When a man and a woman go out to buy furniture, they seldom agree on what to choose, which has little to do with different tastes but more on how they approach the issue of interior design, experts say.

"There is no proof that men and women have different tastes," says Andrej Kupetz of the Frankfurt-based Council of Form Design.

"(But) a woman will look at her needs and buy the furniture accordingly."

Men, on the other hand, look more at the "representative character" of furnishings and stick to "old product typologies," such as couch, settee and bedside locker.

"Men are often unsure in choosing design," says Anne Jung from the Jung + Fromberger consultancy firm. "They generally buy well-known labels to demonstrate to their friends that they understand something about design."

Once the new furniture is in the apartment, men generally don't change much, according to Jung.

It's a different story with women. "(Women) are more open to fun, bringing different forms together," she says. "They are much more open to moving things around."

Kupetz argues that women also have an advantage when it comes to giving a room a new look by moving or changing an item around.

"Women try to understand the apartment as a whole entity, asking themselves: What have I got and what fits in?" Kupetz says.

Still, when couples plan new furnishings, men show a greater interest. But when it comes to buying, the decision is generally left to the woman, says Ursula Geismann of the Association of German Furniture (VDM).

"Women have the bigger say when it comes to the bedroom, men more in the 'official places' like the living room," adds Horst Seipp of the Design Association Creative Interior Decorators.

When women are left to choose, they select "fresher colors and patterns," Jung says.

Men's lack of experimentation, however, can be explained, says Kupetz.

"Every women's magazine has a furniture and interior decoration section," he says. "There is nothing like that for men. Men simply don't have the experience to build up on something."

When it comes to technology, there is a big difference. "Men, at best, want to make the entire house automatic," says Lutz Heese of the Bavarian Architecture Chamber.

Chairs or settees with 25 different levers and technical functions do not interest women at all, Kupetz says. Women are more practical-minded and would rather choose a settee that can be used both in front of the television set and in the bedroom.

As far as taste is concerned, Kupetz finds that differences between the sexes are less pronounced than between individuals. That women and men like to live differently can be attributed mainly to a marketing strategy, he argues.

"The industry has only recently discovered women as a target group, which is why women designers like Patricia Urquiola from Spain and Hella Jongerius from the Netherlands play such an important role," Kupetz says.

(China Daily September 15, 2005)