Since life in the 21st century is largely defined by our collections of singular experiences, why not craft a memorable Valentine’s evening with these tweaks to your home?
The international day of romantic love has been celebrated in pretty much the same way for decades – even before most of us reading this were conceived – with intimate dinners and other amorous gestures planned weeks or months beforehand in the hopes of sparking or stoking the flames of romance.
But if you've neglected to make plans for Valentine's Day, there are a few things you could do to prepare your home for a date to remember.
Get everyone else out of the house
The saying “two’s company, three’s a crowd” has been a proverb since the 16th century for a reason – nothing disrupts a romantic atmosphere more than a third wheel.
Or a fourth, fifth, and sixth wheel.
If you haven’t yet secured a sanctuary for yourself, it is absolutely imperative that you plan on getting every other living being out of the house before doing anything else.
Implore family members to go on errands, exile inquisitive housemates for the evening, and board needy pets – for the best results, no one but animals that can look after themselves should be left in the home.
If it's well-behaved, the cat can stay.
Adjust the ambience
Quick fix: turn off all the lights and fire up some candles.
Once you’ve got everyone out of the house, consider the ambience – arrange furniture to enable multiple points of relaxation through the course of the evening, turn up the air conditioning if the weather is warm, light up some incense (or fire up the aroma oil diffuser), put on some music, and in the immortal words of Bob Marley, “turn the lights down low.”
Set some captivating visuals
If there are some electronic screens around, put them to use by displaying a fireside background from YouTube to augment the ambience – or put on an old movie to enjoy with a bowl of popcorn.
Create relaxing corners
Your evening’s plans will no doubt lead from the foyer, through the living room, into the dining space, and – if your luck holds out – beyond. Place a loveseat (a two-seater sofa) wherever seating may be lacking, arrange single-seat furniture in pairs and in close proximity to each other to facilitate a sense of intimacy.
Prepare a meal
Nothing says “provider” better than being able to prepare a decent meal – with bonus points to be had for being able to converse, cook, and look good doing both at the same time. Memorise recipes or watch some cooking videos beforehand to get a better feel for the required tasks and to enable you to occasionally engage in some longing gazes.
If cooking is beyond your abilities, there are a multitude of food delivery service providers to cover that end. An attractive table setting, or – if the weather permits – an inviting glamping site or a simple moonlit picnic may compensate for a lack of culinary skills.
Perhaps some of you homebodies would prefer an evening of “Netflix and chill” instead? Or if you’ve got other ideas, feel free to drop us a message and share.
