by Bonnie Mattern

On average we spend about one third of our entire life sleeping. Given how much time we all spend in the bedroom, it needs to be a relaxing sanctuary – a room in your home that you look forward to entering after a long day. In addition to being a calming space for you to retire to each night, the bedroom has a well-earned reputation for being a romantic hot spot.

The question now becomes how do you decorate your space in a way that both inspires passion and relaxes you after a long day at work? From platform beds to luxuriously soft bedding, here are five tips designed to help you romance your bedroom by decorating it in a way that’s both comfortable and romantic.
 

• The Bed:

Your bed should be the focal point of the bedroom. Typically, the first thing you notice when you walk into a bedroom is an impeccably dressed bed. The type of bed frame you choose should reflect your personal style, but shouldn’t be too ornate or detailed. While there’s something to be said for a big fancy canopy bed – the simpler, the better. Low-profile platform beds sit closer to the floor and are often designed to look ultra-sleek and modern. A nicer coffee or black wood frame will create quite the style statement in your home. Leather bed frames make a bold and adventurous statement.

• The Bedding:

While the bed itself is the room’s center, the bedding is what draws you in. Nothing says "romantic" quite like an ultra-luxurious duvet or comforter and some premium 400 thread count organic cotton sheets. When choosing the fabric for your top of bed display, it’s OK to be a bit daring. Look for a pattern that exudes passion with bold colors and modern prints. Avoid frilly fringe and metallic accents, as these can be a bit stuffy and traditional-looking. Go for a crisp, clean contemporary look. Throw on a couple of coordinating throw pillows to complete the look.

• Candles:

The key is creating a bedroom that doubles both as a relaxing retreat and a romantic getaway. Decorating your space with scented and unscented candles is one way that you can create a romantic atmosphere without going overboard. Candles have the tendency to make a space look elegant and classy, even when they aren’t lit. When illuminated, the candles instantly change the whole vibe in the room, creating a much more romantic atmosphere.

• Color:

While red is the color of passion, avoid painting all of your walls red, as it’s also a color associated with aggression. Having red accents throughout your bedroom is a great way to incorporate the color without it being overkill. Bringing in fresh flowers from time to time is another great way to add some color to your bedroom.

• Mirrors:

Adorning your walls with mirrors is another way to help ignite passion in the bedroom. Now I’m not talking about going all Versailles with the mirrors, but adding one or two decent size wall mirrors adds a nice element to the space, in addition to making the bedroom seem bigger.
 

By adding a spot of color here and a dab of a dash of luxury there, you’re bedroom will go from drab to fab. Restraint is key when creating a romantic bedroom, as you don’t want it to look like a cheesy motel. Just let your personality come through in your design choices and you’ll be golden.

 
One of my ideas for 2009 is that I’ll pick an article of our Modern Woman Social Network (once a month) and put this on the main page of this blog.
Not only too promote our social network but also to promote your articles on your own blog. So I hope you’ll like the idea and start your own blog on MW-Social Network soon.

I’ll start immediatly with number 1: The worst fashion trends of 2008.
It’s written by myself cuz the network is pretty new and there are no other members yet
 

If you wanna discuss about the article  click here
 

Continue reading TheWorldOfModernWoman.com  and stay updated. 
We’ve planned for 2009 a lot of cool new things, as you can see we have a new lay-out ( we must finalizing things yet) and we hope for more interaction with our readers.  This can amongst others with our The Modern Woman Social Network which we haven’t used for a long time, but hopefully this part will be used well this year. ( It’s up too you! ) One of our 2009-tips is: Get Connected. Join our Modern Woman Social Network and get connected! 

Further we have a lot of new posts planned,  you subscribe to our site so you get all updates deliverd when there are new posts or other happenings at The World Of Modern Woman. We’ll try to make this a beautifull year and hope too see you here a lot for some fun and greatest updates.

Ones again hopefully is 2009 filled with joy, and may this year be good in health and overflowing with all the good things in life.

Hope  too see ya all very soon!

Lovely greetings,
Lonneke
The World Of Modern Woman Team!

