My latest story, “2 Styles 1 Home: Decorate Your Living Space Together—Without a Fight,” for USA TODAY’s American Life: Home magazine is close to my heart because it, ahem, may or may not have been inspired by real-life events. Let’s just put it this way: the “granite or graystone paint” reference I make in the lede? Yeah, that’s an argument that I’ve actually had.

So obviously I wanted to help couples in the midst of combining their personal tastes in one abode — and I hope this story will do just that. Thanks so much to my sources for this story: They outlined exactly what compromising really means.

Read the PDF here and enjoy!