Candlelit dinner tables and gargantuan floral arrangements might be the Hallmark interpretation of a romantic room, but creating a moody interior is all about atmosphere. As these projects from the ELLE Decoration archives show, this can be achieved through a combination of lighting, layered and tactile fabrics, evocative patterns and rich, enveloping colour schemes – no red roses necessary.
A statement-making boudoir in New York
Nothing says romance quite like a four-poster bed, and this pattern-drenched room by design firm Redd Kahoi ups the ante with floor-to-ceiling curtains, walls and window blinds all in ‘Painterly Windowpane’ by Miles Redd for Schumacher. The traditional four poster offers total escapism, as well as a decorative flourish – ‘Four-posters make a room exciting. You don’t have a lot to work with in bedrooms, so you might as well make the bed as dramatic as possible,’ says studio founder Miles Redd.
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Romantic ruffles in a Sydney home
A love seat replete with ruffled hem can teeter on the precipice between sweet and stuffy. A minimalist beige tone proved to be the perfect foil to any connotation of ‘granny chic’ when it came to upholstering this sofa and armchair set in the sunroom of a Sydney home. The neutral colour creates a cohesive palette that picks up the tones of the natural fibre rug, while the minty green doorframe delivers a subtle pop of colour.
The swoon-worthy bedroom in London
This bedroom by Studio Duggan for clients in London has a subtle feminine feel – note the ruby red headboard and gently ruffled ‘Samarcande’ pendant by Studio EBUR – while remaining sophisticated. The bed is a custom design in a Yarn Collective mohair while the ‘Snake & Pomegranate’ rug by Studio Shamshiri for Christopher Farr adds some graphic drama without taking centre stage. The ‘Aria’ bench from The House Upstairs is in ‘Osier’ fabric by Antoinette Poisson.
The atmospheric home in Amsterdam
With its soft filtered light, low-beamed ceilings and mix of vintage objects the home of designers Lotte and Dennis Bruns, located on the Keizersgracht canal in Amsterdam, exudes old-world charm. What the 80-square-metre apartment lacks in size it more than makes up for in atmosphere. The bijou kitchen features bespoke cafe curtains made using a taffeta-like fabric the pair sourced from a weekly street market in the Jordaan. The chandelier above the sink is by Gaetano Sciolari, while the table lamp on the countertop is an iron design created in the late-Amsterdam School style.
The seductive loft bedroom
A cocooning low-pitched ceiling, four-poster bed and freestanding claw-foot bathtub with view across the countryside beyond – this loft bedroom is sure to set hearts racing. Located inside a sprawling 19th-century former dairy farm south of Sydney, it was transformed by interior design studio Duet into a charming, character-filled home that also incorporates farm stays, a workshop for artists in residence and holiday cottages.
The bedroom that’s pretty in pink
Homeowner Amelia Wilde channelled the cocooning feel of a traditional four-poster in the main bedroom of her Melbourne home by hanging natural unbleached linen curtains in a soft pink across a whole wall. Her firm Von Steel created the curtain rail and the bedside table, on which sits a ‘Colette ATD6’ lamp by &Tradition. She sourced the bed from a local supplier, while the vintage Roche Bobois chair is placed on a bespoke plinth, topped with a cushion by Les Ottomans. A fluffy rug from Lahandira adds a further layer of cosiness.
A reimagined gothic home in New York
This gothic townhouse on the Upper West Side was transformed by designer Jenna Chused, of Chused & Co, with jewel-box colour, patterned wallpaper and luxurious antique furniture. This powder room says ‘dark romance’ thanks to the combination of ‘Ko Tao’ wallpaper in ‘Soleil’ by Pierre Frey, an antique cristal art aquamarine mirror and vintage Max Ingrand Murano sconces that gently light the space.
The Manhattan home that’s a lesson in European sex appeal
Clad in ‘White Blossom’ wallpaper from Iksel, this glorious main bedroom in a New York townhouse designed by Greg Natale is a wholly enchanting space. The soft curves and tactile velvet of the ‘Neofutur’ headboard by Vincent Darré from The Invisible Collection adds texture and form while mood lighting comes via the ‘Pipistrello’ lamps by Martinelli Luce.
A freestanding tub for candle lit bathing
Designer Vicky Charles imbued this home in Deia with a cosy intimacy, a skill she honed while designing Soho Houses around the globe: ‘good hotel design has to keep that balance of location and familiarity,’ she notes. In one of the bathrooms, the cast-iron ‘Tay’ freestanding bathtub is surrounded by luxurious Fior di Pesco marble from FMG. Next to it stands a round ‘Capri’ table by Vaughan – the perfect spot to rest a glass of something sparkling.
A midnight garden in London
Floral motifs are an instant way to introduce a touch of allure to a scheme. A dark, rich palette is key to bringing depth and drama – Hackney’s ‘Midnight Garden’ fabric, which is used on the headboard and cushions in this main bedroom in a London home, does exactly that. Osborne & Little’s ‘Fresco’ wallcovering in ‘Rust/Ochre’ adds a metallic glint, while the ‘Kilimanjaro Bronze Tall Drum’ featuring a mock-croc print brings the opulence.
