Your Kitchen - Making Valentine’s that Little Bit Sweeter
We are all desperately seeking the positive things, right now.
An excuse to brighten our days and have a little more fun.
And, staying home means we are using our kitchens way more than we have in the past – they are the hub of our entertainment. We are cooking, working, Zooming from them. So, with it being Valentine’s Day on Sunday, here are a few more things we can do in the kitchen! Things that I can publish, anyway … ! Things that can make the kitchen that little bit more romantic. Things that can make our weekend a little more colourful.
Collins Bespoke Showroom, Old Surrenden Manor, Bethersden, Kent
Flowers
Let’s start with flowers – obviously. Flowers are beautiful and cannot help but brighten our rooms and make us smile. They freshen up the kitchen and bring positivity. They smell wonderful and sweet. Scattered bunches around the kitchen splash it with colour - reds and pinks, for those loving traditional romance. I often fill out my flower vases with laurel and eucalyptus leaves and branches from my garden. So I can have more colour about the room - more for the children to knock over … but they’re so pretty, while they are still standing.
Lighting the Mood
Lighting – candle-lit dinners are great for easy romance – unless you are parenting small children. So, dim the lights, if you can. Many of our most recent kitchen designs have paid a huge amount of attention to lighting details – a specific light feature can create so many moods. A low-lit pendant lamp can make a kitchen seem sultry and sexy. A perfect Valentine’s environment.
The lighting effect - our Kendal House kitchen.
If Music be the food of love …
Play on
I love to play music in my kitchen. It so easily acts as a catalyst for moods. Unless I am trying to calm a 6 year old. But, make the kitchen homely and sensual with some chilled tunes. Personally, I am loving a bit of 80s’ disco and soul, right now. Reminding me of the really, really easy days.
And, eat on
Get baking and making – the gorgeous smell of sweet treats is enough to get the mouth juices flowing. Check out Kent magazine Inside Kent’s February issue (with the really wonderful kitchen on the front cover!) Pages 57-63 have some great ‘Date Night Delights.’ Cook up a ‘stay-at-home’ three course meal from a local restaurant - I know The Wife of Bath in Wye, Kent and Rocksalt in Folkestone have been offering these locally - opportunities to recreate wonderful top dining in your kitchen. But, if you like simple, I found these lovely Valentine’s dark chocolate date and brazil nuts – a particular favourite of Mr C’s - from Nutrition Rocks a few years ago. Being a health and fitness fanatic, these score well. They keep the children occupied too, if enlisted to help make them!
Who can forget the Cocktails?
Valentine’s may be more romantically associated with sparkling wine but not in my house. I am a cocktail fan. I stumbled across this wonderful concoction, earlier this week – the ‘Love Martini’ created by Picture the Recipe. I think that it being made from fruity and coconutty ingredients is why I love it so much – a little exotic, a little romantic, a little vodka … - and, decorated with a little strawberry love heart.
But, most of all - it may be because I am long-time married and I am a working-from-home-mum-right-now (many, many understand!) none of these take much effort. But work wonders.
Bonus!
Happy Valentine’s Day, you gorgeous lot.
Gem