Whether you share your bedroom with a partner or live alone, your bedroom should be a place for rest and for emotional escape and relaxation. You don't need to spend extravagantly to give your bedroom a romantic makeover.
Men and women, straight and gay, partnered and single, all need romance in some form. Romance means something different to everyone. Don't settle for what you're supposed to like as a man or woman. Don't go by Mars-Venus, commercial ideas. Learn through experiment what appeals to you. Here's how to add a little romance to your bedroom.
- What do you smell? Before you even turn on the bedroom light, your senses are engaged -- the most immediate sense is probably smell. Smells are powerful stimulants to emotions as well as memory. People often deny smell, deodorizing and covering up with air freshener. That's not romantic.
First, be sure the carpet is clean. Next, learn which scents suggest romance to you. Test your response to different essential oils. Find one you like and gently wipe the light bulbs in your bedroom with it, or buy candles with that fragrance.
- What do you see? A romantic bedroom is a place for fantasy and escape. No clutter! If you must use your bedroom for storage, organize it. Choose colors and designs that you find appealing and restful. Install cup hooks around the whole room where walls meet ceiling, and put up Christmas lights or silk garlands. Live plants should be lush and well cared for. Hang alluring art depicting your ideals. Keep windows, mirrors and metal surfaces polished. Keep the TV out of the bedroom, but a small desk is fine.
Indirect lighting is very romantic. Get some three-way pole lamps. Put at least one of them on a dimmer switch within reach of your hand when you're in bed, giving yourself perfect control. Christmas lights evoke magic year-round.
- What do you hear? Collect music that helps you create your own world. Recordings of nature sounds can be played softly. The romantic bedroom is the place for an exquisite sound system. You may want a unit that plays vinyl records and tapes as well as CDs. Be sure it has a remote control and good speakers. Try mounting speakers in the corners of the ceiling. Try small wind chimes in front of an open window, or a very small fountain.
- What do you feel? Since the bed is the throne of your romantic dreams and fantasies, be sure your mattress and pillow are comfortable and supportive. This is so important that if they are not comfortable, you should invest in new ones. Get several pillows. Sheets, blankets, coverlets, pillowcases and curtains should all match or complement each other. Use natural fabrics -- silk, linen and cotton. A romantic bed should be clean, sensuous and inviting. Consider a canopy or mosquito netting.
- What do you taste? Keep a glass carafe near your bed with fresh water, and a box or two with some choice hard candy; mint, of course, for breath freshener, but don't forget clove or cinnamon, or the old-fashioned violet mint. Maybe even a bowl of fruit! Eating fruit in bed is very romantic; just be sure you have some big napkins. Try a tea or coffee set on the bedside table. Any food kept in your bedroom should be securely covered.
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