ROMANCING THE HOME FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

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Happy February friends!! I mean I feel like I just finished putting the Christmas decor away and blinked then January was over. For some reason it just flew by? This year, I transitioned from Christmas to some winter decor in various places. You can visit this post to see the tour Neutral Winter Home Tour. I’m not one to really go all out for Valentines day, in fact other than maybe a table setting I don’t even have anything Valentine related to decorate with. However, you don’t need much to add a few little touches to celebrate the month of love. So, in the spirit of inspiration I wanted to share a few ideas that might spark a little “love decor” in your own home. Keep scrolling for romantic home decor ideas!

When I think of Valentine’s day I think of a nice dinner, dessert and of course flowers and what better way to bring all of that together than with a fun table scape. So that’s all you really need to have your own little celebration right at home. As I said before, this girl doesn’t decorate with hearts or red and pink, but I have a few ideas to share with you that don’t require a huge shopping spree….

I love providing sources to where you can find the items I’ve used to achieve looks. This post contains affiliate links and for further information you can visit my disclosure statement here DISCLOSURE

I have 2 fun table setting ideas to share…..

 

Romantic French Theme…

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Bonjour mon ami, what could be more romantic than a little French flair? With this table setting I stayed with the classic black and white then added some soft blush pink. Starting with a striped (wrapping paper) table runner that’s reminiscent of a bistro awning. A simple floral arrangement using various tones of blush and some greenery gives the table a special romantic touch. Then large-scale candle holders anchor the flowers and the lit candles add a romantic and soft glow.

 

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When I set tables I love to layer place settings and add an unexpected element for visual interest and a little surprise. For this setting, I started with a black charger then tied in these beautiful script napkins topped with a simple creme dinner plate. Each guest gets their own pretty little bucket full of tulips. Instead of using the traditional Valentine conversation hearts, I added these chalkboard hearts with French sayings of love & gratitude.  Chalkboard clips with the guests names gives the arrangement a personal feel and makes your guests feel special .

 

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This theme would be great for a more fancy family dinner or a gorgeous and special set up for a ladies brunch or tea…I’ve recently heard there’s a new trend called “galentine’s day” so this would be s fun way to treat your girlfriends.

 

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Casual, Whimsical Theme…

 

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This table setting would be fun for a family dinner with kids, or a causal lunch with friends. Still keeping with the black a white basic set up, I’ve added some pops of red, starting with a simple centerpiece of bottles on lace doilies filled with red carnations. I decided to go with carnations instead of roses for an unexpected visual. I think the tall stems of mini flowers look like red polka dots in the air. The greenery just softens the look a bit and gives another element of texture.

 

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For the place setting, a heart sized salad or dessert plate ties in that pop of red and looks sharp on top of a creme colored plate flanked by the black plate. You can add another layer using simple paper doilies in various sizes and shapes. I have heart shaped ones on the plates and round ones under each bottle on the table. The striped napkins give another pattern visual and dress up the look a little bit, but also gives another fun element to the whole look, tying in the black.  To add some whimsy, pretty cupcakes on mini stands with a heart playing card adds another touch of red and a fun focal point for each place setting. You could also scatter the cards on the table or punch holes in them and tie them as napkin rings or around the centerpiece bottles.

 

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Romantic, Spring themed Mantle…

 

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The other area I decided to give a special valentines touch is the mantle. Its’ basically right in my entryway, so it’s a focal point that greets our guests. Since I really don’t use red in my decor, I kept with the blush tones bringing in a romantic look using flowers.

Start with a focal point~

First, I selected a sign as the focal point for the arrangement. Usually an item that is larger in scale that catches the eye first works well, like a sign, large piece of  art , basket etc. The chippy shutters help to flank and frame the sign I’m spotlighting.

 

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Use fewer items with a larger scale~

One of the biggest things I see that make a vignette not as appealing is the scale of the items used. Rather than using several small items gathered around the mantel, choose fewer pieces that are of varying heights and larger in scale. To add height, I have tall cherry stems in a heavier set pitcher and placed another small pitcher next to it to add more bulk. I always say your pieces should always have a friend or two so they don’t look lonely. Too many small items will make a vignette look cluttered and will confuse your viewer as to what they are supposed to be looking at.

 

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Stick with just a few colors that will compliment each other~

Be careful not to mix too many colors together or your arrangement will look cluttered or too busy and take away from your focal point. In this case I kept with the soft white then added blush tones as my color. To warm up the look a bit, I added some wood pieces with the tobacco basket and wood candle sticks to balance out the blush and white. The small touches of green just balance out and help the blush flowers look more realistic and pop against the green.

Balance your arrangement~

Be sure to avoid too many things on one side and nothing on the other. You can either keep the visual symmetrical and make both sides match, or do unmatched items on either side of your focal point. Just be sure your scale is appropriate and you don’t have a lopsided look . In this case, There are more items on the left of the mantel, so to balance the space, I added a floral waterfall display of more flowers to tie in the blush colors, add height to balance the opposite side, and to add more texture to an otherwise empty space.All together these items create a sort of “frame” for my focal point adding texture, color and visual interest.

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Sources for your convenience

Well friends, I hope you found some inspiration to bring a little love into your own home. Whether you are having a special dinner for two or a big, crazy kid party you don’t need to spend a lot or buy things just for the occasion. Try to incorporate with the things that you have, think outside the box a little and remember Valentine decor does not need to just be red hearts. There are many fun & easy ways to add a festive touch for this month of love (plus it’s a short month, so there’s that !) and I hope I’ve been able to help you with that.

As always, I really appreciate you visiting me here and always welcome your thoughts and questions. Feel free to share and pin any of the photos for future reference and I hope you’ll come back soon

Happy Decorating!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Romantic home decor ideas

February 3, 2018

  1. I love your different themes! It’s hard to pick my favorite but I especially love the black and white with romantic pink blooms. So beautiful! Thanks for joining our Friday Friends Parade!
    xoxo Jodie

    • txbittons@verizon.net says:

      Hi Jodie~
      Thank you so much. I loved joining your linky party and hope to continue. It’s so fun. Appreciate you my friend
      hugs
      ~Deborah

  2. Kristin says:

    Loved both of your table settings!! Both are so beautiful and inspiring and I love your pops on pink on your mantel!!
    Kristin recently posted…Valentine Round Up – Romancing The HomeMy Profile

  3. Jacqueline says:

    Deborah, your valentine table ideas are lovely! I enjoyed the heart table so creative. Thank you for opening your home and ideas.

    • txbittons@verizon.net says:

      Hi Jacqueline,
      You are so kind and I’m so happy you stopped by . I hope you’ll visit more and thank you for your sweet compliments.
      ~Deborah

  4. Michele says:

    Hello,
    Could you please let me know where you got those large black Hurricane candleholders.
    They would be a great addition to my Valentine’s Day table arrangement. I can’t find them anywhere.
    Thank you so much,
    Michele

    • txbittons@verizon.net says:

      Hi Michele,

      Unfortunately I’ve had them a really long time. They are from Pottery Barn and they no longer sell them. They do have some similar but not exact. I usually try to link the closest thing I can find if they are no longer available.
      Thanks for following along I appreciate it.

      ~Deborah

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