I am not married, but my girlfriend and I have lived together for the last 6 years. We each pay half of the bills, but otherwise, our money is separate. This is mandatory for me and will remain the same after getting married. I see joint accounts working for one income couples, but if both are working, I can't see any reason to not keep the bank accounts separate. I buy pinball machines, and she also has no problem spending her money on stuff she likes.
We also separated areas of the house. I have full control of what happens to the garage and one bedroom that I use as an office. She can do whatever she wants to the rest of the house. She doesn't ask permission, nor do I. Of course we usually discuss purchases, but it is not trying to justify or get permission. This has worked well for us. She tries to put stuff in the garage once in a while, and a couple times a year I have to reiterate that our garage is not for cars, but it doesn't really cause problems. She tries to gain a little control in those areas, and I deny it. I don't really try to add anything to the other areas because, honestly, I just don't care to...and I like that each of us has freedom to do what we want.
I know a lot of people think this is weird. My friends just can't grasp how I "am allowed" to use the garage for a gameroom. I can't grasp how they ask someone, who is supposed to be their equal, for permission to do something. I don't think I could survive in what most people think is a normal marriage.