Valentine’s Day Table Inspiration

For many years, we would host our annual Valentine formal dinner party for 12 people. So why not this year? It took me all of January to recover from the holidays! And before I knew it, it’s February. Lack of good planning on my part. Instead, this Valentine’s Day table inspiration is a romantic setting for two.

What are your Valentine plans? Do you go out to dinner? Stay home and cook a special meal? Nothing?

This year, instead of it being “just another Friday”, I will be making a special dinner for just my husband and me. It is our first Valentine’s Day as empty nesters so it is important to make it unique, right?

Picking the Location

I always find it fun to dine in different areas of our home and property. So this year I selected our front hall to set the Valentine dinner table. We’ve never eaten here before. There is already an existing small drop leaf table and it was easy to just slide 2 chairs over from the adjacent dining room.

Setting the Table

Setting a beautiful table isn’t intuitive for me. I often try several different combinations of chargers, plates and glassware before it feels right. Being a visual person, I need to see it first before it gets the thumbs up.

Since the table is small and the chairs are upholstered, a runner seemed to be the best solution vs. a floor length table cloth. This pink double hemstitched linen one is from Williams Sonoma. It’s a bit long for this table and I experimented with fanning the ends out to tucking it in. I’m clumsy enough without additional tripping hazards!

I do like the look of a charger under the dinner plate. However, the first chargers I selected were way too big, so I settled on these brass ones. Next, what dishes to select?

My very first china set, Juliet from the Romance Collection by Royal Doulton is appropriate for this holiday. This discontinued pattern still brings me great joy. I love the tiny pink flowers in the pattern and consequently, pick pink crystal glasses to match..

If you collect pink glassware, you know the color of the glass can vary from shades of pink to almost orange. I selected the paler pink glass on the left to use as a water glass. The etched pink wine glass is from Pier 1.

Silver flatware tends to be my first choice, however, I am fond of this set because it picks up the gold tones on the plate (and doesn’t require polishing!). Napoleon Bee, by Wallace was purchased from Horchow. The gold accent flatware isn’t currently available at Horchow, however, it is on sale at Neiman Marcus.

I tried adding my Valentine garland as table decoration (see post here), but I really didn’t like it. Too kitschy plus it looks much better on the dining room mantel.

Candlelight is a must for a romantic dinner. These low profile brass candlesticks from West Elm are the right size for the table. If you are looking for great tapers, I also recommend West Elm’s.

Decorating the Room

Remember the pink and white balls I hung in the dining room for Christmas? (see blog post here). I thought they would be a fun addition to the front hall. Hung with fishing line, these few balls add a bit of whimsy to the table make the room feel special.

Flowers were a bit of a challenge as there isn’t a great deal of space between the plates. Using mercury glass votive holders from West Elm as small vases, the hydrangeas, wax flowers and greens provide the right height and filler. Fresh flowers from Safeway.

The Results!

Here are some other photos. As a result, I hope you are inspired to select a different location for your romantic dinner this week! Be creative!

If the weather is warm enough, we might even be able to leave the front door open during our candlelight dinner.

Happy Tuesday! Wishing you a glorious day!

This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #642

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