Decorate your home, office or wherever else for Valentine’s Day to celebrate the holiday or for a party. Create a romantic atmosphere for a private party, a bubbly feel for a children’s party or a festive party for just about anyone. Purchase pre-made decorations or put your crafty skills to use and create one-of-a-kind decorations that make your guests gush with love.
Basics
Excessive use of the colors red, pink and white is practically required, although you can opt for other colors if you desire. Hearts, cupid, roses, lipstick kisses and common Valentine’s messages, such as “Love You” or “Be Mine” are ideas that can serve as specific inspiration for your Valentine’s decor. For example, use images of lipstick kisses in red and pink throughout the entire area you want to decorate, if you want to use that as a theme. Add in a few XOXOs and perhaps the occasional heart.
Walls and Ceilings
Balloons are an easy and fairly inexpensive way to cover the ceilings and wall areas. Use plain pink, red and white helium-filled balloons to float across the ceiling with dangling curling ribbon and add a few more with oxygen to decorate the floor space. Add heart-shaped balloons and arches near the walls for photo opportunities and added decor.
String streamers, tulle or heart-shaped miniature lights around the room. Make your own streamers by cutting a heart shape into a long, thin folded (accordion-style) piece of paper. Alternatively, you can cut out a variety of different hearts and thread them all through a single piece of ribbon.
Create huge cutouts of common Valentine’s Day shapes, such as cupid, conversation hearts or words–such as “love”–to hang on the walls.
Tables
Cover the tables with red, white or pink tablecloths. If you use white, consider making huge red heart-shaped place mats for each seat. Use plain white dishes or paper plates that feature hearts all over them. Glass stemware can boast heart charms, while plastic stemware can be decorated with heart-shaped faux jewels, stickers or other embellishments.
Consider leaving a favor box or heart-shaped pouch at each place setting for your guests. Fill the favor containers with candy, little love notes or heart-shaped candles.
Centerpieces
Grand, bubbly centerpieces will catch your guests’ attention and keep it. Fill large apothecary jars with silk rose petals, Valentine’s Day candy, beads, marbles or anything shiny and red, pink or white. Sink a red rose inside of a vase–weighed down with clear or red crystals–filled with water. Top it off with a floating candle. Hang roses, hearts or heart-shaped pictures of couples from pink branches (spray painted) with heart-shaped lights or crystals for a dramatic effect. Sprinkle the table with heart-shaped confetti, glitter or foil as a final touch. Add candles for a grown-up party or LED candles if you’re worried about a fire hazard.
Private Party
Decorate your bedroom for a private party for two. Replace your sheets with red, white or pink sheets, perhaps satin. Drape a plain sheet or blanket over the headboard, or attach pink or red fur-trimmed handcuffs if you’d rather create a naughty Valentine’s Day atmosphere. Heart-shaped pillows are another possibility.
Sprinkle rose petals on the bed, leading to the door and perhaps the bathroom if you’ve drawn a bath for two. Red, white and pink candles can light the entire room, as long as they don’t pose a hazard. Have a satin bathrobe, undergarments or pajamas waiting on the bed or near the tub.
Fill an old-looking bottle with paper hearts and love notes for your partner to read throughout the year. Heart-shaped chocolates or strawberries and cream can sit on a nightstand as well.
