Not a hare out of place
These great table-dressing ideas will ensure your Easter feast with the family is super stylish, says
WHEN it comes to Easter-themed table settings, the dynamics are a little different to other celebratory dining moments.
Springtime signals cute chicks, adorable bunnies, bright blooms, beams of bright yellows, fresh greens, pastel hues and joyful tableware to match the sunny mood.
Here are some top tablescaping tips to make sure you hop to it...
EMBRACE COLOUR
Playing with pattern paints the rosiest picture, especially if you mix and match.
“The sun is finally shining, it’s time to embrace colour!” says Margo Kane, co-founder of tableware specialist Tableday. “Introduce bold hues through cheerful candles, patterned napkins and bunches of spring flowers like daffodils and tulips.”
“Pastels are perfect for spring,” suggests Margo.
“But don’t be afraid to add drops of bold primary brights. Vibrant yellow and fuchsia is such a fun pairing that perfectly captures the feeling of joy we get from the first warmer days.”
BLEND IN SOME NATURAL PIECES
With hedgerows blossoming, Margo suggests that we celebrate the reawakening of nature by bringing it home.
“Placemats, charger plates and napkin rings in materials like jute, wood and rope are an excellent match for brightly coloured napkins and candles, bringing natural beauty to your table.”
If it’s dry enough, Margo says to take blankets and lay your table outside.
“Birdsong and soft spring breezes
create a magical atmosphere for brunch or lunch.”
Along with blending, layering will add extra interest to your tablescape and as Sarah Fortescue, owner of Sarah Fortescue Design puts it: “A must-have for a beautiful table setting is a tablecloth. It’s an elegant addition, and a wonderful opportunity to use pattern.
“You can experiment with sea grass table mats,” says Sarah, “Or use pebbles or shells found on the beach
throughout the year to add family memories onto your Easter table.”
GO MATCHY-MATCHY
As much as we like to dress for dinner and co-ordinate everything just so, styling the table with similar themed decorations can be just as creative.
MAKE USE OF BUD VASES
“Spring means flowers!” says Margo. “Make the most of affordable bunches of daffodils and tulips with bud vases. Place three stems in each bud vase, and scatter around your table.”
Sarah agrees: “I love to display little vases I collect from local antiques shops, scattered down the table filled with crocuses and snowdrops, alongside ferns layered elegantly down the centre of the table.
“You can add contrast by including large glass vases filled with daffodils, and lots of candles set in groups, combining different heights and widths to create something special.”
THE HEIGHT OF GOOD TASTE
“A good tablescape has varying layers of different heights,” notes Margo. “Add an Easter-appropriate table decoration by filling candy dishes or cake stands with mini chocolate eggs or pastel macarons to match your table’s colour scheme, and feature in the centre of your table.”
Along with mini trees and centrepieces crowned with votives, a clever trick is to hang Easter decorations on twigs and branches. Easter wreaths can always be placed flat in the centre of the table with a pillar candle in the middle.
TIME TO SHELL OUT
“Eggs are the symbol of Easter, and there are many ways you can use them on your table,” says Margo.
“Create a DIY centrepiece by painting eggs in pastel colours and displaying in a wire basket. Or create whimsical placecards by writing each guest’s name on an egg and setting at their place in an egg-cup.”
Even better, Margo says to delight children and those with a sweet tooth by making it a chocolate egg “written on with a tube of icing, but don’t let them eat it until after lunch!”.