Tag Archives: romantic

7 Great Ways To Dress Up A Room With Drapery And Chandeliers

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The best part of traveling, going to a restaurant or visiting a new place is capturing in your memory the scenic appeal of that place. The lightening, the furniture, the people, and the décor…all the details set the mood. Everyone enjoys indulging in decadent luxury every now and then, but luxury can be oh so costly! Marisa Perry, owner of Marisa Perry Atelier has graciously shared treasured tips and pictures of her favorite interior design rooms showing us how to create romantic extravaganza in our abodes by using two elements: drapery and chandeliers! And she’s also given us alternatives to buy these lavish items dirt-cheap!

Pink Room With Black Details

This combination may sound like a girly meets gothic fusion but if done right- you can make it quite elegant. Marisa proves that taking risks and playing with different color schemes can evoke Hollywood glamour in your room. Inspired by the Cristal room at Baccarat, designed by Phillipe Starck, Marisa decorated her dressing room by adding a dramatic black chandelier and off setting the darkness by using pink drapes and blond wood furniture. Now, who want to go play dress up over at Marisa’s ?

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Old World Vanity Elegance

Oh darling we’ll always have Paris in our own home! By adding heavy drapery in a rich gold tone color and a Baroque style chandelier to your vanity area, you can easily recreate old world, opulent, European elegance.

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Romantic Canopy Delight

Nothing says romance like a canopy bed. We’ve seen it inthe most romantic movie scenes. Two lovers vigorously devouring one another in the midst of passionate lovemaking; there’s always candlelight, soft fabric drapery delicately swaying as the scene progresses and a gorgeous chandelier hanging low in the loving space. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a canopy bed, you can DIY your own canopy bed by using wooden dowels, curtain rods, sheer fabric and thumb tacks, incorporate a small chandelier and you will have novella romance in your room everyday! (see tutorials on DIY canopy beds) http://diy.allwomenstalk.com/gorgeous-diy-canopy-beds

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Exotic Purple Glamour

Who knew purple could be so seductive? Inspired by the enchanting, stunning interior design of Joel Robuchon’s restaurant in Las Vegas, you can paint your bedroom walls Tyrian purple and add purple drapery to match. A purple and black combo is the most amazing to experience in person, and low light setting adds that sexy effect! Be careful though, you may never want to leave your room!

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Romantic in Pink

Pink is not a color a guy would choose, but it is such a sweet way of adding romance into your everyday life. Pink exudes warmth, kindness, passion, love and nurturing. Pink makes the ultimate statement: what a thoughtful and romantic gal you are! Take this room for example: it uses an innocent cotton candy pink with a crystal chandelier and soft translucent white  drapery fabric

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High Color Seduction

A prestigious high color depth will set the mood for a really sexy atmosphere. If you choose a deep color, it allows you to play with light and soft, bright and rich toned drapery. This is where you get creative with your color schemes! A vivacious, luminous chandelier adds the va va voom factor!

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Neutral, Soft, Parisian Chic

Neutral hues feel comfortable, and comfort can be so sassy! Painting your room in soft colors lets you accent your room with bold chic fixtures. Like this gray, gold toned accented room with white and taupe drapery and a gold, rich chandelier!

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There are several ways to transform the rooms in your home into romantic getaways and you won’t even have to break the bank! See below some of Marisa’s favorite websites:

http://www.greatchandeliers.com

http://www.halfpricedrapes.com

http://www.regaldrapes.com

 

 

Romantic Home: Breakfast in Bed

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Now that some people have power restored in NYC, I think it’s fitting to do a post about creating a cozy, romantic home.  One extremely romantic way to take a morning at home to the next level, is to serve your loved one breakfast in bed.

Breakfast in bed isn’t really a new thing, so why is it always so special?  Is it that your partner wants to pamper you?  Is it that it’s really nice not having to get out of bed and prepare your own meal? Is it that it comes with flowers and you would never add that to your own meal?  Maybe it’s all of  the above.

