Your bedroom should be the ultimate haven; an escape from the toils and turmoil of the daily grind. It goes without saying that it is the setting for sleep, but most likely (depending on your preferences, of course), it is also the place where the ‘magic’ most often happens. Therefore, you want the atmosphere to be just right, and removing yesterday’s undies from the floor and spraying fabreeze liberally just isn’t enough. With this mind, here are our 8 sultry steps to the IDEAL romantic bedroom ambience.
Let’s start with the bed
You need to make your bed look as inviting as possible, whether it’s simply for you to sink into after a long day at work or for something more exciting altogether. Either way, it needs to entice. Big, plumped up-pillows and freshly washed sheets are a good starting point. Think about what a 5-star hotel bed would look like, and the extra lengths they go to to emit a feeling of comfort, and you might get an idea of the effort needed for a fabulous bed. If you feel like new bedding and pillows isn’t going to do enough, take a look at Divan Beds Centre where you can purchase luxurious bed frames and mattresses, perfect for creating that romantic setting.
Create some romantic lighting
Switch the main light off – it can be unflattering and too bright when it comes to creating a romantic setting. Opt for soft bedside lamps or fairy lights to create the right mood; shadows and flickers creating intrigue and excitement. Indeed, a great choice of colour is a simple, understated white for pretty and romantic lighting.
Clear away clutter
You want to ensure that your room is free of clutter, as you want your bed to be the main feature – the focal point, if you will – and clutter will only distract from it. There’s nothing like stubbing your toe on an uninvited corner or stepping on a lego brick to kill the mood. Most importantly, if you use your floor as a ‘floordrobe’ now is the time to sort it out, or you’ll be single and celibate forever.
Introduce some pleasant aromas
Not for lighting, you could also think about bringing in some pleasant smelling candles, a plug-in fragrance or a small spray of your usual after-shave or perfume around your bed. Don’t go overboard with lots of different smells – a miasma of competing aromas is just confusing and quite frankly, a bit weird – so just one or two is perfect. A scent that you and your partner recognise and associate with one another is the perfect choice and can help trigger that feeling of desire.
Try the occasional display
Sometimes a big, showy display is a lovely touch, as long as it’s a surprise and not so often as to become tedious. Try sprinkling the bed with rose petals, for instance. These don’t have to be the real deal – you can buy artificial ones (they’re more cost effective and you can use them again) or use petal shaped confetti. Scatter a few of these up the stairs and across the landing towards your bedroom to set the mood.
Spruce up the walls
To really change the feel of a room you may want to paint or paper the walls. Think about an accent wall with special wallpaper – something you might have seen in an emperor’s quarters where scenes of depravity were commonplace. Both paint and wallpaper are essential to the way your room will come together – you must be sure about the colour and paper that you have chosen before starting; you don’t want to brazenly start redecorating only to realise you’re not so keen on the colour after all. For a classy romantic look, include floral patterns or ribbons for the wallpaper trim.
Set your thermostat
You don’t want your bedroom too hot or too cold, as it will only be uncomfortable when things get steamy or layers removed. The right temperature is, of course, your personal preference but try a couple of temperatures out on separate occasions and see which suits you. The recommended heating temperature for your whole house is 21°C so this is a good reference point. Don’t be held back by conformity, however. Go wild and venture a couple of degrees either side of the suggested optimum temperature to find the right fit.
Choose your colours wisely
Red is the colour of love and passion – and for good reason. Apparently, when we see red our blood pressure increases and our heart rate gets faster. This doesn’t mean paint your whole bedroom in a scarlet shade, but a set of deep red sheets against white walls will make it pop with evocative romance. Approach this colour palette with caution though, unless you want to bring a brothel to mind.
Use all your senses to create a romantic bedroom. Whilst it’s easy to trigger those feelings of desire with things such as music and lighting, don’t neglect the minor details, which when combined, add up to something far larger than the sum of their parts. Good luck, and remember to always use protection.