5 Valentine’s Day Home Decorating Ideas

I’m not usually one for decorating my home for, what I call, the “smaller holidays” (Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July.) Too much work. But, a couple days ago I went to turn my calendar to February and such a happy picture of heart-shaped cookies greeted me that I felt the urge to celebrate.

Valentine’s Day may seem like a cliché holiday, but you can’t argue that it does bring a bit of cheeriness to this blistery-cold winter. The cookies and chocolates. The flowers. The happy colors. (Well, I’m a fan of red at least. See title of blog). The sentimentality. It’s one day where I think it’s okay to be corny.

Even if you don’t have a special someone, you can still use Valentine’s Day to appreciate the other people you love. Write a cheesy poem for your best friend. Bake cookies for your co-workers. Give your doggie an extra treat and belly rub. And, why not decorate your house? You know, just a little. These five ideas are simple, not cheesy. You won’t find any corny plastic hearts or teddy bears here.

1. Accessorize with pink and red
You can’t beat free decorating. Simply reuse items that you already own to spruce up your home for Valentine’s Day. Add a touch of red, pink or white here and there. A pink pillow on the bed. A red blanket across the couch. Group books with pink or red covers together.

Or, you can create a display like I did above by assembling several Valentine’s Day-themed items together. Arrange your display on a dining room table, fireplace mantle or anywhere else you like. All of the items above were already around my house. Get creative and see what you can come up with!

2. Scrumptious cookie display
Break out that heart-shaped cookie cutter that you never use and, well, use it! Bake your favorite cookies, cut them into hearts and then place them in clear jars. Easy (and yummy) decorating. Display a row of the cookie-filled jars along your kitchen counter, or place a jar here and there around your home for a sweet surprise every time you walk into a room.

3. Flower power
Flowers can dress up your home subtly for Valentine’s Day. You don’t have to use roses, unless you want to. A bouquet of flowers is inexpensive and you can do a lot with just one bouquet. Check out my tips on how to arrange flowers and make the most out of your bouquet.

4. Temporary Valentine’s Day art
I actually stole the idea for this hanging collage from a friend who had her collage decorated for Valentine’s Day last year. It’s a great way to fill up a blank wall. All it requires is picture hanging wire, nails and small binder clips. (See instructions here.)

Use this easy hanging collage to display Valentine’s Day cards or love notes! You can also fill it in with any other pictures or images that contain a red, white or pink theme. You don’t need to spend any extra money on pictures. Just cut some out of magazines or make cute hearts out of newspaper. For the vintage lovers, I think it would be fun to mix in a few vintage valentines. Like these…

You can find them at antique and vintage stores right now! The best part about this collage? It can be completely temporary. Take it down after Valentine’s Day, or leave it up and just swap out the pictures.

5. Heart banner
Create a simple heart banner to drape across a mantle or bed headboard. It adds just a touch of Valentine’s Day whimsy to a room, without going overboard. You can create one out of supplies you probably already have on hand—newspaper, construction paper, cloth. Just search “heart banner” on Pinterest. There are tons of ideas!

I hope these ideas help you get your home festive for Valentine’s Day!