Well, loving to serve it and loving to receive it, I wanted to inspire you with a few ideas to make breakfast extra special!

Let me start by sharing my breakfast inspiration with you: monogrammed trays from Designdarling.com.  These truly darling trays usually feature three initials each, but my husband, Douglas Elliott (designer) and I prefer our everyday initials. Leave it to the designer to opt for customization! 😉  Design Darling has many fantastic home accessories that are exceptionally priced. They’re great for hostess gifts, but so stylish that you’ll want to keep them for yourself.

As far as breakfast is concerned, Douglas and I like to eat gluten-free as much as possible, and he also prefers sugar-free.  In an effort to please both our waistlines and taste buds, I’ve learned how to make healthy meals taste yummy.  I start with Pamela’s wheat-free/gluten-free pancake mix. The mix is a rice-based flour, consisting of both brown and white rice. I find it comes out tasting closer to a French crepe.  I follow the recipe for pancakes exactly but I use low fat milk, instead of water.  Once everything’s mixed, I take out my fabulous Presto electric griddle, (the secret to all great pancakes), and just heat and pour!  While the pancakes are cooking, I chop up strawberries and mix them with a tablespoon of sugar-free, vanilla syrup.  It makes them taste like strawberries and cream, without having to use cream! Next, I heat up sugar-free maple syrup for him and maple agave for me. I love the agave because it tastes just like really good maple syrup, but it doesn’t raise the glycemic index and it’s totally natural.

Of course, breakfast in bed is not complete without coffee and a rose.  Our Keurig machine takes care of the coffee element with ease,  and I just step out into my garden for the rose. That stated, if you are a Manhattanite without a rose garden, nothing does the trick like a dozen roses from your convenient local deli – one of the wonderful perks of living in NYC.

Want to mix it up a little?

Try out different flavored syrups, like vanilla or caramel.

Try making a heart shape with your whipped cream.

Try grilling bananas – they’re fantastic!

Add other fruits to the mix like blueberries for a splash of color.

You can always add eggs or bacon if your love has a savory-tooth.

Have fun experimenting! I hope it ends up being a very romantic morning.

Love – Marisa

Romantic Weekend: North Fork Table and Inn

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Ahh, fall is upon us!  Aren’t you ready to spend some time in the country with leaves changing color?  Maybe picking a pumpkin or two and sipping some late fall harvest wines?
Then take some time to visit our friends at The North Fork Table and Inn! Who says fun weekending, and the North Fork are for summertime?
I recently discovered that one of my favorite NY pastry chefs, Claudia Fleming, opened up an Inn on the North Fork, in Southhold, to be exact. I met Claudia years back when she was the executive pastry chef for Gramercy Tavern. When I heard of her most recent venture, I could not get there fast enough! She has always been wonderful, gracious and charming – not to mention, a fabulous baker of all things sweet and irresistible!
Douglas and I took a wonderful, mid-week getaway trip to check out The North Fork Table and Inn just a couple weeks ago and it was SO romantic! We pulled up to a gorgeous, stately, white colonial house which was built in 1790. The front door opens up to the restaurant and bar area – nothing is quite as welcoming as entering into the bar for an aperitif!
We were given a quick tour of the restaurant and ropes before being escorted to our room. The rooms are moderately sized, but large considering the age of the house. We had a private bath with a tub, and the mattress was great. Chic, Hampton-esque decor with peaceful neutrals lined the Inn through and through.
 The best part about the trip for me was spending time with my husband (of course), but breakfast was a close second!  Claudia baked us fresh scones – the best I’ve ever had.  She made Douglas his first ever ricotta cheese pie, with truffle and a light, flaky crust.  We also had spectacular muffins, quiche, and other breakfast staples you’d expect. I could hardly get past the scones to indulge in much else though – they were incredible!
 We had a lovely dinner our first night at the Inn (photos above).  In the afternoon, we indulged in their fabulous Lunch Truck, which is their casual, outside eatery.  We enjoyed our lunch picnic-style and went back for seconds of the Chicken Pasole.  It was super delish!
The following night we decided to go to Greenport to dine at a recommended restaurant, The Frisky Oyster. Despite its “pub like” name, it was so luxurious. With padded fabric walls and sophisticated fare, it turned out to be quite a romantic dinner. We enjoyed a sweet stroll through the shops in Greenport afterward, which only added to our experience.
Douglas and I are looking forward to going back soon.  I can’t wait to see the leaves change colors in the country side, and to visit the cute farm stands. I love seeing tables of fresh farm fruits and vegetables left out in front of  houses in the North Fork.  The stands still have little money boxes, with  signs reading, “Put a dollar in the box and take a quart of ….” still left out after all these years! The  environment out there is so relaxing in contrast to our bustling city.
My dear friend’s mom, Mrs. Gallop, always says, ” For a long and healthy marriage, go away and take vacations!” She has been married over 52 years, so I think we will gladly take her advice!  Here’s wishing you many romantic, weekend getaways!
Best, Marisa

