Romance, simply put, is that wonderful rush we get from love. It’s a feeling that can take many forms–yearning, wonder, desire, exhilaration, excitement or suspense–and it can be aroused by almost anything that pleases us and fulfills our emotional needs. Increasingly, that has been our homes. Though we “cocooned” in the ’90s, we need more than that these days. “In uncertain times . . . times of stress and political unrest, people want to feel happy and cheerful. Adding romance to your home is a simple way to do that,” says London-based decorating guru Nina Campbell, whose latest book, “Nina Campbell’s Decorating Notebook: Professional Styling Schemes for Your Own Home” (Clarkson Potter, $40) is due out this month.
Adding romance also means creating a place where we feel nurtured, pampered and soothed, and the means to do that are seemingly endless.
Way back, “frilly French linens, Victorian trappings and lots of goo-gah on furniture” epitomized the look, but “that’s not our notion of romance anymore,” says Christopher Lowell, host of his own decorating show on the Discovery Channel and author of “Seven Layers of Design” (Discovery Books, $29.95).
“Now we’re seeing furniture that’s much more global in attitude. Instead of a plain glass coffee table, it may be a Balinese one in burnished wood fitted with baskets, shelves and drawers. It not only has a richer, warmer look, it’s multifunctional.”
As for ornately embellished furniture, “We’re seeing pieces that adapt all the details that were on traditional French or American pieces, but they incorporate them in a more streamlined way,” he says. In other words, the “goo-gah” is either more subtle or gone.
In short, “romance is back and people crave it,” but they’re going for it in a modern way, says Eric Cohler, a New York City-based interior architect. “The concept is more carefully pruned and edited.” He cites these examples: sleeker hearths for families to gather around; bed linens that are crisp, crunchy and pure white; flat-screen TVs that are sexy as well as space-saving thanks to their sleek good looks; and superb central audio systems that al-low one family member to watch a video while soaking in a bathtub and another to listen at high volume to a favorite opera in another room.
In the past year, Campbell says she has adopted this new brand of romanticism in her own fabrics, which are distributed worldwide by Osborne & Little. “I’ve designed quirky stripes with names like Fandango, Jive, Twist, Tango and Rhumba, paired them with a vibrant floral print called Dancing Rose,” she says.
Yes, roses–that most romantic of flowers–but this time around the prints are hardly the “shabby chic” look. Instead, they’re fresh, smart and stylish. The same aesthetic was at work at the cutting-edge Italian furniture fair Salone del Mobile in Milan last spring, where floral motifs that were both vibrant and subtle showed up on everything from trays and coffee tables to cabinets and shelves, says Doretta Sperduto, decorating director for House Beautiful magazine.
Some designers have been plying this softer, gentler, smarter look for quite a while. About the same time that Rachel Ashwell opened her first Shabby Chic boutique in Santa Monica in 1989, Monique and Sergio Savarase founded their showroom, Dialogica, in New York. Monique describes their sensibility as “modern romantic,” and points out “the furniture landscape was so different then; everything was either transitional, traditional or totally modern. But we wanted to do something that was modern yet soft.”
Today their line is acclaimed for its streamlined yet soft-edged pieces that embrace occasional curves. “The furniture is comfortable and forgiving with a little bit of personality,” she says, adding that, despite the sluggish economy, “Our sales are great right now . . . People want to bring a sense of romance and adventure into their homes, and are willing to take a chance.”
Sperduto makes another point that may account for healthy sales: “Romance can transcend any kind of style,” she notes. You can soften up any room with window treatments, luxurious fabrics and earthy, ethereal or romantic decorative objects. “You don’t have to have a big, frumpy Victorian sofa to dress [the room] up with some interesting trim, or a canopy bed to add high-thread-count linens.”
Perhaps most importantly, Sperduto says, “Life is too short to be uncomfortable,” a point that still resonates three years after 9/11.
Look carefully at the homes featured on the following pages, and you’ll pick up some ideas about the myriad ways to instill romance in your home. Just take a chance.
