Easter dining decor

One table is drenched in Nicola’s nostalgia for childhood egg hunts and 80s pastels. The second, in the refined aesthetic of adult festivities. Enjoy the inspiration for two diverse Easter table decors by Nicola Kragh Riis, of Danish breakfast-TV fame.

About Nicola Kragh Riis

Journalist, public speaker and creative director of Nico Studio in which she develops creative concepts and storytelling for corporates, styles cover pages and writes interior design articles. Former senior editor at ALT interior and the BoligLiv interiors magazine, and a household name in interior design from Danish breakfast time TV. Follow Nicola and all her creative projects at @nicolakraghriss.

“As a child we always spent Easter with friends in a home-from-home. There were four of us, all different ages, who went egg hunting in this vast garden. As a child of the 80s we weren’t allowed as many sweets as kids are today, so we were waiting desperately for that sugary fest. Just imagine being able to go collecting chocolate, and ending with a hug pile! It was amazing! The Easter lunch was always really cosy, and the table was decorated with sequined felt chickens. So, I’ve passed that egg hunt tradition on to my own daughters, Sally age 14 and Wilma nearly 5.”

Poetic and Pastel. And Rustic and Refined.

“With these two Easter tables, the aim was two create two very different styles. And to bring out the differences in the two dinnerwares that create the base: The mild white Legio Nova and the dramatic black Nordic kitchen. A poetic, colourful table with florals and pastels – and a more rustic table with dark green and natural accents. For both tables, I added some fun quirky accents, but only to underline the pared-down elegance.”

Go over the top for statement decor.

“I’m really into taking one thing and going overboard with it. Last year, I had a two-metre branch in a floor-standing vase with paper decorations in bright colours. And going OTT has real impact, and was what I wanted for these Easter table settings.”

Table 1: Poetic and Pastel

“My starting point was the florals, with this large Magnolia branch being one of the most exquisite spring seasonals. And I like having something that really makes a statement on the table, as opposed to a teensy vase, and this time, the branch is dressed up with home-decorated Easter eggs. I folded the cloth napkins as little Easter bunnies with long ears to give the table some childish energy, for kid-appeal at the table too. I’ve also placed a small Easter favour for each guest. As I child, I was always given a take-home present by my grandmother, because it was the guest not the host who received a gift, which is a lovely tradition. The Acorn glass vase gives the table an added prismatic gleam in the sun, and accentuates the aesthetic, poetic appeal. And with a teapot and cups, the table is given a special look for, e.g. an Easter brunch after the egg hunt in the garden, which I still recall with delight from my own childhood.”

Easter eggs

Easter eggs with marbled look using water and nail varnish are super easy to make:

Buy the egg with hanger from eg. Creative Company (cchobby.dk)
Dip the egg in a container of tepid water and nail varnish
Hang dry

Turn up the fun

Offset the elegant Legio Nova dinnerware with the contrast of stunning moulded 1970s amber-tinted drinkware or pink crystal. Or sew a tablecloth, in a patchwork of old embroidered tablecloth finds from flea markets. This is a great way of upcycling and adding personality to you table decor.

Table 2: Rustic and Refined

“Again, the aim was over-the-top for statement value. Because if you do one eye-catching thing, you needn’t do much else. Here in the shape of a giant, 80-cm diameter wreath made of offcut sprigs and twigs. The wreath is decorated with papier-mâché eggs, which weigh next to nothing, which is handy if you hang the branch from a lamp or small hook. To up the drama of the black Nordic kitchen dinnerware, I put snowdrops complete with soil in a vase, and in that way used the vase as a planter for the occasion and accentuating the rustic look. The fabulous tumblers made of recycled glass have a nice green tint, which really offsets the table decor.

The dark green tablecloth under the black plates creates calm and an intimate, cosy and very refined atmosphere. And this table decor has the air of a lunch that stretches through the day, and has more of that evening vibe. This is why I kept the styling low key, with the idea that it was good to keep it more adult, aesthetic and restrained. Aside from the huge wreath, the decoration consists of little bird’s nests made of rosemary and eggs with names as place cards.”

Quick-fix but effective

Fill a huge dish with a variety of Easter-theme items and place it on the table, and you’re done!

From table to garden

Make a little potted plant arrangement on a Nordic kitchen dish, for example, as a whole mini-garden centrepiece for your table. And do like we did: leave the bulb and soil on the snowdrops so you can plant them out in the garden after your Easter lunch.