Decorating a first home: Michigan couple combine color and comfort for an attractive, sunny house

Ebony, March, 1990

Decorating A First Home

GEARL and Vanessa Diggs are like interlocking pieces of a puzzle. Separately, they appear to be two entities whose divergent tastes and temperaments might make an uneasy fit. Yet, side by side, they form a harmonious picture of a vibrant young couple enjoying the bloom of their 18-month-old marriage and the excitement of carving out a life together.

For now, much of that excitement revolves around the delicate process of merging their individual preferences into a decorating scheme for the three-bedroom, ranch-style house they own in Lansing, Mich. Decorating is an ongoing project that has occupied Gearl and Vanessa on and off since they married and moved in together in September of 1988. Their home is a tasteful example of what a young couple on a budget can do with a little know-how and planning. Though Vanessa (with her keen eye for dressing up a home) takes the lead in this effort, it is a collaborative venture; and the early results speak volumes about how well the Diggs complement each other.

While they are not exactly a study in opposites, both Gearl and Vanessa admit that their personalities are quite different, despite strong compatibility. She can be bluntly outspoken, particularly when it comes to getting exactly what she wants from stores and restaurants. He is more low-key. "Let's just say I'm the calm and she's the storm," says Gearl, 32, a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America's Lansing office. "But we equal out."

The "equalling out" is evident in their home, which they have outfitted in a harmonious blend of their contrasting preferences for color and their shared appreciation of comfort.

Vanessa, 35, an analyst for the Department of Commerce of the State of Michigan, likes bright, electric hues, the kind that make bold, immediate statements. "The first thing that pops into my mind is color," she says. "I like color. I say, 'Okay, I have this empty room, what color can I put in here?'"

Gearl, true to his more subdued nature, is partial to darker, muted tones that are quieter. "I'm not a bright color person," he says. "Even in my dress--until we got married--I wore darker colors, grays. Red and yellow were just inconceivable as far as I was concerned. But we compromise."

The compromise that took place in their home furnishing was to build the decor around neutral and earth tone-colored large pieces--sofas and easy chairs--that have hints of color that is picked up in the wallpaper, splashes of accents, the paint on the walls, and the rugs and carpeting. This theme is most apparent in the spacious living room, where Vanessa says she understood the need for colors that offered a restful, relaxing atmosphere.

The one place where color reigns completely is the master bathroom, which the Diggs completely remodeled, adding a new sink and vanity, overhead mirror and light fixtures, and a three-panel, mirrored shower door. They then swathed the room in purple-patterned wallpaper, accented with plum-colored rugs.

They take great pride in the completed project, though Gearl minimizes his role. "I'm more the equalizer or stabilizer when it comes to some of the designs," he says. "I just try to keep her from going too far to the extreme as far as color goes. But she does a good job with that. We do have a good working relationship."

It is a relationship built on trust and friendship. The Diggs met by chance four years ago when Gearl, who is from Columbus, Ohio, was in Lansing for a conference hosted by his fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma. Though they were immediately attracted, neither anticipated that things would progress as far as they did. "He told me early on that we could have only a friendship because he didn't want a long distance romance," Vanessa recalls.

"That was before the bug hit me," Gearl counters.

Before long, they were exchanging letters, cards and musical tapes that included romantic messages, and Gearl was making the five-hour trek from Columbus to Lansing twice a month. After a year-and-a-half-long trans-state courtship, they were married in a large, traditional ceremony. And Gearl, who had less seniority on his job at Ohio State University, relocated to Lansing.

Though their continuing decorating project is largely do-it-yourself, the Diggs have not put the rest of their lives on hold in the interim. They entertain often. Their annual tree-trimming party, at which each guest is asked to bring an ornament for the Diggs' Christmas tree, has fast become a holiday tradition.

Children may be a part of their future, but that is uncertain. "I would say in the next three years, if at all," says Vanessa. "Right now, we're not ready." Gearl, however, is a bit more ready. "I probably look forward to kids more than she does, and again there's that disparity in our personalities that is healthy," he says.

In the meantime, the Diggs are simply enjoying their own company and having fun turning their first house into a home. The job will be completed once they have remodeled the basement, dining area, kitchen, and added some landscaping touches to the backyard. Vanessa is also weighing the benefits of a sun-room. Whatever future decisions the couple make, one thing is certain--their home will continue to be stamped with both of their decorating signatures.