12 Vintage-Inspired Easter Decorating Ideas
Best characterized by natural motifs, nostalgic florals and simple crafts, vintage Easter decorating pairs playfulness with tradition.
Less about perfect symmetry and overwhelming abundance (the likes of which you might be inclined to do at Christmas), Easter invites us to craft celebrations reminiscent of simpler times.
Hand-dyed eggs, foraged blossoms and recycled projects can all contribute to achieving this old-fashioned, rustic style throughout your home.
When it comes to crafting your Easter centerpiece, there are a few tricks to bring a vintage flair to the forefront. We've gathered all the decoration ideas you’ll need – from chipped enamelware to potato prints – to bring easy vintage warmth into your home this spring.
Whether you're dusting off inherited crockery, adding in some spring hues, or capturing the essence of an Easter long ago, read on for our favorite ideas to bring vintage-inspired egg-legance…
Easter decorating ideas
Use natural dyes
Decorate eggs (pre-blown or hard-boiled) with natural dyes for a homespun look. Use beetroot for pink, turmeric for yellow and red cabbage for blue, by peeling (if necessary), chopping and boiling each veg in its own pot of 750ml water.
After half an hour, strain and add a tablespoon of white vinegar. Mask your eggshells with leaves using a gluestick, then wrap in a pop sock or transparent tights and immerse for an hour. Use further immersions to deepen the color, or keep it light to resemble watercolor designs.
Lay a casual spread
The beauty of Easter lies in its simplicity. Whereas the scale of Christmas (not to mention its weather) encourages bountiful spreads and formal indoor place settings, Easter invites a more casual attitude.
Lay a simple spread that spotlights flowers and your home crafts, and invite guests to load their own plates on mismatched vintage crockery, before heading outside to enjoy the season with a slice of cake (and maybe an Easter egg hunt to follow).
Borrow from nature
Stylist Sian Williams used these vintage-style butterfly prints as a moodboard for her rustic egg nests.
Formed from a mix of decorative mosses and strands of colorful raffia, feathers and blown quail eggs complete the look. Place on windowsills mantelpieces and cake stands, or set a few on the table for a nature-inspired centerpiece.
Get creative with spuds
Upcycle old or secondhand fabric into a fun Easter tablecloth or tea towel, using a potato. Simply cut a potato in half (make sure to dry both sides) and paint one half with pale grey paint, stamping in rows along the fabric to print your 'eggs'. Leave to dry, then carve out a simple design – Sian did lines and spots – on your other potato half, removing the potato from these areas. Coat with bold yellow paint, and print on top of each grey egg before leaving to dry.
Paint used: Louis Blue and English Yellow chalk paints by Annie Sloan
Book a table
A bundle of second-hand Beatrix Potter books have transformed this simple place setting into a joyful literary nod at Easter.
Secure with twine, a sprig and a tag for a tablescape like no other. Ensure the book doesn't look out of place by layering with classic checks and polka dots over vintage crockery.
Tag it
Craft your own tags for presents, placeholders, or to adorn cakes. These simple brown luggage tags have been upgraded with rabbit silhouettes cut from vintage-inspired wrapping paper. For extra vintage flair, display on a pressed glass cake stand.
Craft a natural wreath
For a woodland-themed display, wind decorative reindeer moss and feathers around a willow ring, securing with florist wire and vintage rag ribbon ties for a pastel pop. Use strong glue to add one of Sian's nests from a previous tip, and complete a wreath that celebrates the outdoors.
Make a recycled centrepiece
A 'make do and mend' ethos is key for a vintage look. Here, a simple cardboard egg carton has been transformed into a playful centrepiece with anemone and paperwhite heads. Layer with eggs and tealights for a twinkly feel, then place in the centre of your table on a vintage plate or cake stand.
Pair eggs with enamelware
Eggs decorated with grosgrain ribbon and speckled feathers look charming when arranged in enamel buckets and baskets – the older, the better, for that chipped vintage aesthetic.
Do decoupage
These Kraft papier-mâché Easter eggs have been painted with tester pots in pretty pastel shades. Cut characterful silhouettes out from wallpaper samples, gift wrap, or decoupage paper and glue on top to personalize, then fill the eggs with treats, favors and games.
Paint used: Lem Lem, Antoinette, Louis Blue and Cream chalk paints by Annie Sloan.
Mix your materials
Layering sunny forsythia with natural tones and textures creates a rustic, vintage feel. Felt, jute and wooden eggs blend beautifully with vintage yellow gingham and speckled chocolate eggs.
Sew spring bunting
Bunting always creates a contagious sense of celebration – and it's a great make for beginner crafters. Make yours using a plain linen, cotton or felt fabric for the background, then draw and cut your letters from a floral design. You might want to use fabric leftovers, samples, or even damaged old clothes you're keen to repurpose.
Imperfect bunting really adds to the vintage charm of it, so don't panic if it's not perfect. Hang over a rustic farmhouse dining table with mismatched chairs, vintage crockery and higgledy-piggledy displays of blossoming branches.
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