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Surround Yourself
with Romance
Simple Ideas for
Romantic Decorating By Teri Brown
Romantic Decorating
Spring is prime time for romance. The birds are building their nests, flowers are blooming and everything is green and new again. But you don't have to wait for spring to bring that fresh, soft feeling into your home.
For Adria Hollenback of Sherwood, Ore., bringing that romantic, springtime ambiance into the home she shares with her husband and stepson is important enough to work at all year round. "I work full time so it is hard to find time to decorate," Hollenback says. "That's what I love about the romance style the smallest ideas can create the biggest impact."
Hollenback spends time searching through home magazines, looking for quick ideas to make her house warm and inviting one of the hallmarks of the romance look. Combining lace with nature, adding candles and fresh flowers and replacing heavy curtains with lace sheers are all simple ways to give your home a touch of romance.
"Singing birds, gardens, the smell of spring, lace and soft linens are so relaxing when brought into the home," Hollenback says. "One way I have incorporated this into my home is by placing several combinations of silk plants and flowers in the space above my kitchen cabinets to resemble a flower bed."
Hollenback decorated her home in pale yellow, cream, mauve and moss green because she wanted it to feel soft and welcoming with a touch of nature's beauty. "Most all colors will work as long as they are not too bold and blend together well," Hollenback says. "It is good to have one dark color and three pale colors. Colors that work together are lavender, white, pale blue and purple. Sage, white, pink and burgundy also work well together."
"Romantic colors are in the eye of the beholder a romantic room might be crisp and white or have a soft, tea-stained look," Caringer says. "But in general, think creamy or pastel if you want to create a romantic look." Lighting is another way to create a soft, romantic feel. Caringer suggests looking for lamps with translucent shades they'll cast a lovely soft light, especially if you buy three-way lamps so you can adjust the light level or plug existing lamps into a tabletop dimmer.
