"Yes, and I don't really like zebra stripes either. But I can respect that you do like those things. I'm just wondering if there might be something we can do to make the living room more of a middle ground. Something that can make us both happy."

He can touch on the kitchen after that. People were often happy to give you a LOT of leeway with kitchen design when you cooked for them, or at least let them have a portion of what you cooked for yourself.