Decorate your home with loveBy Missy Baxter
Special to The Courier-Journal
We've all heard the adage: "It takes two to tango." But finding a compatible dance partner isn't the only key to keeping romance alive.
Creating a sensual setting is also vital in making hearts race. Whether it's fluffy pillows and floral prints in a French-style boudoir or artistic sculptures and unique candlesticks in a lavishly hip living room, the décor you select can have a major impact on your mood.
"Our surroundings have an immense impact on how we view ourselves and how we live our lives," said New Albany, Ind., interior decorator Grace Rieger, owner of Signature Interiors by GZ.
"There are a lot of inexpensive ways to create a romantic atmosphere. You can do simple things like using small lamps or candles, instead of overhead lighting, to create the right ambience."
Requests for rooms with a romantic feeling have increased in recent years among clients in the Louisville area, Rieger said.
"For people with hectic lives, their home has become their vacation destination," she said. "Part of that feeling is to create areas with a dreamy feeling, a place to escape from it all.
You don't have to redecorate the entire room to make it romantic, Rieger notes. "You can just add a few colorful accessories, such as pillows, candles or flowers that match your color scheme."
Turn up heat with color
When it comes to romance, red and pink aren't the only colors to use for setting that special mood, according to decorators and designers. Pink hearts and red roses are no longer the only indicators that romance is in the air. Trends include incorporating vivid hues, such as tangerine and mango.
"Color sets the mood," Rieger said. "Bright, bold colors, such as shades of orange or yellow, definitely add warmth and coziness."
Like Rieger, designers across the country are using bold tones to set the right mood in a room, said Jason Mulvene, owner of Blue Ocean Traders, a Louisville home decor and furnishings wholesaler whose clients include some of the top interior decorators and designers in the country.
"With the Asian and European influences that are proving so popular in the past few years, the designers who buy from us are definitely incorporating a lot of bold color choices, especially in rooms where they want a romantic atmosphere," Mulvene said.
Simple changes
As winter fades into spring, color becomes an integral part of that transition.
"As the season's change, so do the rooms in our homes with accents and details that come with a holiday, a special event or simply for the need for change," said celebrity designer Stephen Saint-Onge.
"These changes, such as new artwork, new lighting or a simple bunch of flowers can allow the feel of the rooms to seem more inspired -- yet you have not done a major renovation or in most cases spent a ton of money.
"In doing these simple changes yourself, you realize that it does affect your attitude and your mood. You realize that you have the power to shift your perspective and create a new vision for your space ... and in essence that life that you lead in those spaces."
Lights, candles, action!
Saint-Onge, a spokesman for HomeGoods (www.homegoods.com) and a frequent guest on "The View" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show," suggests that homeowners focus on lighting to set a tranquil, sensual setting.
"I think having overhead lights and table lamps on dimmers allows you to have creative control over the feel of the spaces," he said.
"If you're working, you may want lights up, but if you are eating or relaxing with your family or that special someone, you can dim them and things get transformed instantly into something relaxing and peaceful."
Soothing music is another mood-elevator, according to Saint-Onge.
"Dim the lights, light the candles and play some nice music leading into watching a romantic movie," he said. "That sounds like the perfect romantic night to me."
The finishing touches
When transforming a room into an amorous haven, it's crucial to select accessories that add flair and convey a sense of the homeowner's personality.
"The room's lighting, temperature and scent, along with details like the decor and accessories, are essential in creating that sensual mood," said Marisa Belger, executive editor of Tango magazine.
"At Tango, we offer smart talk about love and one of the things we've discovered is that the atmosphere inside our home is very important to the development of happy, fulfilling relationships."
Unique artwork is one way to incorporate a sense of whimsy and playfulness.
"Accessories, such as art, are the ultimate final touch," said designer Kristi Lynn, who recently created a line of sensual statues for Texture Home Decor.
Known as Lovely Ladies, the statues feature dancers in various poses.
"Intrigued by the human figure and its organic curves, the statues were inspired by the sensuality of the tango," Lynn said. "When the tango dancers are added to a room, my hopes are that the homeowner will be reminded of the romantic tension of the tango, and be filled with the giddiness that the tango so magically creates."
Lynn said the dancing statue designs were prompted by fond memories.
"The tango was always my favorite type of dance because whenever I see it done, it's like the world melts away and it's just the two dancers lost in each other," she said. "I heard it expressed perfectly once, 'Dancing is the vertical expression of a lateral desire.' "
Source: Decorate your home with love
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