It’s almost Valentine’s Day?  It’s almost Valentine’s Day!  Same sentence, but one is a question and the other a statement.  In either form, they can be found distressing for those of us who just finished packing up all our delicate Holiday decorations.  It’s hard to believe that it is indeed time for another Holiday to celebrate and of course, decorate for.  So back to our initial question and statement… if you’ve felt overwhelmed and found yourself muttering that same sentiment recently, then take ‘heart’ (I couldn’t resist) because we’ve got the perfect decorating cheat sheet to treat your home and all who dwell within to Cupid’s romance.

Valentine’s Day is the only Holiday totally dedicated to grand gestures of romance.  But what do we really know of this day besides an abundance of hearts, candy and flowers?  I found myself questioning the significance behind this holiday and the results of my research were quite enlightening to say the least.  In addition to that, my new understanding of the significance of Valentine’s Day aided my quest in finding new ways with which to incorporate romance into home décor.

Today’s Valentine’s celebrations evolved from a Roman pagan festival; which was Christianized in the mid 200’s(AD) by Pope Gelasius.  This ‘newly reformed’ festival was championed by a priest living near Rome, by the name of Valentine.  St. Valentine became well known by aiding young couples in love and marrying them in secret, in defiance of a royal marriage ban.  Roman Emperor Claudius II brought about this ban in hopes of strengthening his armies because he felt married soldiers loyalties were often divided.  In his mind a married soldier’s heart pines for loved ones left behind, thus leaving only their brawn for war.  St. Valentine was ultimately arrested for these secret acts of love, imprisoned and put to death.  However, while he was incarcerated, he fell madly in love with the jailers’ blind daughter.  During his incarceration, his jailer requested that he heal his daughter’s sight and by his faith, St. Valentine miraculously restored the sight of his beloved.  Valentine was given a chance to save his life by the emperor if he renounced his faith, which he did not.  Before his execution, some of the couples he had married brought him letters of love and gratitude along with flowers while he was jailed.  As he prepared for his fate, he penned his own love and farewell note to the jailer’s daughter entitled…‘From Your Valentine’.   And so we’ve come full circle learning this holiday’s true significance regarding love notes to our Valentine.  St. Valentine…the friend to lovers and a man who believed Love was worth dying for and dying for love is the ultimate sacrifice, is it not?   So let this new appreciation for a holiday created from L O V E inspire new ways to honor your loved ones throughout your home this Valentine’s!

Once you’re in the right frame of mind, it is quite easy to allow the hallmarks of romance to enhance your décor.   Last year we discussed some unique ways to convey the feelings of love into your home interior and we’d like to expound upon that theme by offering ways to honor LOVE by spreading romance around your home.  It can be as simplistic or romantically gaudy as you delight.  Just remember to find the things that really speak to your own romance and then have fun expounding upon them.

More and more persons are having fun experimenting with decorating their homes for Valentine’s.  You’ll be delighted to know that a few of cupid’s special romantic touches interspersed throughout your home can go a long way towards breaking up the monotony of winter and your love life.  Spur your romantic decorating creativity with… memories!    Do you and your Valentine have a favorite song you love to dance to?  Then why not pull a few chosen lines from your favorite song to decorate with this Valentine’s?  Write them on a mirror with an erasable marker and build on that theme throughout your home.  Search your memories for that particular movie or special event where you fell in love.  Did you save those ticket stubs, program, napkin, etc.?  If so, frame them and display it prominently on a table and add other memory trinkets to show your Valentine how much that event means to your romance.  For instance, you fell in love on trip to Paris, then by all means bring out a few pictures of that trip:  a plane ticket, a saved dinner menu, etc and display them in specialty frames or sitting on tabletop pedestals.  Maybe accent a few with a delicate ribbon.  Add in a few candy hearts or chocolates in a dish and finish the table with fresh rose petals around your tablescape to complete your very own, Romance Memory Tablescape.