I saw it on television and when you get the clue it is very funny

(hint: watch the fly)

Ofcourse is music something personal, but maybe you have totally no mind of music or you are so nervous that you can’t choose anymore.
Here a small list that does it certainly good in the bedroom.

Your body is a wonderland – John Mayer
The National – Fake Empire
Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus-Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg
Tear the Room Apart – Favourite Sons
Cream – Prince
Sexual healing – Marvin gaye
Undress Me Now – Morcheeba
Love -John Lennon
By your side – Sade
One -U2
Justify My Love – Madonna
Otherwise – Morcheeba

A tip; mix these numbers with music that you like to come into the mood and create your own bedroom playlist!

Have fun.

Not only women love romantic places; but men do too.

Some people are thinking that romantic is hard working or a lots of work to create something special for your love of your life.
But it’s easy; with 6 simple steps you can create your own romantic bedroom.

Because we absorb our surroundings through our five senses keep each of these senses in mind as you recreate your bedroom for a more romantic feeling. The key is to create a feel within the room that is soft, inviting and a ‘place’ that you want to be in.

To create a sexy feeling and romantic sphere, following the six steps below;

1. Keep it clean!  And then I don’t mean; hide it all under the bed; I mean clean it up. Not just for one night but forever.  For some woman this is common sense and completely unfamiliar to others. Believe me, It can be very distracting if the room is a mess.
Once all the clutter, mismatched styled items and mess is out of the way, you can feel like you can have a fresh start at defining the look and feeling of the room as a whole. You will be amazed what effect this simple step can do for your room.

2. (Romantic) Lighting. Trust me lighting is the key, it doesn’t matter if it is candle light, dimmed light or other mood lighting. Just use your creativity.
Dimmer switches are a must in every bedroom; they should be accessible from the bed. It is important to choose lighting options that give a soft glow rather than harsh light.
For some of you readers this may mean that it’s time to replace the fixtures within the room, but don’t worry, this is as simple as table lamps.

3. Touch is obviously very important; keep this in mind as you consider which fabrics you should incorporate into the room, either in regards to bedding, furniture, through rugs and even pillows.

Choose earth or warm bedroom colors like terra, purple and red, brown with gold accents and think of special fabrics like satin or silk.

4. Smell. Our sense of smell is very much part of how we define our surroundings and affects how much we enjoy the experience. Potpourri, fresh cut flowers, candles and plug-in deodorizers are all excellent options to bring a sense of freshness into a room. Keep in mind strong smells (for example perfumes) are also not always enjoyed by all people.

5. Music is a definite must and can be very powerful in creating a romantic environment. Keep a variety of music on hand and easily accessible yet also discreet.
Because the sense of hearing is also very much a part of any experience you can use an (indoor) waterfall or water fountain in your (bed) room. The sound of this fashion accessory create a relaxing, romantic, calming and even sexy atmosphere.
Another thing is that the circulation of fresh water adds freshness to the air in your room.

6. Accessories or Art. Now it’s time to re-create the room visually by adding some art or room décor accessories. This process does not need to be costly or include many items in a smaller room. It is better to have less accessories to give the room a more relaxed feel. In addition; the other items listed within the other points will help decorate and define the character of the room.

Another tip are themes. Personally I like to change the settings of my living– and bedroom a lot It can be frustrating for your partner when he come home and he walk in a totally re-decoration house  LOL.

But the last few years I stopped with moving the furniture and my bedroom has still the same setting for 5 years now.

But enough about my rooms Maybe you can change your bedroom design in different themes. Bedroom theme: the best style is an personal style but you also can choose for an design that already exist. For example an Arabian style, exotic style, castle or princess style, beach style, dirty style, modern bedroom style, “fluffy” pillows, roses and much more.

Give your creativity  a boost and create your own bedroom theme with a high romance feeling.

Remember a personal style makes any color fashionable but take a look at step 3 for a more romantic feeling.

Taking some care in creating a calm relaxing romantic atmosphere within your bedroom, will help you unwind and give you the rest you’ll need.