Setting the Easter Table

Spring has sprung, friends!  And in our house, Easter prep is in full swing!  With every holiday, I always get the most excited about the decorating.  Sometimes just a few easy switches can really let your home set the stage for the season.  Whenever we host people for dinner in our home, I always think about the table decorating first, and the food we're going to serve, second.  Luckily, my husband helps pick up the slack here for me, so I can be left to fluff pillows and arrange flowers, while he focuses more on filling bellies.

I got to work setting an Easter table setting today and thought I'd share a few details with y'all. 

The first thing I think about when setting the table is the color theme.  For Spring, I wanted it to be bright and fresh and alive.  I started with the plates and the table coverings.  I chose a bright and colorful plate that just screams SPRING(!!!) and paired it with my more subdued china as well as a gold charger for a little bling effect.  Who doesn't love a little bling?

 Next, I had to think of the table coverings that would compliment the plates.  I always try to work with what I have first, versus buying something new that might be so seasonally specific that they lose their versatility in my linen storage.  In this case, I chose a very pale pink tablecloth that was my grandmother's and to add an additional pop, topped it with a similarly colored table runner I found at Home Goods years ago.  

Because my plates and the table runner are both a busy pattern, I wanted to chose a solid colored napkin that would bring balance to the individual setting.  These light pink napkins are a near match to the tablecloth and help create a cohesiveness on the table. To top them off, I slipped some bunny ear napkin rings I found in the dollar spot at Target recently.  The gold detail on the ears compliments the charger and brings a playful feeling to the table.  Adding an element like this makes the table feel less formal, which always makes people feel more comfortable.  

The centerpiece is always my favorite part of planning the table setting.  It is the showstopper.  I usually like to keep a centerpiece low so that you can see over it, but since I was setting the table today for a smaller crowd, I went for the drama that height brings so easily.  However, when adding height, I always make sure that people can still see through or around to each other to promote ease of conversation.  Since the centerpiece doesn't stop right in the middle of the sightline, conversation can still easily happen around it.  

Flowers are my go-to in any centerpiece, because their beauty really makes a statement.  Specifically for this springtime Easter dinner, I wanted to pack a powerful springtime punch with tulips.  Any chance you have to bring inside what is happening outside the windows, is a great launching point for your design.  I always make my own arrangements and I try to keep them fairly simple.  I go to the grocery store and buy flowers in all of the colors that I need to match my table decor, and then I deconstruct them, cut them down to size and rearrange them.  I am planning a whole post on flower arranging, down the road to explain exactly how I do that, in greater detail.

 

 Next I focused on the details.  I wanted to make the setting feel less formal and again, bring an element of outdoors in, so I set wood pieces on the table to add an unexpected element to the flowers and added some other wood pieces as well, in varying sizes to make it feel more organic.  Then, I placed Easter trinkets around the table, adding some small baskets and nests and bunnies to really bring the season alive.

And there you have it!  Just add family and ham and maybe a little wine and you have Easter dinner all wrapped up!  

Be sure to check back next week for an Easter craft and maybe a little Easter decor, too! Thanks for reading! 

Style it 5 Ways: Lanterns

Do you ever go decor shopping and find something cute but think, "Where would I put that?"  You're not alone.  So last week I went to Target and picked out some new decor items that I think are common pieces that a lot of us gravitate to time and again.  I brought them home and had fun playing with them and wanted to share 5 different ways that you can incorporate them into your home.

I shared a picture of my finds on my instagram  page and asked my followers to vote on which items I should kick off my "Style it 5 ways" segment on and of course, the lanterns won.  We all have major love for lanterns.

1.The Mantle

Displaying items on the mantle is maybe the most common place that people talk to me about wanting to style.  I, myself, often get stuck in the mantle rut.  It's often times a focal point of the room, so it's important to make it welcoming and interesting.  I have an entire blog post on mantle-scaping in my back pocket so be sure to be on the lookout for that.  In the meantime, I'll say that some easy ways to create interest on the mantle are by incorporating color, and by layering items to create dimension.  

2. Coffee Table 

Again, layering is the name of the game here.  Also, grouping like items together and displaying them close together in little clusters is appealing to our eye and helps us look across the table without it feeling too busy.

3. Dining Table Centerpiece

No one says you have to only put a candle in a lantern.  Here, I made the lantern a small terrarium.  Thinking of new ways to use common accessory pieces is a great way to create interest with your decor.

4. Entry Table

At a table right inside your front door,  a lantern is pretty and inviting.  Mix in some fresh flowers for extra credit.  

5. Outside your front door

Don't limit where you place your decor to only table tops and mantles.  These lanterns are especially pretty grouped at the front door because as you look down into them you are surprised with a little extra pop of gold.  And nothing would make your guests feel cozier than being greeted by these beauties glowing at night.  

So there's my lantern love!  Be sure to stop back to see which items I style 5 ways next! Thanks for reading, y'all! 

Shop the lanterns here: Big and Small