Valentine’s is not just for couples; your children and pets in your home also like to be appreciated and remembered on Cupid’s Special Day, too!  So if your family number has been blessed, why not expound upon this Romance Memory Tablescape to include your entire family?  Decorating with words is an interior designer’s pot of gold these days, so incorporate your favorite words or saying into your romantic memory tablescape.  A perfect phrase to get your romantic creativity going would be…. ‘All Because Two People Fell in Love’.   What could be more appropriate than to print this saying onto delicate vellum paper and have it framed prominently or write it with erasable ink onto a glass surface or mirror as a backdrop?  If you’ve got a large enough tablescape you can even write it with rose petals for the ultimate romantic flair.  Enjoy incorporating the many milestones of your love & family into a tablescape in honor of Valentine’s.  Start off with different layers of memories to display:  a picture of you and your spouse on your first date, your wedding portrait displayed in a romantic picture frame, etc.  Add in other pictures of family milestones:  your child’s (or children’s) birth, anniversaries, birthdays or that special day you brought home a new pet into your family.  Each picture will evoke the memories of love and when it is all complete; what a fitting tribute to love it will be, because your pictures will delightfully trace the blessings that resulted from two persons falling in love.  I can see the romantic wheels turning in your minds eye right now, but just remember as with any of these memory tablescapes to incorporate as many different colors and textures that you find to be romantic.  Always group your décor items in odd numbers and display them at varying height levels for that ultimate designer touch!  Once you’ve got the pictorial basis for your tablescape, let your creativity run wild adding romantic layers of flowers or ribbons, etc. for that perfect finishing touch.

We’ve got a few fantastic topiaries and centerpieces with which you could purchase to help build your Romance Memory Table.  Our floral topiary selections with fruit or moss or various Southern-Charmz centerpieces like our gracious hydrangea and berry centerpiece or reflective green sheet moss designer mirrors are a great palette to define a design area.  Our mirrors are also great additions for reflecting ambient romance lighting or decorative canvas for writing your favorite Love Passage.  Once you’ve got your table set and there’s room, why not take rose petals and spell out the word, L O V E on the tabletop to weave in and around your specialty pictures or décor items?  Or, you could arrange a few delicate rose petals into the shape of a heart? (See Picture 1) We’ve got a nice picture below for reference of this idea.  Not only will this addition add another dimension of color and texture to your tablescape, it will also add a delicate floral fragrance of romance to your home, too.  Our romantic pictorial centerpiece below (See picture 2) showcases one more way to create a unique decorative centerpiece with rose petals.  Take a collection of winter pine cones and punctuate them with a few birch branches into a simplistic ceramic urn for a stunning winter display and add a spice of romance with a circlet of delicate rose petals around the base of the urn for a special romantic charm.

In conclusion, you want your holiday decorating this Valentine’s to honor your love or loved ones by appearing polished, but not be so stiff that it lacks the ability to convey the vibrancy of your love.  Your attention to detail will remind your Valentine of the depths of your love, resulting in a whispered, ‘I LOVE YOU’ throughout your home.  As you get in the mood to celebrate the most romantic month of the year, you’ll amaze yourself with how easy it is to create these Romantic Memory tablescapes, which you may find the need to incorporate into your décor year-round.  Let’s face it, who couldn’t delight in a visual reminder of the fruits of love displayed year round?   Plus, all you future brides-to-be out there take special notice to these decorating ideas, too!  What better way to showcase your love at a wedding reception or bridal shower than have a memory tablescape display of your romance for all your guests to enjoy.   Mom’s-to-be, these are also great decorating ideas for baby showers, too!  What an easy and inexpensive way to decorate your special event that is so personalized, that it is sure to be a highlight of your wedding/shower event and a new ‘treasured memory’ in the minds of all who get to enjoy your romantic display.  As always, thank you for reading and making Southern-Charmz Interiors online home décor store and our companion Charmed A.S.A.P. your one-stop shop for all the latest southern décor designs to purchase and go-to reference in all the latest design trends. Happy Valentine’s!

 Picture 1:

   A rose petal heart design idea for your Valentine’s Table Decor.

 

 Picture 2:

    Southern-Charmz Interiors 

         Valentine’s Romance Centerpiece:    

Classic ceramic urn filled with winterized pine cones decoratively punctuated with birch branches and circlet of multi-hued, fresh rose petals around the urn base for that special romantic flair!