.

Here's the best thing about DH (regarding decorating). Recently I was looking for a new coffee table. It's typical for us to communicate via email at least once a day. I sent him an email at work with a few pictures of tables. He said he liked 2 of them. I told him one was twice as much as he other one and he said, "Price doesn't matter." Woohoo! But guess what -- I ended up choosing the less expensive one anyway!

"Price doesn't matter"
What is this strange, foreign phase you quoted? And how do I get my DH to use just a lovely sounding expression?

I do. DH has wonderful taste, but he's at work when I'm out shopping 99% of the time. I have enough confidence in my decisions that I wouldn't think of passing up a good buy to have him OK it first. Of course, when it comes to major pieces of art or furniture, we shop together . . . most of the time ;^D
Lynn

For the most part, I do. We decide together that something big like a kitchen or bath reno needs to be done, and then I research, select products and design. I'm the DIY'er in the family - he supplies muscle for heavy jobs like the patio or helping to carry a granite countertop upstair, and I do the majority of the detail work. So if I say it's time to paint, I pick the colors, he suggests hiring it out, I say that's unnecessary, and I do the painting. Same in the garden - laying sod we do together, breaking beds we do together, but planting and plant choices are mine.

I do respect his opinions when he offers them, but he's just not that interested in picking colors, window treatments, etc. He's a fantastic champ about it though - he gladly accompanied me for two weekends as I went on a Craigslist spree, stoically manned the wet saw when I decided it was a good time to tile, didn't bat an eye as I chose new rugs for the entire downstairs in one fell swoop, and after living through a couple of my recent bathroom remods, didn't even sigh heavily when I told him I'd ordered the vanity and counter for the hall bath, even though he knows he's going to be stuck helping me carry them upstairs.

The exterior of the house, though - that's his, so roof, siding, vinyl cladding on woodwork, etc - those are his picks. :-) I'm more interested in the inside and the garden.

I pick out everything keeping in mind dh's taste and the dog's hair.
I do ask his opinion on big ticket items but usually after I have narrowed it down.
He's not interested in home or garden specifics at all- just want's it functional and looking nice and nothing that is in the way of whatever he wants to do.

"I have enough confidence in my decisions that I wouldn't think of passing up a good buy to have him OK it first." Oh me too Lynn. I feel lucky in the fact that hubby and I share a love of antiques and he is interested in the decor of our home. Like Orchid mentioned, he's not the least interested in window treatments, etc. (although he will tell me something he doesn't like LOL), but he is interested in the overall look. I try to display just as many of his articles of interest, things he collects, family items from his family, etc. just as I do for myself. I want our home to reflect both of us, not just my tastes.

hh, LOL. DH didn't always use that phrase... somehow, in his old age (50...ahem, much older than me), he has decided it's OK to spend money. He also knows that I'm a bargain shopper, so I'm not likely to go wild and spent thousands of dollars on a coffee table for the family room.

I do, but I am single. Of course if I were married I would take my husband into consideration. Afterall, he would live there as well. However, if he wanted to ruin the room with some football picture, I would take matters into my own hands. Even if the picture were signed.(lol)
There's always the basement.

....Jane

I'm the one coming up with the idea, the budget and the push to get it done. I always encourage my DH to offer his opinion or participation in the color or other choices though because I want the house to reflect both of our personalities, not just mine. All in all, we make a pretty good team. He likes that I do the research and come up with the ideas. I like when he is involved in the color and furniture choices because his tastes or preferences seem to balance mine, which can be a little more risky. He gets over whelmed if there's too many options so I usually narrow it down to a certain few and we'll take it from there together.