Easter Parade

Layering flowers and floral motifs throughout the dining room creates an exuberant effect for an Easter lunch or brunch. Include fresh cuts and potted bulbs, blossom-printed vintage fabrics and china, and botanical artwork to create a magical, blooming garden room. Read on to learn how to recreate this symphony of spring.

UNDER AND OVER. If you don't have a floral-themed tablecloth, head to a local crafts or fabric store and buy enough yardage to cover your table. Hem it with a sewing machine or iron-on fusible web, if you wish, or make life easy and finish the edges with pinking shears. To make your own paper bunting, cut triangular shapes from botanical prints, wrapping paper or book illustrations (hint: you can make color photocopies if you're short on samples). Punch a hole in both corners of each flag, thread it onto twine or ribbon and hang overhead or on a wall.

NESTLED IN. Turn a teacup or other interesting pieces of china into pretty table decorations by filling them with edible or decorative eggs. These small ones are quail eggs, which are sold in specialty grocery stores and are typically cream and brown, but decorative versions are often dyed in a rainbow of pastels and sold in crafts shops and especially on sites like Etsy.

FLORA AND FAUNA. To set a pretty table, accessorize with vases, porcelain, and napkins printed with a natural motif, be it hand-painted flowers or stamped-on birds, bees, or butterflies. This is the perfect place for your mismatched china, as long as every piece is united by the theme. Finish each plate with a fresh snip from the garden, if you have anything growing, or grab a bunch of flowers from the grocery store and lay a short-cut stem at each place.

READY FOR DESSERT. It's a feast for the eyes and the imagination when you know what sweet treat awaits before you've eaten your meal. And these no-bake chocolate nests couldn't be easier to make: In a heat-proof glass bowl, place 4 tablespoons each butter and corn syrup plus 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips. Put the bowl over a pot that contains gently simmering water and let it all melt together. When it's smooth, add in 3 cups of cornflakes, mix to coat and scoop the mixture into cupcake tins lined with pretty paper baking cups. Top with a candy egg and place in fridge to set.

TOUR DE FORCE. Use a sideboard or cupboard as a place to display botanical prints and blooming bulbs and flowers. It takes at least a month, and sometimes two, to force bulbs to grow, but you can buy potted hyacinth, tulips, daffodils and more at garden centers and some grocery stores. To put your own spin on the display, repot some in pretty vintage vessels, like this fluted teacup. Or, simply take a planted pot of bulbs and gently pull out each one, shake off any loose soil and then run the roots under a tap and gently rub to remove the rest of the soil. Place the bulbs in a clear glass jar, or vase with only the roots submerged in water. Replenish the water when needed.

BITS OF BLOSSOMS. Collect a selection of recycled bottles, vases and vessels and place in a row on a windowsill, shelf, or mantlepiece—or tuck them into shelves. Fill each with sprigs of garden cuttings, bulbs and branches. It's a sweet way to display smaller blooms to make a big impact while adding texture, interest and fragrance.

A LITTLE SOMETHING EGGSTRA. A few branches—whether fresh or faux—add drama and interest and offer spots to hang dainty decoupaged eggs that marry the floral and Easter themes. This is an easy DIY: First, shake the egg, then gently poke a hole in the top and bottom. Over a bowl, blow through the top hole so contents exit through the bottom. Leave to dry (or you can take the extra step of carefully rinsing them in soapy water). Gather your decoupage motifs (cutouts from printed napkins and tissue paper are ideal here), mix together equal parts white glue and water and use it to adhere your motifs to the egg. You can paint over top of the paper, too, to help seal it and give it a light shine. Let that dry completely and then use a dab of hot glue to create a ribbon hanger at the top of each egg. Happy Easter!

PHOTOS Sussie Bell/Narratives
WORDS & STYLING Selina Lake/Narratives