Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Have you booked that enviable cozy banquette set into a discreet niche in your city’s most romantic restaurant? If not, sorry Charlie, you’re too late! At this point in time you will be lucky to score a booth at Applebee’s, which in all directness won’t score the points you’re aiming for. But don’t fret, you have style, vision, and … just enough time to pull together your own highly personal romantic venue. And I’m here to help: feast your eyes and senses upon these delectably seductive dining rooms, the ne plus ultra in romancing the table.
Alidad’s own London dining room is the ultimate lover’s delight in fine dining. The walls are paneled with antique mirror set with rows of candle sconces, and the elegant table, draped with decadent crimson velvet flowing to the floor, is set with gleaming silver, crystal and overflowing roses. A celestial nightscape twinkles overhead. This very well could be le ne plus ultra – you need not look further! Photo courtesy of Alidad.
David Hicks’ pink and red confection for his dining room at Britwell in Oxfordshire. From David Hicks: A Life of Design by Ashley Hicks.
There’s nothing more intimate than sharing a loveseat in a well-appointed dining cabinet designed by Nicky Haslam. Architectural Digest. Photo by Andrew Twort.
Manuel Canovas’ antique rose painted dining room sets a romantic tone for a Valentine’s Day brunch. From The French Touch by Daphne de Saint Sauveur.
Neoclassical splendor in Bruno de Caumont’s intimate Marais dining room. House & Garden; photo by Pascal Chevalier.
If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a warm climate on Valentine’s Day what’s better than al fresco dining surrounded by romantic candlelight, as seen here on Bruno de Caumont’s terrace in the Marais. From Parisian Interiors by Elle Decor, 2008. Photo by Joel Laiter.
Want to get closer to your Valentine? Set a very small dining table, as Andrew F. Tauber did in his New York City apartment, c. 1978. Architectural Digest. Photo by Irving Schild.
The setting of Craig Wright’s dining room in his previous West Hollywood home is dripping with romance: wall-mounted vases filled with pale pink roses, flanking niches holding elaborate Italian candlesticks, surround a table straight from an Italian villa elegantly set with buttery roses, starched linens, fine china, crystal and vermeil flatware. From Los Angeles: A Certain Style by Pilar Viladas. Photo by John Vaughan.
Don’t try this at home – go to Venice! May and Axel Vervoordt’s magical dining room in their Venetian palazzo. Architectural Digest. Photo by Mario Ciampi.
Andrew Fisher and Jeffry Wiseman channeled the luminous quality of Venice in their own Nob Hill dining room. Elle Decor. Photo by Grey Crawford.
Thomas Britt sets a theatrical stage fit for a Roman Emperor in his New York City dining room. Architectural Digest. Photo by Jaime Ardiles Arce.
Palatial inspiration, le goût Rothschild, compliments of Geoffrey Bennison, 1983. The World of Interiors. Photo by James Mortimer.
Modern nocturnal glamour informed Hubert de Givenchy’s Paris dining room, c. 1978. Architectural Digest. Photo by Pascal Hinous.
François Catroux’s dining room, c. 1979, in his previous Paris residence remains one of my favorite romantic rooms. All of the elements are present: intimacy, mood, and classic chic elegance. House & Garden. Photo by Michael Boys.
A table for two in a dining room designed by Kalef Alaton in the early 1980’s stands the test of time with his simply classic chic style. Architectural Digest. Photo by Charles S. White.
Easy enough to pull off: an intimate table set for two in the library will show your mate just how smart you are. And don’t forget to buy shades for your candlesticks! Miles Redd; House Beautiful. Photo by Thomas Loof.
Oh my take me away…what amazing and beautiful dining rooms and table settings…thank you for such lovely inspiration!
Victoria
I think we need at least five homes to fulfill all of our design fantasies, Victoria! I know your Valentine’s table will be just as beautiful, with all of your crystal and blue-and-white Chinese porcelain. Happy Valentine’s Day!
CW