Valentine's Day at home
Replace clutter with quality
Once you clean up the clutter, it's time to replace it with carefully selected accessories that add visual appeal to the room and give it character. It's the small items you handpick yourself that will give it a special touch. This cupid's arrow sculpture was made from recycled auto parts by artist Miguel Mejia in Peru (Novica, $20) and it's perfect for display on Valentine's Day or year round.
Light up my life
If you have overhead lights, consider installing a dimmer switch so you turn the lights down without completely turning them off for romantic ambience. Another option? A small table lamp (Pier1, $89) can do the trick to set the mood.
Clear the air
A vase with a bouquet of fresh flowers adds more than just natural beauty to a room; flowers also add moisture to dry indoor air while potted plants recycle and refresh it. Try a bunch of pink peonies in these pretty blue-green vases (Target, $15 to $35) Afraid of the commitment required to take care of a living potted plant? Real succulents are easy to care for, but you can give these realistic-looking artificial ones a try (Crate & Barrel, $40).
Make your bed
Mami told you every morning as a child to make your bed, and while you thought it a pointless chore, know she was giving you good advice. An unmade bed contributes to a sense of chaos; a made bed with freshly cleaned linens, on the other hand, is a blissful thing to come home to at the end of a long day. Treat yourself further by investing in the best quality sheets you can afford. These Apt. 9 ripple bedding coordinates in coral (Kohl’s, $40 to $250) may be just what you're looking for.
Window to your soul
Curtains serve many purposes, from decorative to practical. On the practical side, curtains provide privacy, keep out unwanted sunlight while sleeping and contribute to energy efficiency. On the decorative side, curtains can help tie a room together and give it a finished look. Keep the colors of your bedding in mind when choosing curtains so that they compliment each other. Shown: Gatehill red grommet curtains (Kirkland’s, $35 for two panels).
Pretty as a picture
Don't neglect the walls when you redecorate. When choosing art for your bedroom, you need to take a few things into account besides just your personal tastes. The color of the walls, bedding and curtains, as well as the style and overall theme, should all play a role in selecting a painting or other type of wall art. Caliente 7 by Valerie Vescovi (Fine Art America, $52 for a canvas print) would work for a variety of palettes and is sure to inspire some bedroom salsa dancing!
