If your family celebrates Easter, chances are you’ve got some great childhood memories surrounding the cherished holiday. One of mine? Hunting for Easter eggs. As soon as we got home from Easter Mass we headed over to my dad’s friend’s house, where I’d join their passel of six girls to scout for eggs while Dad and Mr. Loftin would crack open a beer while Mrs. Loftin and my mom cooked Easter dinner.
Easter is such a time of joy, when we sluff off winter, embrace the promise of spring and feel a bit like a kid again. Most of us don’t want to decorate as elaborately for Easter as we do for Christmas, instead focusing our homage to a few key spots. In my book “Entertaining in Style” I have included a photo of a tableau spotlighting farm eggs I set up in my living room.
Check out the Easter dinner table our design team created. Layered between the wicker place mat and the stack of plates is a faux cabbage leaf. Even when I set a formal table, I like to add an element of surprise, a bit of whimsy that catches guests off guard and makes them smile. These wipe-clean leaves do just the trick.
Every year at market, I find something that lights my heart on fire. This year, it was porcelain Easter-themed table accents: chubby bunny napkin rings.
One of my favorite ways to top a beautiful place setting is with a seasonal salad plate. I found majolica-inspired berry plates that are just the thing. While they seem especially appropriate for spring, you could use them year round.
Whether you are entertaining adults or children, add some table accents that delight, like these bunny salt and pepper shakers or the cute-as-a-button bunny egg cups. Both would make perfect take-home gifts for your guests.
Dress up a side table with a playful Easter tableaux. For one display, we started with a base of faux grass then topped it with a round mirror, a placid lake for our industrious Easter bunny to row across on his way to deliver eggs.
Here’s an idea from our design team for your mantel or a bookcase. Create a little forest with potted faux boxwood topiaries. Then, let little rabbit figures frolic below. Miniature scenes like these will captivate the little people in your home, and, quite possibly, more than a few adults.
This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity’s blog at www.nellhills.com. She can be reached at marycarol@nellhills.com.