Hearts and Flowers

I don't always decorate for Valentine's Day – in fact I haven't done so on a regular basis since my daughter J was small. But I remember how much fun she and I had putting together her tea parties with hearts and flowers. So in the past few years I have once again begun decorating for Valentine's, although usually only in the dining room.

This year I wanted a soft approach to Valentine's, choosing delicate shades of pink and white as the basis for the design.

I've used simple white dinner plates with gold trim beneath salad plates covered with rose-toned and lilac blooms. The flowers' loose forms contribute, I think, to their romantic feel, as does the intricate damask of the tablecloth and our wedding silverware.

Cups and saucers in the same pattern will be used for dessert coffees that will go well with the red velvet cake Greg made for us. I love that he used a rose-shaped bundt pan and dusted it simply with powdered sugar. So perfect for Valentine's!

The cake plate belonged to Greg's grandmother, who often made cakes for family and friends. The pedestal plate also features pink and lavender flowers, and a lovely scrolling gold border. 

I stored the pillar candles with inlaid hearts after J's last tea party -- when she was about 9 or so -- which is why the wicks have never been burned.

Pink tapers (the only pink ones found on a trek through four stores – I had no idea I was buying the last two in north Georgia!) in crystal holders are joined by faceted crystal votives that I often use for winter tables.

Not wishing to go out in the pouring rain, I placed faux flowers down the center of the table. The pots are covered by leaves and tied with pale pink ribbons.

 

 

I also gathered the napkins in pink ribbons, one of my favorite ways to clasp them. You can find such beautiful ribbons in so many colors and textures that one is sure to fit your design.

 

Antique cranberry wine goblets with a swirl design will shimmer in the candlelight. They were used here with a decidedly different feel.

Foil-covered chocolates in a pretty silver Victorian bowl anchor one corner of the table.

 

In the opposite corner sits the red velvet cake. 

 

The faux roses were bought at least a dozen years ago. Quality silk flowers can be enjoyed for a long time.

The buffet was feeling a bit bare, so I added tulips in similar shades to a charming depression glass basket/vase.

 

The tulips are faux as well. They were the perfect complement to the potted flowers on the table (and did I mention the torrential rain we're having today? I had no desire to drive in notorious Atlanta traffic to find cut flowers!).

 

By removing the heart candles and candies, this is a tablescape design I could use throughout the spring whenever a little romance is in the air.

The sun peeked through the clouds a bit this morning so I was able to take another pic with better lighting. The dining room faces east, which is great for evening dinners and candlelight ambiance, but not so much for photos!

Table resources
Salad plates | Wedgwood 'Charnwood'
Stemware | Steuben 'Rose Swirl'
Flatware | Reed & Barton 'Eighteenth Century'
Cake pedestal plate | possibly made by Schumann-Bavaria for Rich's