Once Upon a Time: Liz & Igor

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It was obscenely early on Thanksgiving morning at O’Hare International Airport and I was headed home to New York.  I couldn’t possibly have looked worse.  I had just pulled two all-nighters for school, was wearing a mans sweater which reached my knees, and black jeans that had really seen better days.  How was my hair?  In an unceremonious wad on the top of my head.  It was not an ideal situation for meeting ones true love, but hey!  It worked!

            My fellow passengers and I sat crammed like sardines waiting for the plane to take off, but for some reason, we weren’t moving.  Finally, the reason for the hold up came bursting through the door in the form of a frazzled looking young man who avoided our dagger stares like a champ as he bustled down the aisle and stopped at the seat across from me.

            I couldn’t help but smirk as he banged his head on the overhead bins before untangling himself from his bags and finally sitting down.  He caught my smirk and started to give me a dirty look before seeing the humor in the situation and smiling back.  The first words he said to me were “this sucks.”  I couldn’t help but laugh and agree.

            We chatted the whole flight and it turned out that he was a Navy man.  He asked for my number and I obliged because the combination of a sailor and an art student was too funny to resist.  I wrote “that chick from the plane” underneath my name and he chuckled.  I responded with, “well I don’t know how many numbers you’ve gotten today…you ARE a sailor after all.”  He turned red and denied any such thing, but for the record:  I was the fourth number he had gotten that day!  Player…

 

            We started dating immediately after Thanksgiving break and got married a year and a half later. This past May, we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Can you believe it? I’ll save the “oh crap we need to elope right now because he’s getting deployed to Japan for two years” story for another post.

Until next time,

Liz

Romantic Home: Black & White

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Hello, my lovely Romantic readers!

Just a few days ago, our Liz took some stunning pictures of our jewelry in black and white and I just felt so inspired, I had to share with you!  What better way to add a touch of romance to your home than by printing off some of your favorite pictures in black and white?

I personally like mixing some of your own favorite memories with iconic prints. I love the idea of pairing sultry with playful, and sentimental with silly. There’s something about black and white photos that just evoke a dreamy, romantic state of mind.

Marisa actually just gave her bathroom a makeover with some cute prints of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. It just looks fantastic with black chandeliers and soft colors. Both women are just so beautiful and awesome inspiration for getting ready in the morning.

If you’re like me and don’t have black incorporated into your interior color scheme, why not try putting them in earthy, wood frames for an antique feel? I think the twine and clothespin garland display is super cute, but then again my apartment is totally crafty and DIY.

I’m already brainstorming ways to fit black and white photos into my home decor! If you’re interested in more information about any of these photos, they are pinned on our Everyday Romantic board on Pinterest. Have a romantic night! 🙂

xoxo – Alexandria