Through the Bedroom Door

by Lisa Bartell of Wisteria Cove

Romantic Escape – Creating your dream bedroom

This past year my husband and I started to have a “date night” every other weekend. It has strengthened our marriage and rekindled our relationship to the point where we sometimes feel like teenagers again. I think we all get into a slump or routine that married couples tend to get into: eat, sleep, work, run the kids to activities, repeat. Add to that paying the bills, grocery shopping and cleaning the house. I thought it was normal to lose the excited feeling you get like when you were first dating; that the next step was just to feel comfortable and content.

Boy was I wrong.

Date Night has made us both feel excited about each other again and we look forward to our time together alone. In between our dates we hold hands, send flirty text messages to each other and just make each other feel happier. I did some research on dating recently and sadly I found out that dating is starting to become a lost art form. Today single people tend to “hang out” instead of having a true date. If they do have a date, such as dinner, they are so wrapped up in their cell phones, texting and interacting on social media sights that they hardly pay attention to one another. Whatever happened to actually getting dressed up and looking good for one another like you did when you were dating? What about going to dinner or a movie or just holding hands and walking in the park?

After rekindling our feelings of love and romance, I wanted to make our bedroom feel like a romantic escape. It’s not always possible due to time and finances to whisk off to a B & B or spa retreat. So I wanted us to feel when we walk into our bedroom and close the door we were in our own romantic hideaway. For years our room seemed to be the catch-all of the house from toys to magazines. It also houses my expensive European clothing rack — called a Nordic Trak (smile). It was high time to de clutter and make our room off limits to everyone else’s stuff.

Tips on transforming your bedroom into a romantic escape

Color palette

They say that the colors red or purple bring out passion and romance and soft colors of blues and grays give you the feeling of relaxation and intimacy. So choose the color scheme that gives you the feelings you want to invoke. Use them on the walls, curtains and bed coverings. Make sure you both get the same vibe from the color you choose and that it really gives your room a totally different look. Remember, this is your getaway. You don’t want it to just look slightly different than before — you want it to look “a lot” different. That’s the great thing about color, you can keep your old furniture and make it look different by changing the colors around it. Or, with the chalk paint craze, you can repaint your furniture and actually give it a new breath of life. (Extra tip: Ladies, keep in mind that shades of peach and soft corals on the walls, make your complexion look fabulous!)

Texture

When thinking of romance (keep in mind this differs from person to person), you might think of satins and soft fabrics and luxurious throws and sheets, furniture with curvy lines. These appear more on the feminine side. On the other end of the spectrum a more masculine romantic room may be dark hardwood furniture with a leather headboard and soft flannel comforter and cable knit throw with the smell of a strong Polo cologne. Work together to find out what you both like, it could be a collaboration of a couple of styles. (Extra tip: Use high quality count sheets, they feel really good against the skin.)

Romantic décor and details It always comes down to the details. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest impact. Adding molding on the walls to make them look paneled gives the room a more extravagant appeal. Try molding on the ceiling as well to give it a tray effect. I love chandeliers, dripping with those beautiful prisms. Keep in mind if you add a chandelier install a dimmer, and not just for ambiance — overhead lighting is not always flattering. Use table lamps on the nightstands or dresser, lighting at this level is much more forgiving to some of our imperfections.

Better yet, skip the good old electricity and go for candles. Not only do they help set the mood, they also provide a beautiful aroma to the atmosphere. They are great used on wall sconces or placed by the bedside.

How about a canopy over the bed? Something about a canopy adds that extra bit of privacy; it makes your bed seem like it is its own little room when the curtains are drawn shut. Add nice fluffy bed pillows to your must-have list for your new room, so you are nice and comfy for all that pillow talk. I would also suggest an armoire for your TV. If you must have one in your room, you should be able to hide it away so that you both have each others undivided attention. Keeping that in mind — “all cell phones off!”

Now go get your calendar and plan a date with your spouse. Rekindle that old flame. Believe me, you will be redoing your bedroom soon!

Author: Brian

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