Planning a tropical vacation, or just dreaming about one? Home fashion is all about bringing our dreams to fruition. A home today is not so much a personal sanctuary but rather a personal testament of our goals, desires, personal achievements and adventures.

So whether you are fortunate enough to actually get away to an island paradise or you must simply (at least for the time being) settle for future travel aspirations, you can choose to create or recreate an island paradise in your own home. Island Chic is one of the hottest (no pun intended) looks in home decor today.

Imagine not having to pack your bags, park at an airport, suffer jetlag or worry about sunburns and yet still being able to arrive at a tropical destination. Only, this destination is your home - a personal island paradise to savour every day.

Island Chic is miles away from cheesy paper mache parrots, loud tropical prints and hula girls, but rather close to warm, tropical hues, heavy rattan weaves, exotic leathers, dark woods and accessories that appear as if you collected them from your travels around the globe.

Island couture does not need to take over your home. One or two accessories or tropical patterns can take you on this adventure in home fashion. Whether your personal island experience is derived from watching endless travel shows on television or from a more personal experience, you will undoubtly have determined that what seduces us so effortlessly is more than simply the visual appeal of these fabulous getaways. The sights, the sounds and the smells of the tropics are all equally important to our island experience. To add a tropical element to your home you need to appeal to all five senses.

Most rooms beg for tactile attention, so start by adding throw cushions dressed in warm tropical motifs on sofas and chairs. Be sure to drape a cotton throw over the arm of a favorite chair or sofa colored in a cool watery hue to wrap up in on a cool afternoon. If your are in the mood for new end tables or a coffee table look to styles with heavily carved wooden bases and distressed tops finished with a dark tobacco-colored patina. Or perhaps try a leather trunk embossed with an old map of the sea. *Designer's Note: Coffee and end table do not need to match - in fact, a group of collectibles that work together rather than match is much more interesting that a room grouping that is predictable and "mixy-matchy".

Flank the fireplace with a pair of heavy rattan chairs. Have the seats and backs upholstered in sailcloth or a richly textured tropical print. Soften a hard corner in the room with an oversized palm or banana tree housed in a wicker basket or clay pot.

Hot tropical accessories include an arrangement of palm leaves in a glass vase rather than floral arrangements, and a group of glass bowls or cylinder vases filled with white sand and topped off with a tea light candle.

Be sure to include an ample supply of rattan picture frames filled with photos of you on holidays or postcards from your dream vacations.

Define the floor space by laying a sisal area carpet. The sisal provides a sand-like texture underfoot. If you're planning on giving a room a new paint job, look for sunny shades of yellow, rich taupes, fresh, modern sweet pinks, warm corals, daring intense berries, luscious mangos, bold reds and Caribbean sea blues. (Browns and blues look outstanding together)

Treat yourself to a lush, tropical island getaway this winter right in your own home - in a room that's packed with passion and heat.

DESIGNER SECRETS-To make a room feel roomier expose a lot of wall space, keep the furniture profiles close to the ground- for example, and loose the high back look of a wing chair. On picture frames, opt for wide mats to visually expand the space and under accessorize with less pieces but the few that you do use should be larger.

Conversely, to make a room feel cozier use lots of dark rich colours, larger, high back furniture pieces (this is the room for the wingback chair), oversized coffee and end tables filled with lots of fabulous accessories and heavy window treatments.

This and That

Bring a dark room to life with some green. Add an artificial plant complete with an up light (Available at do it centers) set in the plants container. The combination of the greenery and the light with lighten and brighten a dark corner.

Cheryll Gillespie is a nationally syndicated Design and Décor columnist and an eRenovate.com Expert.