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you think back to some of the most romantic moments in your
past relationships, often times those memories center around
a trip to a romantic destination. Examples may be a traditional
honeymoon in Hawaii, an anniversary ski trip to Aspen, or an
exotic getaway to Morocco. What all those destinations have
in common is that they provide an environment in which you can
escape your everyday life and focus on the one you love in a
seductive surrounding. Unfortunately, such trips are often a
rare occurrence. The challenge is how to recapture the magic
of those moments in your everyday home setting. Your
bedroom is the logical selection for your romantic recreation,
however daunting the task may seem. How are you to capture
a romantic mood when the TV is turned to ESPN, your office
files are scattered across the bed, a week’s worth of
unfolded laundry is piled in a chair next to that bed, and
your mother-in-law’s picture is staring at you from
your dresser? To add insult to injury, it is 11 p.m., you’ve
been up since dawn, you are wearing your most comfortable
worn sweat suit and white athletic socks, and your loved one
is fixated on the football championship replays. Are you picturing
this? From the depths of your soul, somewhere, you have a
faint memory of more amorous times. This is not one of them!
Your romantic essence deep within begins
to imagine that somehow, someway, you can rekindle that magic.
In order to recapture the romance, a design formula needs
to be created for your bedroom. The secret to planning your
sensual bedroom getaway is to ensure that all five senses
are a part of the design plan.
The sense of sight is
your first design element. Visually you need to clear the
room of all distractions so that you can then set the stage.
Remove or cover up that TV. Put away the laundry. Relegate
the in-law photos to the family room and replace them with
photos of your most romantic occasion. Set aside a place for
your office files somewhere else in the house. Your goal is
to remove the clutter of daily life. Now that the distractions
have been eliminated, you can begin the process of designing
your romantic getaway.
Next, pay attention to the sense of touch.
Now is the time to discard that cotton sweat suit and worn
sheets and replace them with seductive, silk lingerie and
satin sheets. Add a fur throw to the foot of the bed to complete
this design’s sense.
The most romantic way to bring about the
sense of smell is with aromatic candles.
Loose potpourri in a pretty container next to your bed or
added as a fill for your pillows further enhances the scent.
And, of course, there can never be enough flowers.
Hearing a romantic song
on your CD player will bring back special memories for the
two of you. Add a table top waterfall or chimes outside your
window so that the sound of bells can be heard in the breeze.
To appeal to your sense of taste,
set a beautiful tray on your bed with a beverage that triggers
memories of a special evening from the past. How about champagne
with strawberries or truffles?
Now that you understand how to design
with your senses in mind, let’s explore some design
tips for recreating romantic settings.
If the Hawaiian honeymoon is your choice,
turn up the heat. Remove that ficus and replace it with a
palm. Insert your coconut candles into a dish with sand and
add some sea shells. Take sheer gauze fabric and swag it over
the top of the bed. Surround yourself with your romantic Hawaiian
photos. Place a lei on the top of each pillow. Play a CD with
the sounds of the sea. Pour sea salt in the bubbly bath. Don’t
forget the tropical drink on the coconut bark tray. Got the
idea?
If you are creating the Aspen anniversary,
turn down the heat. Warm up that bed with a fluffy down comforter,
a feather bed covered in your sensuous silk sheets, and a
fur throw so you can snuggle up in the cold, wintery air.
Use scented candles with a refreshing mountain aroma. Play
background music with sounds of fresh mountain air. Serve
coffee kahula or a warm brandy.
Exotic getaways can be the most fun to
create. Even if you have never traveled there, you can still
design your dream. Just use your senses and your imagination.
For the Moroccan getaway, create a tent over your bed using
sheer glazed fabrics in exotic colors. Fill your bed with
multiple jeweled pillows. Surprise him with animal patterned
sheets. Light an abundance of spice scented candles and incense.
Play CD’s with Moroccan syncopated rhythm. Serve mint
tea with honeyed pastries.
Once you understand the formula
for incorporating the five senses into your design, your getaway
is only a dream away. You don’t need Valentine’s
Day or any other holiday to bring romance back into your life.
Indulge yourself! Let this be the beginning of creating your
very own romance by design bedroom.
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