With springtime and the opportunity for “hue renewal” being just around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to share some inspiration for how you can integrate fresh colors and a taste of Easter into your decor without looking like a PAAS easter egg dye kit or a box of peeps exploded in your home.
Here are a few ideas which I hope will get your creative juices flowing while helping you think of ways to refresh and renew your tablescapes and interior decor this spring:
The Peacock Palette
Photo Compliments of ProjectWedding.Com
As I began writing this blog and looking for inspiration, Mother Interior happened to tell me that a family of peacocks recently took up residence at her hill country home (much to her Golden Retriever’s chagrin!) What perfect timing, and again, serendipity is afoot…
Did you know that Christians adopted the symbol of the peacock to represent immortality? It is also associated with the resurrection of Christ because it sheds it old feathers every year and grows, newer, brighter ones each year. In addition the ” multitude of eyes” upon its stunningly beautiful fan tail, suggest the all seeing eye of God.
How can this inspire your spring decor? If pastels don’t coordinate well with your existing color scheme, consider using the colors of this regal and meaningful bird to help inspire your spring and Easter color palette:
* Table-centers could include sprays of peacock feathers or simply use shades of turquoise, violet, chartreuse, blue and green.
* Use colored glass vases filled with vibrant flowers to decorate accent tables or dining tables (pictured left).
* Napkins could be rolled with a peacock feather or place tags could be tied to feathers with twine.
* Always remember ‘less is more’. Don’t go overboard! Just choose a few key elements or place in which you can feature inspiration from the peacock, then just focus on using these colors as accents everywhere else.
De colores de San Miguel de Allende
Photo courtesy of CietolLindoAssistedLiving.com
Holy Week — from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday — is observed throughout Mexico. During the Holy Week, the celebrations take t0 the streets with Easter processions, parties and parades. The fervor and pageantry seen in San Miguel de Allende is some of the most powerful and beautiful. If this strikes a colorful chord for you, try integrating the hues inspired by these meaningful festivities and resplendent holy celebrations which take over the streets of Mexico every spring.
* Set your Easter table using these darling oil cloth table toppers by Consuela Style.
* Accessorize your indoor and outdoor seating with blankets, oil cloth pillows and embroidered pillows. (For more inspiration visit: http://www.consuelastyle.com/home-textiles.html).
* For a centerpiece or accent table, fill a large clear vase with colorful “cascarones” (the festive, hollowed-out chicken eggs filled with confetti which originated in Mexico.) Sprinkle bright carnations around the base of the vase.
* Decorate your entry way or doorways with papel picado (“perforated paper”), a decorative craft made out of paper cut into elaborate designs which is commonly displayed for both secular and religious occasions in Mexico.
For more ideas & inspiration for decorating with this color palette, click here.
The Woodland Fairies & Magical Forest Inspired Palette
This theme was inspired by a combination of the flower fairy prints I collected as a young girl (pictured left), and a celebration Mother Interior hosted one Easter.
Her invitation to her Easter brunch arrived on dainty paper with delicate handwriting which I was sure came right from the desk of a flower fairy. The invite read:
“The Woodland Fairies & Wee Folks of Wimberley
invite you to their Magical Forest
for a Spring Jubilee and Afternoon Feast of Dainty Morsels and Delicacies.”
She packed individual lunch boxes for each guest, then decorated the tables with ferns and ivy over a sage green sheet topped with green netting. Clear candles and dainty flowers were spread throughout the table — it was truly reminiscent of a magical fairy feast!
A Greek Inspired Palette
Easter is a beautiful time to be in Greece for a couple of reasons. I’ve been told that even if you are not a devout Christian you can’t help but be moved by the ceremonies and the way life begins again on Easter Sunday after winter and 40 days of fasting. In addition, if you go to the countryside or to the islands, wildflowers are in bloom and the hillsides that are usually parched brown in the summer are green from the winter rains. With the fields of flowers and intense color abounds — life seems to be popping and sprouting up from every crack and crevice.
Photo Courtesy of Peter G Photos via SouvlakiFortheSoul.com
In Greece, Easter preparations begin on Holy Thursday when the traditional Easter bread, tsoureki, is baked, and eggs are dyed red (red is the color of life as well as a representation of the blood of Christ). From ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of the renewal of life, and the message of the red eggs is victory over death. On Easter Sunday, red eggs are brought out and each person takes one and hits their end against someone else’s until the last person who has an un-cracked egg is considered the lucky person for the year. How can you integrate this into your spring decor?
* Set the table with a white cloth and a gold or blue runner.
* Fill a vase with bright red eggs or place eggs on the runner amidst olive branches and leaves.
* Display a laurel leaf wreath on your front door or in your guest bathroom above the mirror.
* Include vintage embellishments in your floral arrangements, such as this Grecian Lady Metal Ornament via Etsy.com.
I hope these examples of unique spring decor, hues and Easter traditions help give you ideas to find YOUR inspiration for reviving your home during this beautiful time of year. Don’t forget, you never have to stick with the traditional color palette typically associated with a holiday or time of year. Find something that inspires you and choose decor that works with your existing style, then run with it!
Do you have a unique idea, tradition or resource for inspiration for renewing your home during the spring? If so, please share!
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