These interiors are all about getting intimate

Seduce Your Senses

“My must-haves are color, lighting, music, flowers and fabric. You pretty much can take any space and create a seductive atmosphere with those things,” says interior designer and radio personality Moll Anderson, who wrote the book – literally – on seductive homes.

Choosing the right color can be daunting, so Anderson suggests using black as a foundation and “accenting with the colors that you’re most drawn to.” Lighting can change the appearance of colors – Anderson recommends dimmer switches as an easy and cost-effective way to vary your lighting.

Touch and feel also are extremely important in a seductive home, she says, and cashmere is her fabric of choice.

Susanna Salk, author of “Be Your Own Decorator” (Rizzoli, 2012), says fur throws can add a layer of texture and romance to your rooms, whether they’re draped on a sofa or folded at the foot of a bed. “I think it’s sort of sexy-looking and cozy, and then of course, very useful, too,” Salk adds.

Room by Room

Anderson’s most recent book, “Seductive Tables for Two” (Moll Anderson, 2012), encourages couples to sit across the table and communicate with each other, something Anderson calls a “lost art.”

She suggests couples set up a portable bistro table in the bedroom, balcony or in the living room in front of the fireplace to create an unexpected-yet-romantic ambience. If you don’t have a bistro table, “You can use your coffee table, put pillows on the floor, and create an atmosphere that way,” Anderson says.

In the bedroom, a good mattress and sheets are essential. “Making a bed that makes you want to jump into it – that looks sumptuous, that’s super sexy,” Anderson says. “Make your bed when you get up in the morning, because when you come home from work, there’s nothing sexy about a bed piled up with laundry.”

Although the bathroom may seem like the least sexy room in the house, it doesn’t have to be. Votive candles, bath salts, clean towels, a robe, an ice bucket and a bottle of your favorite champagne are all items Anderson recommends for taking your bathroom from regular to romantic.

The French Connection

Although many people may think of pink hearts and lace when they hear the term “romantic,” French romanticism is it’s own style with a rich history.

“What French people always have tended to do is make a spirit of intimacy and spirituality and a lot of color in their homes,” says Lanie Goodman, author of “Romantic French Homes” (CICO Books, 2013).

Goodman notes that the romantic décor in the French sense is different from what many Americans may assume, and adds that the style varies depending on the homeowner.

“It’s really more of a feeling that you get when you walk in the door,” Goodman says. “[French romantic style] doesn’t always have to do with the objects that are placed there, it’s more mixing past and present, it’s mixing styles, it’s capturing the soul of the house.”

Whether it’s mixing and matching, or displaying vintage flea market finds and “giving a new life to a piece of furniture,” for Goodman, French romance is not about symmetry and perfection. Instead, it’s about collecting, and putting different pieces that may seem disparate together in a way that works.

Although the houses Goodman’s book features are not all the same, part of the charm of French romanticism is the personal, intimate nature of the style. She says, “From the humble beach cottage to these grand châteaux, there was always an element of fantasy and a little bit of whimsy.”

© CTW Features