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Who doesn't love a thing of beauty as Keats would say? The whole eye- of - the - beholder stance is true enough, but Libras like me - if you believe all the astrological coincidences- seem to thrive and need beautiful surroundings.I must say that I appreciate the aesthetic balance of a room - I lean more toward symmetry than asymmetry.I like the whole Feng Shui approach to living, decorating, etc., but my husband and children,not so much. Herein lies an ongoing issue for me ;no one else in my household really cares. Now to be fair to Alfredo,his lifestyle preference is about cleanliness not beauty. He wants a clean kitchen and bathroom , not necessarily pretty spaces.He doesn't care about furniture or artwork or china or flowers or a myriad of other such things. If our bedroom just had our sleep number bed ( we both appreciate comfort) he'd be fine with that, as long as the sheets are clean. Why put a rug on the wood floor because that is more to keep clean? Truly I appreciate his way of being, because Al really helps tremendously with the ongoing daily chores of house and yard. Our house is very "lived in" as they say, and I try to have guests " feel at home". I don't equate expensive with beautiful, but the granite counters we got last year are so much lovelier than the clean but 20 year old laminate we had. I am not a neat freak, however,so I guess there's some cognitive dissonance going on there, a first world mentality, if you will.Gina, however, doesn't care about clean or beautiful when it comes to the house. Our modest home will never be in "Better Homes and Gardens " let alone " Architectural Digest", but I have worked long and hard, and can afford some home luxuries for comfort and for beauty. Al would just prefer the necessities. Now this has nothing to do with my husband being a tightwad; he isn't. I am thankful they he is a down- to - earth ,practical man about possessions; he doesn't have an expensive car or expensive hobbies. He just tries to take care of what he already has. When we both want some sensual, aesthetic diversion, we go to a lovely restaurant,take a walk in the woods, visit a museum or travel.Nevertheless, at home, we are the yin- yang thing and have been for almost forty years.So let me sign off and go get the linen napkins he washed, so I can use them for Bridge later today.