Friday, January 6, 2017 5 Brooklin Town Crier Yes Woman By Marissa Campbell Lotus Home Interiors Are you ready to spice things up in 2017? For those who may not know, in my spare time I write historical and contemporary romance novels. Some scenes are pretty steamy, which leads people to wonder just what it is I'm doing behind closed bedroom doors. Well, I'm opening the curtains wide, and the view may disappoint. My bedroom is boring. No Fifty Shades of Grey; no bearskin rugs or satin sheets. So when the opportunity came to have an in-home de- sign consultation by Chief Designer, Zoe Lucyk, from Lotus Home interiors, I jumped at the chance. Lotus is a one-stop design studio. From a project's conception through to its completion, Lotus takes care of everything. Whether a client is looking for a simple update, like refreshing a drab bedroom, to complete renova- tions, all their services are found in-house. They employ their own full-time contractors and have several designers on staff to oversee every aspect of a project. The retail store and design centre on Baldwin St. is a testament to the gorgeous interiors they create. Zoe's vision is incredible. She took one look at my master bedroom and immediately knew what needed to be done. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart, and my personal style reflected that. I recently purchased a new bed, but the rest of the furniture belonged to my grandparents' bedroom suite. Zoe offered to give me two different design options: one would incorporate my antique dressers while the other would show me the transformative power of a few balanced and updated pieces. Lotus's motto is "Live with what you love." How wonderful is that? A home is a personal reflection of your spirit. You need to love it to be able to really live in it. It's a designer's job to figure out what will make your home a sanctuary and put a smile on your face when you walk across that threshold. On my shoulder blade, I have a tattoo of a dragon holding an OM, and it represents the spiritual and fiery aspects of my personality. Without knowing anything about my fascinating body art, Zoe tapped into that dichotomy when she showed me the two layouts for my room. The first design incorporated my grandparents' furniture and struck a balance between my sense of tradition and romance, yet updated the look with wallpaper, artwork, and a gorgeous area rug. The second design was seriously sexy with a black and white theme. While more modern in its colour scheme, the pieces she picked still resonated with romance and sensuality. This option incorporated all new furniture and was more expensive, but not outrageously so. Both designs were stunning. Now I'm torn. Which room should I pick? Instead of dealing with my Lotus dilemma, I'm turning to you, Brooklin Town Crier readers. Help a Yes Woman out. What do you think? Option One (keep the old with elements of the new) or Option Two (totally mix it up). Post your answer on the Brooklin Town Crier Facebook page, or email me your pick: info@marissacampbell.com. I'll draw one random name from all entrants for a chance to win signed paperback copies of both books in my Avelynn series! Help me spice up my bedroom and enter for a chance to win some seriously yummy historical romance novels! Can't wait to see which design readers pick. (Yes Woman is a paid advertisement)