How to set a romantic
table for Valentine’s Day

Which are the ingredients for a textbook Valentine’s Day? Each couple will have their own way of celebrating their love, but certainly a beautiful romantic table for two cannot be missed. Think of the menu with your favorite dishes, but also of creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere to make you feel at ease. If you choose to celebrate it at home, it will be up to you to take care of every detail to amaze your partner. Ready to review the art of the table?

A romantic evening does not require a too formal or elaborate mise en place. Just focus on the essential elements and create a harmonious whole to ensure the best effect on your DIY romantic table. Before starting, the Hamletic doubt about how to position the seats in a dinner for two should be resolved: one next to the other, or facing each other? We suggest you opt for the latter, so as to guarantee you strong eye contact – which should not be marred by candles or centerpiece decorations that are too high and intrusive. The ideal is to use a square table and not too large, but a rectangular table will also be fine by setting only one end using a runner instead of the classic tablecloth. The choice of seats also plays an important role: upholstered chairs or armchairs are the ideal choice to create a romantic and welcoming atmosphere for the evening.

How to set the table for a romantic dinner depends a lot on the environment and the menu you want to serve. Stay on the classic in the city, or opt for rustic elements if you are in the countryside. In any case, your table will have to talk about you and your love. The starting point is the tablecloth, in linen or cotton with a preference for soft and delicate colors. The choice of a runner that leaves part of the table uncovered is also very nice, especially when you can count on a precious solid wood top or SuperMarble.

Combine a simple but good quality dinner set, stem glasses and perhaps vintage cutlery to give a fairytale touch to the table. Here’s how to arrange them: to the right of the plate place the knife and spoon (the latter only if you will be serving dishes with broth), while the forks go to the left. The glasses are on the top right, a larger one for water and goblets for toasting. The etiquette would like the napkins to the left of the forks, but on the table of a romantic dinner they can also be placed in the center of the plate, perhaps closed by a ribbon to which you can tie a small symbol with a special meaning for you, linked to a memory or something that it unites you in a particular way. The water will go into a nice carafe, the wine can remain in its bottle or be poured into a decanter.

The classic centerpiece can be replaced by a few candles to be placed on the table alternating them with small vases to fill with your favorite flowers: this is the element that most of all can give personality to your table, so green light for the most creative ideas.

Another element to pay attention to when organizing a romantic dinner is lighting, which is essential to create the right atmosphere. It must be crucial, therefore focused on the table, but never too strong or intrusive. A small chandelier or a floor lamp with adjustable brightness will be for you. A reasoned background music selection and a pleasant scent, to be diffused in the environment using an incense or a natural spray very lightly, are other attentions that will certainly be appreciated for a successful romantic dinner.