It’s become customary to celebrate holidays by outfitting our homes with their markers, by creating vignettes to pay homage to the first pilgrim. So, it should be with Easter and Spring. The homestead could use a refresh.
The house doesn’t need to be ornament-laden like it was in December. Spring is clean, simple and pretty. I don’t own nor want 20 ceramic bunnies and chicks. I rely on pieces I already own and then pair them with the best thing Spring has to offer us: nature.
Determine Decorating Space
I have a young son who likes to pick up every last thing, so glass cloches displayed at eye level (though beautiful) are a no-go. I have a built-in china cabinet that is very visible and has high enough shelves to make it viable.
Remove Clutter
I remove everything from the space I’m decorating. Its hard to see a vision for something, when another object is literally blocking your view. After emptying my china cabinet, I decided to experiment with contact paper. I bought this white wood grain contact paper to line the back of the shelves. I chose this design because though I wanted to add some interest to the otherwise plain white shelves, I didn’t want it too busy, knowing I’d stock it rather full.
Take Inventory
Consider what you have or want to use in a display. I looked through my storage closet and pulled out everything that might find a home this spring; this included every receptacle (vase, basket, pitcher, planter) and tray I own. I also came across my grandmother’s silver plate coffee set that I wasn’t sure how I’d work into the scheme, but was eager to do so. I found an old wood tool box I’d collected along the way and piled that on the dining table alongside these other gems. Some of it spoke to me, some did not.
Start assembling your pieces. After a lot of trial and error, it does start to take shape. The silver-plate is a large set with tall pieces and only fits on the bottom shelf, so it will ground the display. However, its very dark, so I decided to counter it with white. I remembered that I have a white ceramic soup tureen tucked away somewhere. I thought that would be perfect dead center in the cabinet. Because its so big, it will draw the eye to the center. I then found a nest in my small collection of Easter decorations, which I nestled inside the tureen, now adding a hint of spring.
In my search for fun pieces I could highlight, I found an old camera we had sitting on another shelf. I felt it deserved more attention. Here, alongside simple white dishes and clear glassware, it is starkly framed out. Another ‘heirloom’ is our squirrel walnut cracker. Though I truly do enjoy bunnies and flowers, I also enjoy seeing some of our favorite possessions getting showcased like they are here. A couple white peony blooms brighten up the dark silver-plate.
Next to the tureen, I displayed a black tea kettle atop a piece of birch wood. Yes, its black but so is the camera and I liked the contrast it created. I was still adjusting to all the vertical lines of my new backdrop and feeling like I needed to break it up – to create a horizontal scheme. This tiny cake plate with its broad base, allowed me to do just that. A few bunnies later, and it seems much springier. You’ll notice I tore bits and pieces of dried moss and laid them about. It boasts such a vibrant color and it lends any scene a woodland effect.
I feel I should reemphasize that this is a game of cards, the pieces are always moving. They settled where you see them now but it was no more obvious to me at the outset than it may be to you. I like the texture and interest that the contact paper provided BUT I also think it definitely darkened the space, which I hadn’t anticipated. I’m not sure I would use it again in a small space like this one, without other lighting. Enter string lights (fairy lights). I added two sets of battery-operated string lights and ran them around the shelves. It may not add much light, but it adds some and, of course, a degree of whimsy.
Add the requisite bunnies and you have a vignette. Actually, I love those bunnies. Each came along with a new baby boy once upon a time and thus, each has a story to tell. Tell yours with the pieces you love.
Happy Spring.
Lisa
