Q: I have two boys in my life who each want a hard bedroom to decorate. My son wants to incorporate his love for chess in to the bedroom. My husband wants me to decorate our bedroom for his other love, the OSU cowboys, their colors are back and orange. How do I do this.? Help!

A: Well, you do have a dilemma. Keeping our family members happy and decorating don't always go hand in hand. It sounds like your two boys have very definite ideas and taste, which can be a challenge. Your son's desire to incorporate chess into his room is a good idea, and could be accomplished lots of ways. You don't mention his age, but I'll assume he's ten or older.

Some ideas for you to consider are: A wallpaper or border that incorporates the game of chess. This would immediately establish the theme, and provide the catalyst for all the other decorating elements in the room. Painted walls, with pictures of chess sets, people playing chess, chess boards, etc., hung on the walls in a grouping or individually. Both personal and published pictures could be used. These could be framed in a simple wood frame painted a color that would complement the bedding ensemble (a checkered board/plaid bedspread would be great with coordinating window valances). His favorite or special chess set could be left on a game table or dresser top for an accessory.

You could find an artist and create a trompe l'oeil wall with chess board and pieces etc. The colors and style would be totally in your control. These suggestions should help you get started. Chess is not a common theme for decorating, but it could certainly be done, with a little looking and imagination.

Now for your husbands desire to have the master bedroom decorated in black and orange with a OSU cowboy theme, leaves a little to be desired. These types of theme rooms are fine, but in my opinion the master bedroom is not the room for it. A den, study, office, game room, exercise room, spare guest room, etc., are all better places to use this theme. A master suite should be a combination of colors and styles that reflect the personality of the couple. We want them to be beautiful, practical, romantic and a place we can retreat into.

A suggestion, would be to start with a bedding ensemble that you both are happy with. Mix plaids, stripes, florals, etc., to keep it from being too feminine or masculine. You can paint the walls a complementary color to the bedding and choose window treatments that work with it too. If you choose a color scheme that has a suggestion of peach, coral, or terra cotta, you could use a couple of items from the team as accessories. Good luck-you can do it!

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