8 Easy Romantic Decorating Ideas

A large flower, like a magnolia, doesn't need any other adornments. It looks stunning all on its own, floating in a low Limoges bowl. Interior designer Hal Williamson chose the fragrant flower for his clients who live in New Orleans.

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In the home's dining room, Louis XV chairs are upholstered in a toile called Louisiana Purchase. "Each chair depicts different iconic imagery," Hal Williamson says, including St. Louis Cathedral, plantations, and flatboats on the river.

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A romantic glow was what designer Gary McBournie aimed for in the living room of this Palm Beach home. On the pilasters between French doors, he mounted Baguès crystal sconces from France for a bit of sparkle. Chosen for its Venetian silveriness, the mercury glass gourd lamp is from Walker Zabriskie.

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In a gorgeous guest bedroom, McBournie found a romantic solution for a too-small 1920s Italian gessoed mirror. "We added that sash to help the scale," he says.

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For a cozy garden feel, Williamson hung life-size banana leaves — the Beverly Hills Hotel signature wallpaper — in the kitchen, to give it not only drama of scale, but a continuity with the courtyard and the real banana leaves just outside the French doors.

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In the master bedroom of a Connecticut home decorated by Sally Markham, a Ralph Lauren mink throw is draped over the silk-upholstered bed, also designed by her.

"When I pulled out the cream, purple, lavender, blue, and aqua embroidered silk for the duvet, my client was catching her breath, she was so excited. It was one of those rare, beautiful finds," Hal Williamson says.

Sure, you can just close the doors, but the closet is often a missed opportunity. Of her ranch-style home, designer Erinn Valencich says, "I hung a graphic black and white Cole & Son wallpaper on the back wall. The rest of the walls, which are mostly hidden by my clothes, are ice blue. Because closet walls are usually covered, the ceiling is a spot to make a statement. I added decorative moldings and hung the black glass chandelier. I bought it at Ballard Designs, a great source for decorative objects, but removed some crystals to tone it down a bit."