9 HOT: PILLOWS & PADS

Extreme Makeover -- Bedroom Edition Turn Your Room Into a Sexy Sanctuary

Could one of these sex up your bedroom? I know you're busy. We all are. In trying to balance work, family, friends, and keep up with basic household chores, it can be easy to neglect your personal space. Clothes will pile up on your bedroom floor. A mix of junk mail and bills will be ever-present on your nightstand. Dust bunnies will burrow under the bed, and you'll forget when the last time was that you bothered to change your sheets. Your bedroom will become nothing more than the place you sleep at night; a place where you occasionally have so-so sex five minutes before you turn on the alarm clock and drift into dreamland.

I know this isn't the routine you want in your life. You want passion, and fun, and spontaneity. You wouldn't be reading this if you didn't. Set aside a Saturday, break out of your busy schedule, and turn your bedroom into a sexual sanctuary. It's easier than you think.

Step One: De-Clutter Your Space If you don't have a laundry hamper, get one. Make sure your clothes land in it every day. Create a separate place (in a separate room) where you can handle your mail, paperwork, and job-related reading. It may be easy to look over things in bed at night, but that's not conducive to sleeping and it's certainly not conducive to sex! Over the years, you've probably accumulated quite the collection of knick-knacks, photos, and various other things that take up space on your dresser and nightstand. Now's the time to weed them out. Keep only the bare minimum. Pictures of you and your lover enjoying a romantic getaway can stay. Pictures of mom and dad should probably be relocated to another room! A crowded space will only leave you and your partner feeling distracted. Chances are you have a television and DVD player or VCR in your bedroom. Make sure that your movie collection isn't piled haphazardly on top of the machines. Stack them neatly, and reorganize so that the ones that put you and your guy or girl in a frisky mood are easily accessible. Erotic films can be a fun part of foreplay, and what guy doesn't love having his girlfriend hide her face in his chest during a scary movie, but anything involving Will Ferrell in a speedo should be promptly returned to your living room!

Step Two: Sensual Decorations Please note that I'm not talking about posters of scantily-clad women or buff men in uniform. When you're decorating for sex, think of things that have a more subtle sensuality about them. Scented candles can serve two romantic purposes. They'll give you the perfect "mood lighting" for a sexy encounter, and they'll also perfume your bedroom with the pleasant smells of known aphrodisiacs. Beautifully crafted toys, like glass dildos featuring vibrant colors and unique shapes can also be used sparingly as decorative pieces of art that will enhance the sex appeal of your sanctuary. If you really want to turn your room into an adult playground, don't forget the swings -- the love swings, of course. These contraptions are terrific for helping you and your lover experiment with adventurous positions and wild sensations. And you don't have to leave yours hanging around all the time. Chances are, simply looking at the cup hook in your ceiling will be enough to start your heart racing.

Step Three: Build a Private Collection of Toys Pick out a stash of toys that you can use with your lover, and create a special place in your nightstand so they're never far from reach. If bondage equipment and vibrators aren't your thing, invest in a massager and some lightly scented oils. And always make sure to have some quality lubricant on hand so that every encounter you have will go smoothly! No matter how you decide to stock your toy drawer, you're sure to have plenty of fun with its contents!

Step Four: Go to Your Room That's all, folks! Dedicate yourself to keeping your private space neat and playful at all times, and you're sure to enjoy many romantic nights in there. Soon, you'll be having more and better sex, and as an added bonus, you'll even be sleeping more soundly. What more could you want from your very own sexual sanctuary?