France is synonymous with romance, even speaking the language of love, so as we enter a rather romantic month we thought it only right and proper to bring you our French Bedroom Co recipe for creating a perfectly romantic bedroom, or should we say - boudoir?! Not everyone will be planning to celebrate Valentine's Day and many of you may well be sick to death of it already, so we promise no cuddly toys clutching plush hearts, serenades, fake red roses and certainly no heart shaped anythings!
When we started researching for this blog we noted some recurring trends when it comes to romance, things we now consider to be key ingredients necessary for creating the perfect love-nest: fairy lights, draped/flowing materials, candles, flowers, a dreamy bed and reflective surfaces. Think fairy tale meets an warmly lit Pinterest board...
A few no-no's...
It can be hard enough at the best of times to put those gadgets down and turn the TV/laptop off, but one thing that most certainly has no place in a romantic bedroom is a TV. Not only do all those gizmos have a negative impact on your sleeping patterns (check out our Sleep Edit blog for more on this) they start to eat away at the intimate time you and your partner can spend together at the end of the day - before you know it, snuggling into bed and turning to the much-loved box set has become a nightly occurrence (yes, we're all guilty of this)!
Bob DeMoss, author of T.V.: The Great Escape, wrote, "I am convinced that the simple decision to unplug TV [even] for just one month has the power to revolutionize our relationships with our spouse, our children, our world."
Another romantic no-no is clutter and the dirty laundry pile in the corner/by the door, on its way to the laundry room/basket - nothing screams unromantic more than the sight of chores to come and dirty/smelly clothes.
Some good ideas...
Textures and layers create a dreamy, romantic base - plump, sumptuous cushions, in velvets and silks are a great finishing touch to your bed; after all, we've never walked into a 5-star hotel to find only 2 flat as a pancake pillows. You want to create a bed worthy of jumping on to.
Candles create the perfect lighting, soft - gentle - warm. Enough said! In addition to candles, the ambient lighting created by bedside table lamps is much more preferable to that of an overhead light. Opt for bulbs no more than 60w, preferably with a pearl/pinky glow as opposed to the bright white option which may seem like the practical choice for bedtime reading, but unfortunately, not too flattering!
Lastly, it's all about the bed - it's got to be enticing, incomparably comfortable and preferably, like all things romantic... French!
