Sophisticated Valentine’s Day Decor
If there is such a thing as a Valentine’s Day Grinch, it’s probably me. Don’t come at me for my three-sizes-too-small heart over here, but Robert and I don’t usually do Valentine’s Day gifts to each other or go out for a Valentine’s-specific date (random just-because dates are a regular thing though).
I don’t hang up XOXO banners or buy puffy pink heart pillows. (There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, it’s just not me.) We give little “I Love You” cards to our girls with some chocolate. And that’s pretty much it.

I don’t know why I am the way I am buuuuut I thought I would try a hint of Valentine’s this year.
So I did something a little different that would create something special around our family dinner table for the girls while using Valentine’s-like decor that could be used year-round too.

Capsule decor for the win!!!
(If you don’t know what the whole “Capsule Decor” concept is, it’s a minimalist approach to home decorating that emphasizes choosing items to use in a variety of ways and in most/all seasons. The result is spending less money on your decor, having more space for storage, and enjoying the flexibility of shopping your own house to rearrange items whenever you want.)
So I went on the search for sophisticated Valentine’s Day decor to appease that Capsule Decor mindset.

I ended up with these faux white tulips that look and even FEEL real. But they can last beyond Valentine’s on into spring.
These brass tapered candleholders are a continuous classic in my book.
This marble and gold tray works basically in every single room imaginable.
And even though this little wooden dish is heart-shaped, it’s not so “Valentine-y” that it has to be packed away 11 months out of the year.

I got this rose pink candle that smells absolutely amazing and transitions beautifully into spring.
And I found this “pinky promise” modern linear art in this ornate gold frame that I plan to leave out for as long as I want.

For this wooden bowl I already had, I just filled it with these rattan hearts that are neutral enough to stay there forever.

And last year, I crafted that hobnail vase and painted that weathered ceramic vase. For a little punch of red, I just dug these rust colored dried reed grasses out that I had used last fall.
Voila! Instant Valentine’s Day and not a Cupid in sight.
If you’re kind of like me in the “V-Day Grinch” department, I rounded up a bunch of my favorites that can work as Valentine’s Day decor and beyond into other seasons.




I stopped decorating for Valentines Day after my girls left the nest quite a number of years ago but then came grandchildren so special decorating for every holiday was done for them. This year with the Quarantine I put out a very minimalist ode to Valentines Day. An wooden angel holding a heart and some hand made Carolina pottery with heart design shapes.I used to have a heart shaped grapevine wreath but must have given it away to one of my daughters for her kids to decorate.
I love natural decorating. I have a birdbath out front. In December I float 2 bags of cranberries in the water. I leave it in until March. It’s a beautiful red. I get comments on it all the time. The birds don’t eat the berries. I thought they would.
Lauren…
Love your blog!! The closest V.day decorations I use are a few vintage postcards and some heart shaped rocks, I’ve found on the beach in Brookings Oregon over the years. Those rattan hearts are cute, I could mix them with my heart rocks…
I keep a roll of double faced red satin ribbon out after Christmas wrapping and tie a few touches here and there- and buy a bag of dove candy hearts and add a few on my dining room table- minimal for sure but enough……
Such pretty ideas. I think this is the only Valentine’s decor blog post I have liked. Most often it is just too much pink or red or cutesy. You really are talented. Your home is beautiful and your DIY projects are the best. Thank you for sharing.
AWE, Leslie! Thank you! ๐