13 of the most romantic rooms from the pages of House & Garden

Rooms to melt the heart…

14 February 2025

In the main bedroom of this south London home designed by Pandora Taylor, a romantic canopy bed is constructed from ‘Washed Linen’ fabric from The Cloth Shop, and the headboard is ‘Tendril Vine’ from Soane. The sofa is antique, with upholstering in Susan Deliss' ‘Sprig’ in red and blue. The curtain add to the comfortable, enveloping atmosphere; they are ‘Pomegranate Fresco’ in Marina by Lewis & Wood.

Astrid Templier

A romantic interior is not necessarily one which sets the scene for romance (though that may be a by-product), but one which conjures up emotions similar to that of love. Nostalgia, fondness, calm, and contentment are some of the feelings that sit in the middle of the ‘interior design / romance’ Venn diagram. What gives a room this sensibility is arguably a subjective thing. A quick survey throws up many interesting answers. For House & Garden contributor Ros Byam Shaw it’s ‘that irresistible Game of Thrones frisson of a medieval tower with gothic windows and stone tracery; an open fire described as burning fragrant pine cones and applewood; candles in candelabra reflecting in the diamond pane glass of the arched windows, one of which has a deep window seat set into the thick stone walls’ that evokes a dream-like, romantic image.

The interior designer Nicky Haslam’s idea of a romantic room contains many of the same elements - namely ‘deep shadows and low lights, unopened books by the fireside and overblown pink roses’. Others are either more personal - ‘unopened letters and the smell of used tennis balls’ or far less commonly found in an interior - ‘the sound of doves cooing’. For Nina Campbell, it’s all about lighting: ‘soft lighting as opposed to harsh lighting, is most the important thing, the rest can be dealt with but bad lighting is very hard to come back from!’, she says. Despite these personal preferences, there are some generally-accepted things which make for a ‘romantic’ room. Flowers - whether real or printed onto fabrics - are one of them, airy, flowing curtains another. Lighting, as we have learned, is also key here: one is certainly looking prettier and feeling more relaxed under the soft flicker of candlelight than the fluorescent lighting of a hospital, for example.

With Valentine's day upon us, we take a trip through the House & Garden archive to find the rooms that most perfectly capture this spirit.

Fritz von der Schulenburg
1/12
This Normandy manor house was carefully and elegantly restored from a derelict state by its current owner and is complemented by its formal garden, originally designed by Russell Page to equally exacting standards. The rich colour scheme is underscored by the Indian-print French fabric on the walls, used to create a 'cornice' and 'dado'.
Fritz von der Schulenburg
2/12
The two single four-poster beds were purchased in the States. The frilly white fabric, arranged to create an arched canopy, makes for a space that feels deeply luxurious and comfortable.
Lucas Allen
3/12
Edward Bulmer's painstakingly restored Queen Anne house is packed romantic influences. In the main bedroom, a chinoiserie wallpaper picks up on the colour of the bedframe, which matches the cornicing and wallpaper.
Christopher Horwood
4/12
This fairytale-like bathroom in Radborne Hall, one of the last remaining John Fowler interiors, has new curtains that tone with Cole & Son’s original ‘Trellis’ wallpaper. This had been damaged, but was touched up by Colchester Lister Associates.

James Fennell
5/12
The interiors of Bowhill in the Scottish Borders, one of the seats of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, have a rich and colourful history, along with one of the most impressive private art collections in the country. The duchess' boudoir is adorned with a profusion of silks, passementerie and needlepoint.
Paul Massey
6/12
Thirty years on from a life-changing meeting with the man who was to become her husband, the Scottish-born Amelie, Duchesse de Magenta, remains at the helm of the Château de Sully in Burgundy. In the bedroom, the decadent bed is footed by a coral Gustavian-style bench.
Simon Upton
7/12
Another John Fowler classic, white bedding in the bedroom of Bowood House provides a crisp contrast to the chintz in the Lake Room; the curtain pelmet is in a traditional swagged style.
Gavin Kingcome
8/12
A toile de Jouy wallpaper and matching fabric from GP & J Baker create a romantic schemein decorator Imogen Taylor's bedroom in France, which opens onto the garden. The French marble-topped secretaire was a present from John Fowler.

Miguel Flores-Vianna
9/12
A room in the eighteenth-century French-inspired Rococo manor house Svindersvik, built in the 1740s by Swedish architect Carl Hårleman, who was also responsible for the interiors of Stockholm’s enormous royal palace. In the master bedroom, the lively floral Chinese wallpaper is charmingly offset by cotton gingham upholstery and curtains.
Michael Sinclair
10/12
A dilapidated Georgian house in London's East End was given a new lease of life with historically accurate shades of paint made by owner Pedro da Costa Felgueiras. The kitchen is imbued with a spare, quiet kind of romance.
Christopher Horwood
11/12
Despite its compact space, this south London flat on a pioneering 19th-century estate is both pretty and practical thanks to the imaginative decoration of Carlos Garcia. A chimneypiece in Fenwick & Tilbrook's ‘Caspian’ and a Pooky lamp complement Carlos's ‘Hibiscus’ saffron wallpaper and fabric.
Christopher Horwood
12/12
In a bedroom in Radbourne Hall, Claremont provided the majority of the fabrics. The bedside tables, headboard and bed corona are all original and were painted by George Oakes.