TRACEY COX THE SEX GURU SHOWS US HOW SHE'S PUT THE VA-VA VOOM INTO HER BOUDOIR

By Vicki Grimshaw

With Valentine’s Day looming, sex expert and TV presenter Tracey Cox agreed to give us a sneaky peak inside her boudoir.

“I’ve indulged myself,” says Tracey, 46. “My male friends warned me that men would find this room intimidating, but my boyfriend Richard says it’s awesome!”

Tracey bought the three-bedroom, three-bathroom flat in London’s trendy Notting Hill almost two years ago, and spent months turning it into a beautiful living space with unique furniture and individual pieces of art.

“It’s my escape, my retreat from the world and probably the room where I have the least sex. I love reading in it!” she confesses.

Tracey, who was born in Devon but raised in Australia, describes her style as “modern with a retro twist”.

READ ABOUT ANNA RYDER RICHARDSON'S HOME

“I love glass and shiny things, so I have lots of crystals and perfume bottles. People ?see my flat as sexual because of the curvy, rounded shapes everywhere, but that wasn’t actually my intention,” she says.

But when it came to finding a location for some of the graphic action shots in Tracey’s new book, Kama Sutra, her apartment – and bedroom – was the perfect place.

“It was weird seeing strangers pretending to bonk on my bed. I kept thinking: ‘Is that what I look like having sex?’” she giggles.

Visitors chez Cox need to leave any prudishness at the door, since there are several giant wall-hangings of naked bodies and an S&M photo in the bedroom.

“It’s hard to get erotic art that’s not tacky. I like it that people are shocked,” she admits.

Her risqué style is everywhere.

“I think it reflects my personality,” she says. “I like mixing up old and new, different types of textures, and cheap with designer. Luckily in Notting Hill there are lots of furniture shops and I’ve spent a small fortune in them, but I still love walking into my flat every evening and thinking: ‘Wow’.

“I’m usually quite indecisive in life, but when it comes to interior design and décor, ?I know exactly what I want. Unfortunately there’s no more space in this place, so I’ll either have to throw stuff away or move ?to a bigger house!”

1. BEDSIDE LAMPS "I loved these baroque-style Kartell Bourgie lamps when I saw them in Cocoon Furniture (www.cocoon-furniture.co.uk), a shop near my flat."

2. BED "This is a superking-sized from Dreamworks Beds (www.dreamworksbeds.com). It was expensive, but worth it. I don't like bedheads so I use cushions."

3. PURPLE CHAISE LONGUE "I got this Verner Panton couch from Purves & Purves (www.purves.co.uk). I often read on it."

4. WALLPAPER "This is from Cole & Son (www.cole-and-son.com). I love the dramatic flock pattern. I used Dulux's paint matching service for the hot pink on the walls."

5. BEDSIDE TABLES "I commissioned these from Cocoon Furniture. They're Moroccan, with a high-gloss black paint."

6. GLASS BALLS "These are from a local French art shop in Richmond and were very heavy to carry home! The silver stool is from Habitat."

 

TRACEY'S STYLE TIPS

* Experiment with colour. Use sample pots to see how colour changes with the light and time of day.
* Look for texture and shape, as well as colour.
* Think about background — how well will ornaments and objects stand out?
* Framed posters can look just as good as real art.
* Quirky things make your place more individual.

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