Short Wife, Tall Husband: Finding the Middle Ground at Home Height-Wise

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a short woman is in want of a tall husband. Sorry, I couldn’t resist starting in the fashion of one of my favourite books of all time – Pride and Prejudice!

Yes, I made this up myself relying on the writing wit of the legendary Jane Austen and while I know this kind of statement is far from the truth actually because there are still women who prefer their guys the height of them, or even shorter than them, at least the opening sentence describes me and my husband.

It’s not that rare that we get some looks from strangers, some in awe at the height difference, others not so much but it’s never bothered us, that is until we got into our home and started living together. I never imagined sharing the home would turn out to be difficult when your spouse is much taller, and it became more apparent when it was time to choose furniture together.

It wasn’t easy to find the middle ground but after giving it some thought, considering each and every piece, as well as the ideal height, we managed to furnish our abode so it would work great for both of us.

The Bathroom

Before we got our own home, the apartment where we lived had a high ceiling, so you can imagine the fixed shower head was also high; while it was perfect for my husband, it wasn’t the case with me and taking shower before work or bedtime was simply a tedious task I had to go through for months.

Moving to a place of our own, we knew we needed something different so we opted for the hand held shower heads instead and we haven’t regretted it. What is a hand held shower? Well, I had asked myself the same back then, it’s basically the shower that’s opposite of fixed, and allows you to have more flexibility.

I was amazed the minute we started looking through the options, not only are there various designs like the spin and quadra razor, there are also numerous choices in terms of finishes, from the classy stainless steel, to the eye-catching brass and ultramodern matte black.

Modern as we are, we still chose the stainless steel yet our final decision was made only when along with the price we brought the function in the equation too. If you’re curious to know what it is, it’s called AQUAMist and it’s meant to provide you with a luxurious feel when you shower thanks to the micro sized droplets.

Best of all is, they’re easy to install and maintain and are crucial for relieving aches and pains from sore muscles, allowing for soothing massage. Another problem we’d had at the previous home was the height of the sink and bathroom vanities which is why this time we opted for the standard 32” even though the previous was 36”, the comfort height, and my husband was willing to compromise on this since it also made the bathroom more efficient given how compact it is.

The Kitchen

After finally choosing from the vast array of hand held shower heads and finding the one that suits us both, we focused on the kitchen, particularly the cabinets. We’d agreed the countertops would be of the height as the vanity in the bathroom because anything higher would have made food prep and cooking complicated for me, and the same was agreed on the kitchen island, but when it came to the cabinets we found ourselves stuck all over again.

Either getting high or low cabinets wouldn’t work for both, and just when I was thinking I’d have to compromise on this and go for the high option, asking my husband to pass me the glassware and the spices every time I need them, or using a ladder, we stumbled upon an article on kitchen décor that went to details on pull-down shelf storage.

As soon as we read it we had the “a-ha!” moment and started searching for pull-down shelving in the stores around us; we figured even if the options weren’t something up to our taste or budget, we could at least get our custom-made shelving of the sort. Dust-wise, as well as the complexity of maintenance in that area for me particularly meant that low cabinets were out of the question.

The Bedroom

Ah, the rest area! Yes, I agree, we had our contrasting ideas on the ideal mattress, bed frame and bed height (the bed with the mattress are slightly higher than what would be ideal for me), but the wardrobe happened to be the one that was causing the most headaches. For the purpose of handling clutter the best way we can, and storing the items neatly, we had to opt for a wardrobe with high drawers and compartments too.

Even with the storage box, we still wanted to invest in more solutions like that. I thought having a reacher grabber would solve the issue of getting items, though it turned out it wasn’t the ideal when it came to really heavy things like winter duvets and blankets, and my husband was afraid I’d injure myself using a ladder, a chair or my favourite ottoman, so after spending some time on research, we ended up with an expanding wardrobe lift.

I don’t have to say how much I’m in love with this, do I? Along with the choice we’d made from the hand held shower heads and the kitchen shelving, I must say we got the home that’s great for short and tall people alike so it feels like mission accomplished at last. In case we ever get to sell it, I know anyone else would be as satisfied to live in it as we are.