Make the bed she won’t want to leave
Hunting for home furnishings can feel like dental work: You leave numb to
the touch, your wallet shrinks considerably, and the pain can last for days if
something goes wrong. But handsome home decor isn’t far behind pearly whites in
wooing a woman into bed.
“Having a great bed is the number-one priority,” says designer Alisha Farmer,
of the New York City–based interior-design firm Butter and Eggs. “Everything
becomes a lot easier if you’ve slept well.” For our top mattress pick, see “Sleep
Softly” on the page 3.
Almost as important, from her perspective, is how well you dress the bed.
Fortunately, that’s become less of a slog, now that dozens of clothing
designers have adapted their aesthetics to home collections. All you have to do
is crack open your closet. Do you wear traditional navy suits and button-down
shirts? Opt for the home collections from Ralph Lauren, Nautica, or Tommy
Hilfiger. If you wear earth tones, check out Joseph Abboud. And if you’re more
modern, consider Calvin Klein Home and Armani Casa.
And remember: Masculine doesn’t have to mean boring. Your goal is to layer
patterns, textures, and prints in a way that creates a rich mixture she’ll want
to snuggle under--with you.
By
Brian Boyé
Score before breakfast
A woman’s libido spikes in the morning, just like yours. How convenient. But there’s a right way and a so-very-wrong way to coax her awake. Here’s how to heat her up early.
1 Wake up sooner. “A woman won’t want sex if she feels hurried,” says Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., a sex researcher at Indiana University. “Her clitoris won’t respond to even the most skilled touch if she’s worried about being late for work. And besides, she needs about 20 minutes to reach orgasm.” Set the alarm early or make your move on the weekend to ensure that she’s relaxed and responsive.
2 Whisper, don’t poke. Women
need aural stimulation to help eliminate self-consciousness about eye boogers
and bed head, says Nagoski. So pull her close and say, “You’re
so beautiful in the morning,” or, “I love waking up with
you.” If you’re spooning, thaw her out with some sensual
kisses to the back of her neck.
3 Bring her
breakfast. Orange juice masks morning breath, and “the citrus will
jumpstart her arousal system,” says Alan Hirsch, M.D., director of
the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, in Chicago. Bonus:
Vitamin C boosts your adrenaline, giving you extra stamina. She’ll
appreciate that. Dark fruits like blackberries, bilberries, and elderberries
contain high levels of anthocyanins, ultrapowerful antioxidants that could act
as erection insurance. And a satisfying omelet is loaded with B vitamins and
protein. That’s a potent mix, helping to keep sex drive high and
boosting levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, two chemicals in the brain that
heighten sensitivity during sex. She’ll appreciate that,
too.
Sleep Softly
We tested the best in bedding. The winners knocked us out, cold.
THE ULTIMATE MATTRESS
There’s more to take home from hotels than mini shampoo bottles. Seeking return business, chains have worked with mattress manufacturers to create lush beds—that you can also buy for your own home. We tried five: the W Mattress, Westin’s Heavenly Bed, Sheraton’s Sweet Sleeper, the Four Seasons Signature Mattress, and the Four Points Four Comfort Bed. Thanks to a near-perfect balance of support and padding, the Four Comfort Bed ($1,300, starwoodhotels.com) was the winner. The specially designed Sealy mattress sits atop a foundation made of heavy-gauge, high-carbon steel, which does a better job of flexing to absorb weight and movement than a traditional box spring. Need something softer? Check out Westin’s Heavenly Bed ($1,450, westin.com); its pillow-top mattress provides an extra layer of padding that you can sink into without being swallowed up.
THE ULTIMATE PILLOW
If you’re pillow-fighting with lingerie models, any old stuffed sack will do. But for sound, safe sleep, you need a pillow that will keep your neck aligned with your spine. “The more neutral your neck’s position, the wider the nerve passageways running through it will open,” says Mark McLaughlin, M.D., a spinal surgeon at University Medical Center at Princeton. The results: a reduced risk of neck pain and more-restful sleep. So what’s the best prop for the job? Memory foam. “It’s been a great advancement in pillow technology,” says Dr. McLaughlin, explaining that memory foam molds to your head and neck, keeping everything lined up as if you were standing straight. And, unlike feather fills, it won’t lose its shape over time. We like Select Comfort’s Grid-Zone pillow ($90, selectcomfort.com). The egg-crate surface conformed perfectly to our tester’s head and neck, reducing tossing and turning. Back sleepers might prefer the low-profile TempurPedic Classic ($100, tempurpedic.com); it’s thinner but still supportive.
