The Awkward Files: 3 Things to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say About Someone’s Decor
Who likes keeping their friends? Me! So what do you do when your friend proudly shows off his new apartment and, well, you don’t love it. You won’t need to lie if you keep these responses at the ready.
I just love that ______
You can always find at least one thing you like! Sincerely complimenting one specific thing is so much better than hemming and hawing and offering a half-hearted, “Wow, what a great place…” generality. No one said you have to like everything but if someone is waiting for you to say something, might as well focus on the positive.
I can really see your personality in here
Even if it’s not your style, a room with personality is always something to strive for. If your friend has managed to represent himself with his decor, then that’s a feat worthy of a compliment.
How did you find this great apartment anyway?
When all else fails, sidestep the subject at hand and ask a question to get your host talking about his long housing search, terrible moving day or trip to the hardware store to pick out that paint color. It’s a great way to keep the conversation about the apartment, but not be on the hook to share your opinion.
Time for you to tell us: how do you get out of this particular sticky situation?