The Perfect Rustic Tablescape for Valentine’s Day (plus a menu)

Hollaaaaaa!

I am so excited about this post. I love to not only design interiors, but also design areas of our daily lives, SUCH AS TABLESCAPES. I think I would be a really awesome wedding planner because I just get color. I love setting tables and creating different vignettes. I think I love this so much because I absolutely love cooking and I am really, really good at it. To me, cooking is just another art form. If you think about it, you’re taking raw materials and making something spectacular out of them. So you might as well nail the food plating and the atmosphere if you’re going to go through all this trouble!

Now for your tablescape! While I do admire the feminine setting, and I do understand that Valentine’s Day is a romantic day (HUBBA HUBBA), but I would rather have a more toned down version of a table setting if I am going to have a nice dinner with my partner. I think I’m also going to do another post for Galentine’s Day so then I can present to you some table settings that are truly beautiful and celebrate femininity.

For today’s post, I am focusing on what I would do for Valentine’s Day. We don’t make dinner reservations (BECAUSE NYC) and we usually celebrate the day on the weekend so I can have time to cook and we can spend more time together. I’ll include recipes that I usually make and how I would set the table for me and my boo. It’s rustic, it’s awesome, and it’s still romantic.

Here’s my inspiration:

Via Martha Stewart // Via Coco Lapine Design

I’m going for more of a tone on tone tablescape. Tone on tone is great when you want to add instant class to any space, or in this case, table. A tonal palette looks uber sophisticated and special because it gives the eye a break. Your eyes need breaks too, people! The serenity of a tonal palette causes your eyes and body to immediately relax…perfect for a romantic dinner when you just want to enjoy your meal and your company.

Pro Tip #1: The key to a successful tone on tone palette is texture and layers.

I’m currently working on a post teaching you how to get that Nate Berkus signature style. Spoilers: it’s a tonal palette with texture and layers. Look at the warm tonal palette on the top left. There’s wood, a slight herringbone pattern on the textiles, greenery, brass/gold flatware, a muted linear tablecloth, and delightful mix and match plates. The whole thing is perfect. Alternately, the cooler palette on the right lends itself to be more modern, minimal, and Scandinavian. That cool white slightly wrinkled napkin is sooo good. Even though the table cloth is just a plain white, there is a slight linen-like pattern that makes the whole table seem super relaxed. But there are also special elements that elevate the table such as the gold flatware and coordinating napkin ring.

Via Jenny Kayne // Via Sarah Sherman Samuel

One thing you will notice as a trend in my inspirational images is the emergence of special flatware and mix and match stoneware plates. When doing a tone on tone palette, you want something to pop and be really special. That is the key. So take your basic tonal palette, add some greenery, good metal accents like flatware and napkin rings,

Pro Tip #2: To elevate your table, use special flatware like gold or matte black.

Your everyday flatware is probably silver, right? Nothing wrong with that, but for a really special dinner, it’s pretty affordable to just buy 2 sets of flatware that’s special. Target sells some great ones for like $20. It really does help the overall design element because it is something new and unfamiliar. Also, silver flatware is super traditional, and now there are many more options for different colors. Matte black is a personal favorite and that’s also super modern and Scandinavian.

Pro Tip #3: Forget Grandma’s China. Use hand made stoneware plates.

Honestly, I’m not really sure anyone uses that special Bone China anymore. It’s a little outdated, unless the Queen is coming over. Then by all means, use your China for the Queen. But most people now days are just more casual and have little need for fancy dishware. Especially because most young people are flocking towards the cities (me) which means small apartments (also me) and zero extra space to store anything that won’t be used regularly (me x 10).

The trend now is less about mass production and more about artisanal touches. I believe that Etsy really made that possible. Before Etsy, were you able to shop directly from artisans? Probably not. Now, you can get BEAUTIFUL handmade stoneware made by an actual person. Yea, they do come with a price tag, but if you’re not ready to jump the gun on that, you can just get stoneware that looks handmade. I especially love the Hearth and Hand collection at Target…you know, by Chip and Joanna. Target also has some realllly affordable stoneware pieces including some great melamine that looks like stoneware. Don’t put your nose up at the mention of melamine. Melamine is a great option if you’re doing a picnic and don’t want to use paper plates. There’s melamine dishware that looks like stoneware and some that looks hand painted. We really do live in amazing times.

Ok, so now that you know where I’m coming from and learned a little bit along the way, are you ready to see what I set up for my own Valentine’s Day? Here it is! Everything is from Target, btw, so you can get the same stuff, young grasshopper. I’ve also included my menu, which would be a pret-ty pret-ty pret-ty good (said in Larry David’s voice) thing for you to make too. Have a great Valentine’s Day with your loved one(s)!