Rabbits, eggs, little lambs and spring flowers – you’d be forgiven for thinking that the decorations for Easter are unchanging. Certainly, the motifs that symbolise Easter return year after year. However, the look is also informed by trends, fashions, interior design and accessories. On our hunt for Easter eggs and the Easter bunny at Ambiente, we established one thing for certain: Easter 2015 will be colourful!
Easter, like Christmas, is no longer just a religious festival. It’s also an important calendar event for all those involved in design, decoration and seasonal trends. This is definitely the case for Erhard Priewe, event designer and expert in the creation of out-of-the-ordinary floral arrangements and presentations for every occasion. Famous not only in the Rhine/Main region, but also throughout Germany, and with florist shops in Wiesbaden and Frankfurt, Priewe confirms what we, too, noticed at Ambiente: This coming Easter looks set to herald the advent of spring with bold colour combinations and adventurous designs for Easter bunnies and other seasonal icons: “This year it is more the louder colours that reflect the spirit of the times”, states the event specialist. “Pink and blackberry tones are particularly evident. We also see them here in these little oriental lanterns.”
At Ambiente we, too, found masses of bright colours, contrasting with vibrant orange, apple green, rich turquoise and bright yellow. Rabbits are particularly popular when it comes to trendy Easter styling and were out in force at the fair – with everything from tiny decorative bunnies to giant cottontails, and in designs ranging from the naturalistic to stylised silhouettes. We came across brightly coloured rabbit figures, festive cardboard cutouts, all sizes of colourful lantern baskets, plus lots and lots of bunny-look decorations for Easter bouquets and flower arrangements as well as table and door garlands, Easter baskets and gift ideas. Everything from the classic to the comic and kitsch, and from the glitteringly ostentatious to the decidedly understated. It’s almost as if people want Christmas tree decorations in an Easter look!
Also in vogue for Easter accessories is colour blocking in strong and pastel nuances from rose to mint. Here, for instance, we were particularly struck by the Easter egg candles – another classic in a new look. The egg is to Easter what Santa and the poinsettia are to Christmas. It has something to offer for every taste and furnishing style. And for purists who would prefer their Easter in more restrained colours, Erhard Priewe recommends the following: “Take a big plate and place some large leaves and lots of natural eggs on it. Don’t skimp on the number of eggs! There should be 20 to 30 – white or natural colour hens’ eggs.” According to decoration expert Priewe, it also works with eggs painted in a single colour. A natural-looking nest of twigs and natural eggs also offers a classically elegant touch. And if you want a more opulent look, you can try “a large bowl filled with white hyacinths and golden eggs.”
Suitable egg-shaped accessories for these decoration tips were very much in evidence at Ambiente. What particularly struck us were the numerous allusions to trends from the area of fashion design: Eggs with graphic prints, in laser cut looks and with feathers – absolute eyecatchers for fashionistas in the mood for Easter.
Apart from these decorative must-haves, nature also plays a vital role at Easter, which is of course the harbinger of spring and the provider of quite special gifts. “Tulips and daffodils are certainly the main flowers for Easter”, states Erhard Priewe. “Spring and Easter are great because it’s such a short season and you can see flowers that aren’t around at any other time. Tulips, freesias, daffodils, hyacinths … these are what makes it so special. And the fact that they all have fragrances.”
And although these gentle harbingers of spring hadn’t yet come fully into bloom during this year’s Ambiente, the designs of the diverse accessories and gadgets still reflected the link between Easter and nature. There were pretty little birds on crockery and table decorations as well as delicate designs on vases for sophisticated floral arrangements. And no matter whether you follow the trend for vividly colourful decorations, or you like a more natural look – the possibilities on show here give free rein to the imagination. Bring Easter on!
