Creating a romantic Valentine’s retreat

Valentine’s Day is special because it brings romance to the forefront.

“People don’t do romance every day,” says Tracy Sloat, who with her husband, Robert Elliot, owns the Inn at Glenstrae, a bed-and-breakfast tucked into Wichita’s Sleepy Hollow neighborhood.

The owners are tuned in to making the inn romantic no matter what time of year their guests visit, customizing play lists for the house-wide stereo system, serving chocolate- and cream-layered coffee topped with cinnamon, cleverly hiding the TV. Sloat and some other Wichita experts say you can re-create that atmosphere at home for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion.

Guests staying at the Delano Bed and Breakfast over Valentine’s weekend will have local chocolates and fresh flowers. One couple will be able to have breakfast in the greenhouse, which is just big enough to seat two at a cafe table.

“They can eat by the wood-burning stove surrounded by tropical flowers,” says Becky Miller, owner with her husband, Brent, of the Delano. “The oleanders have been blooming all winter, so the scent has been incredible.”

Flowers are a wonderful way to add color and softness to a bedroom, agrees designer Nina Schmidt of Interior Trends. While the rest of us probably won’t have access to oleanders, “simple things, even just clear little glass vases” of flowers will do the trick, Wichita designer Mary Pat Ayres says.

“After you take down the Christmas holiday decorations, it’s so barren,” Ayres says. “I look forward to Valentine’s Day to add some color back. I gather up anything that’s red-and-white or even silver. I like to do little groupings and vignettes.” That includes “sweet little silver frames” grouped together, which, for a romantic touch could include “maybe an old picture of the two of you together.”

Lighting, texture and sound go into the romantic atmosphere at The Inn at Glenstrae, Sloat says. Guests’ favorite music plays throughout the house and even out into the garden. “Music is so evocative.”

Being able to dim the lights is important, but can be hard to do romantically under modern LED or halogen lights, says Randy Kretchmar of Kansas Lighting. Older incandescent bulbs, which have been phased out from most store shelves, have a softer light and become more golden as they dim, he says. Newer bulbs do not do that.

But Kretchmar has a couple of secrets: You can still get incandescent bulbs at lighting stores and some good hardware stores – though the old 100-watt will be a 72-watt, and a 60 will be a 42, for less energy consumption. And a “warm dim” feature can be ordered from lighting stores for newer-type bulbs, though it is expensive.

Layering the lighting also adds ambiance, Schmidt says. That means getting rid of the ceiling fan over the bed and putting in a chandelier instead, and placing lamps at the bedside.

Ayres likes to change out lampshades according to the season or holiday to put things in a different light. Miller of the Delano Bed and Breakfast picks up old linens and lace at antique stores. “Drape that over the lamp,” she suggests. “It brings down the lighting and tones everything down and sets the mood.”

And don’t forget candlelight, of course. You can go with real flames or battery-operated ones. Just be careful if the candle is scented, Schmidt says, because the fragrance can become overwhelming. Potpourri is another way to add fragrance, Ayres says.

The heft and texture of the accoutrements of the Inn at Glenstrae add to the sense of occasion. White bathrobes, for example, hang from wooden hangers, Sloat points out. The espresso cups are of white porcelain seated on hefty pewter saucers. The TV – that hulk of mundanity – is not in view; it lifts out of a steamer trunk, though most people don’t even push the button to beckon it during their stay, Sloat says.

To soften the entrance to the inn’s upstairs bedroom and mark a change in atmosphere, pulled-back curtains frame the door. The bedroom is a tent-like alcove whose walls and ceiling are draped in canvas, where the sound of voices take on a new resonance and cozy goes to a new level.

Ways to get a softer feeling at home include an upholstered headboard and luxurious bedding, Schmidt says.

“I do love a nice pair of sheets,” designer Ayres agrees. “It doesn’t have to be satin, but just really soft, nice cotton.”

On top of the sheets, add a soft textured blanket, and place a plush down-filled duvet at the foot of the bed, Schmidt recommends. A faux fur or mohair throw can be the finishing touch.

“By using fresh linens, old real linen cloth napkins and real lead crystal with little ribbons tied around it, there’s just little things you can do,” Miller says. “The little details, they kind of add up, and you can create a real intimate, special environment. You don’t have to do a lot.”

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Creating a romantic Valentine’s retreat."