How to Add Daily Romance to Your Home
Don't we all wish our lives would be a little more romantic? January blahs are easily beat by adding some romance to your everyday! Looking forward to Valentine's Day is great fun, but why shortchange your life on romance by only celebrating it one day a year?
Make your day to day life more romantic by adding a few special touches to your decorating. Creating a romantic environment at home is all about aesthetics, comfort, and paying attention to a few small details.
Here are a few delightful and easy ideas for living romantically everyday to inspire you.
1. Create Special Daily Routines. Begin your day with beauty. I know you are so busy, but treat yourself as if you are staying in a luxury bed and breakfast. Chances are you are the one who spoils everyone in your home, you can do the same thing for yourself!
Instead of serving yourself coffee or tea from an old mug, take the time to pour your drink of choice into a pretty porcelain cup. I have a tray set up "at the ready" on one of our kitchen counters, mainly for when someone drops in to visit, but I use the sugar pot and creamer to add milk to my daily cup of coffee.
One of my resolutions this year is to go back to having a cup of tea and at least a 10 minute rest every afternoon. Even if you didn't inherit your grandmama's porcelain tea cup collection, you can invest in your own collection, one cup at a time! Drinking Earl Grey tea in a beautiful antique cup is a special treat all on it's own! {and on Sunday afternoons, I vow to bring out the silver and a little treat to share with whoever may be at home. }
2. Add Flowers. Not just for Valentine's Day, treat yourself to beautiful flowers once a week. You can buy flowers at your market, or pick some from your garden, it doesn't matter. A little vase or silver container filled with the fresh, romantic beauty of flowers makes every room look special.
A beautiful way to display your market bouquet is to separate the flowers into small bunches, or singles. Just trim the stems and place a few flowers into several small vases or glass jars. You can tuck these little bouquets on your bookshelf, a single rose by the sink in the bathroom, on your dining room table.
Your flowers don't have to be a hotel arrangement to make an impact. A single rose, tucked into a florist water tube laying on a stack of your current favorite books is a sweet reminder of the beauty of nature. There are times when your flowers don't even have to BE flowers! A few fern fronds, with their cheery, bright pop of green are enough to add a touch of garden romance.
3. Create Soft Lighting Effects. Dim your overhead lights, and light a few candles. Even three votives placed on the mantel will add a soothing, romantic glow to your home. In winter months, a scented candle burning brightly in the kitchen adds a wonderful scent. I try to remember to light a candle in the living room just as it gets dark to welcome John home. Somehow it seems to calm the "rush rush" of every day, and signal to us that it's time to relax and enjoy some comforting time at home.
I know those battery operated candles are so trendy right now. Me? I use those only outdoors, since you can "time" them. But inside, there is nothing like a beautiful taper candle in and antique candlestick to create an atmosphere. Be sure to trim your wicks, so that the candles don't smoke. Get a box of those little tea lights, they burn for a few hours, and when you place one inside a glass votive cup, they are practically no maintenance, they just go out once the wax is all gone.
4. Make Every Dinner Special.
Those of you who have read my blog over the years know that here at home, it's all about fairly simple, healthy and delicious food, served in a beautiful way.
Even if tonight’s dinner is not up to a French chef's standards, you can make your mealtime delightful by adding a few romantic touches to your table.
If you’re in the mood to go all out, pull out all the stops and layer your table with an antique cloth, your china and silver.
But it doesn't have to be quite that fancy, a simple table can work too!
This table from a while ago is covered in kraft paper, antique French flatware, and French glasses. Since it was for a dinner with friends, a little ring of rosemary from the garden on every plate adds a touch of romance. Even without the rosemary rings, the three glass bottles {from my coffee drinks!} holding a market bouquet of flowers divided in threes makes a weekday dinner special!
5. Rest in Bedroom Beauty.
Spoil yourself with a beautiful bed. After a long hard day, seeing your beautiful bed made up with gorgeous linens makes you feel like royalty!
At home our antique French bed is dressed in amazing Belgian Linen, all white, and filled with plump pillows you can sink into.
In the master bathroom, display some of your favorite antique linen hand towels in an antique wash bowl, add a few soaps, and romance has come to your "washing your hands" place!
I hope you are encouraged to spend just a little time thinking about what you could do to make every day a little more beautiful, and romantic!
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DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE WAY TO ADD ROMANCE TO YOUR EVERY DAY LIVING? Please share it with us!
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Marianne Braun
February 28, 2017
It’s a delight to receive your messages, They bring so many lovely ideas and a treasure trove of French
items. You are often a bright spot in my day.