Are you hosting Easter dinner this weekend? Or are you itching to bring spring into your home because you’re so thrilled that one of my favorite seasons is finally here? Following are three decorating ideas that will bring spring – and a sense of freshness – into your home with ease.
1. Buy fresh flowers. They don’t need to be expensive, and you don’t need a lot of them. Just a few tulips, roses, daffodils, or sprays of lilac can make all the difference in brightening your desk, kitchen, or dining room. Hop online to find your nearest farmers’ market. These markets are every fresh flower enthusiast’s dream, and they’re usually much more affordable than the hoity-toity downtown florists.
2. Create an affordable, simple, spring-themed centerpiece. Why spend lots of money on a centerpiece for your Easter dinner party? With the size of your dining table in mind, visit your local farmers’ market for fresh limes, lemons, tangerines, and a small bouquet of flowers in similar hues.
At home, place the limes, lemons, and tangerines in the center of the dining table – using any color pattern that you choose. You may wish to group the fruits in the middle, or have them extend the length of the table. The fresh flowers should be in the middle of the table, with the fruit resting on either side of the vase.
Tip: If you have extra limes, lemons, or tangerines after you’ve created the centerpiece, consider placing them in attractive color patterns in glass vases. For some added flair, these vases can be placed in the living room to be seen during hors d’oeuvres, or in the kitchen (where everyone tends to gather).
After your Easter or springtime dinner party is over, you’ll have a variety of limes and lemons with which to make lemon meringue or key lime pies, limeade or lemonade, and more. These fruits can keep for awhile so be creative in how you use them over the next few weeks. And don’t forget: lemon zest can make any hum-drum meal come alive.
3. Update your home decor without spending a dime. In your home office, change out the photos in the frames atop your desk. You may want to swap the living room curtains with the bedroom curtains (assuming no color or pattern clashing will ensue) or you may want to hang a new photo in the kitchen and relegate the former photo and frame to the basement, for the time being. Making small changes throughout your home doesn’t have to cost money, and can feed your inner decorator and help you embrace fresh inspiration and thought – all at the same time.
Wishing you peace as you enjoy the fresh expressions of spring in your home decor – on Easter and every day.
* Photo by Jonathan Eggers