Hello and welcome back to home and hosting with me Louis Burke.
Today we are talking all things Easter and Easter is one of
those holidays that can be a little bit confusing from a
decorating point of view. It sits in the same category as
Halloween for me. There's a version of it that can
be really chic, really considered and very charming.
And then there is the version that feels like a seasonal aisle
explosion and you do not know where to look.
I think in Australia it can be even trickier because so much of
what we see online is coming from the northern hemisphere.
So you get all the spring visuals like the pastels, the
baby animals, the blossoms and the sugary colours.
And meanwhile we're here in the start of autumn.
So you end up with this very strange middle ground where
you're asking yourself, do I follow the aesthetic or do I
follow the season? And my answer always is the
season. Because if you get Easter wrong,
it can look a little bit horrifying.
So in this episode, I want to talk through how I tackle Easter
decorating, why I think it can be difficult, and how to make it
feel seasonal and stylish. And how to keep feeling Easter
without tipping into anything overly themed, overly childish,
or just plain kitsch. Because Easter can be incredibly
chic if you do it properly. Easter is difficult because
unlike Christmas, it doesn't really have one clear visual
identity like Christmas has. Red, green, gold lights,
candles, a tree, and we're done. Easter is bunnies, eggs,
florals, ribbons, pastels, maybe carrots, maybe chicks, maybe
chocolate. And it can all start to feel a
bit random unless you give it some direction.
And I think the biggest mistake people make is copying what they
see without adapting it to where they live.
We're not in spring. The light is different, the air
is cooler, the colours outside are turning a little bit deeper
and the mood is different. Even in Australia it can also
feel like it's summer still. So instead of forcing Easter
into this pastel spring language that feels disconnected from
what's actually happening around us, I really think you need to
just reinterpret it. Also, this is where my joke
comes in, because you simply can't just swap Halloween and
Easter seasons. You can't just throw pumpkins
down for an Easter table and do pastel for Halloween.
Although honestly the pastel Halloween might just be
terrifying because the Bunny heads like the ceramic cut off
Bunny heads, the pastel colourways and all the synthetic
bits and pieces. Sometimes it does read a little
bit haunted children's party and that's not the brief.
There is also someone who says I'll just do what works for the
kids. It's just for the kids.
And to be honest, I do think that's a bit of a cop out.
They seem to be doing that with every holiday.
Does not take more effort to make something beautiful than it
does just to go out and buy a bunch of junk from a big box
store. Like sure, it might take a
little bit more time and problem solving to figure out how you're
going to go about it. What's interesting is the people
who want to go to the big box store and buy stuff off the
shelf are the same people that say they don't have the budget.
But then to me, if you don't have the budget, wouldn't you be
more conscious of what you're spending your money on?
So in turn, the random junk with no thought and no intention is
actually worse off than having thinking about how you want to
approach a holiday and do it in a way that best reflects you and
what you want to celebrate. I just think you either do it
with style or you don't do it at all.
Because if the argument is you don't have time or the money,
don't participate. It's pretty simple.
It feels the most logical and the most practical.
But I'm not interested in excuses.
I'm interested in making it work, making it beautiful,
making it feel special and functional at the same time.
And if you're listening to this, I feel like you're probably the
same and you are my people. So for me, everything changed
when I stopped treating Easter like a theme and started
treating it like a feeling. The feeling for me and Easter is
abundance. It's a celebration, a harvest.
So juice, freshness and a table that feels gathered rather than
style is what came to mind. So instead of asking myself what
decorations do I need, I asked what would the Easter Bunny
actually eat? And that's when everything
started to click. Think carrots, leafy greens,
cabbages, herbs, loose florals, things from the market, things
that feel alive, things that feel seasonal, things that feel
like they belong in a home anyway.
And what I love about that approach is that it works for
both hemispheres. It works in the north because it
still feels fresh and garden driven, but it also works here
because it's grounded, relaxed and connected to the season that
we're actually in. It feels relaxed yet refined,
and that's what makes it feel incredibly chic.
A couple of years ago I used Dutch carrots in vases and then
cabbages as well. Both of those ideas have now
really filtered into the market and gone a bit viral in their
own way, which I absolutely love.
It means I'm doing my job right. This year I stripped it back to
something more achievable with Bok Choy candle holders.
It's very simple. More cost effective, very cute,
but not in a kitch way, in a chic way, in a way that anyone
could do it. And that is really my whole
Easter lens, how to do Easter in season and in style.
So the table that I've set this year is exactly the same
approach brought to life. It's built around green, but not
in a loud way. It's layered, tonal and a little
bit moodier, which makes it feel more aligned with autumn than
spring. The tablecloth sets the tone in
the right way. It is a block print pattern from
India that I found on Etsy and I love that because sometimes the
market simply does not give you what you want.
So then you have to go niche. Go Etsy, eBay, small makers,
even DIY if you have to. That is where the interesting
pieces are, and to be honest, it's a part of my job.
I find the thing, I use the thing, I show it, the audience
responds, other creators copy it, brands noticed the data, and
then six years later it appears in the wider market and suddenly
everyone thinks it was always there.
That's the flow. So yes, I'm more than happy to
start the trend and effectively tell buyers this is what we
want, this is Easter. That's a part of my role.
It's not just styling for styling's sake.
It is a taste, timing, instinct and understanding of what people
are going to respond to before the market and other creators
catch up. And yes, before anyone says it,
this is me using colour and pattern, which I usually do use
colour and pattern throughout all of my work, but I do it with
intention, skill and style and that's the difference between
amateurs and pros. The Internet is just very loud
with colour at the moment. But so often it's just wrong or
it's not something that everyone can do.
It's the things competing instead of complementing like
not everyone can do colour drenching.
Most people live in rentals in Australia.
They're all they bought their first home and they can't afford
to renovate and if they do it's usually a bathroom, not painting
the walls and buying furniture to match that colour.
It's unrealistic for people to do all of that at once.
Why would I create content that's hyper niche to a small
demographic that ultimately just wouldn't land with enough people
in a country that doesn't even have a huge popular relation to
begin with? For me it's about working within
the same tonal story but on a smaller scale.
Nothing feels random, it's layered, considered, and that is
why it still feels calm even though there's a fair bit going
on. I combined a few dinner sets in
different shades of green and white to create a really
layered, beautiful effect. And the most gorgeous little egg
cups from Mason Balzac. It looks stunning and you can
still pick them up too, which I love.
Do feel like a lot of brands are moving through their product and
changing way too quickly. It's really hard for people to
catch up to what people are using because they cycle through
their product way too fast. Nice to have brands like Mason
Balzac who comes out and sticks with certain product so my
followers can adopt the same style.
Let's talk about flowers because that's where the table can
really soften. I use dahlias and Queen Anne's
Lace and I love them together because they feel similar yet
they're contrasting. They both have this slight wild
quality, like they're growing towards the light, but the
dahlia is more geometric, more structured, while the Queen
Anne's lace is more delicate, rounded and airy.
So together they create this balance that feels relaxed but
still intentional. They're also in season for me
here in Australia and that is really important.
Use what is in season where you live.
That is what's going to look the most natural.
I will mention that the dahlias in the Queen Anne's Lace are
more on the short life scale when it comes to flowers.
They will last your long weekend, but don't expect them
to last your usual 7 to 10 days. The water is prone to going
quite brown, so be sure to change it out often and instead
of using vinegar because it can affect the dahlia's lifespan a
lot. I do recommend just changing the
water. I also kept the stems long and
let them relax in the vase. I don't want them to look too
tight or too arranged. I want them to feel easy, like a
wildflower garden that you might find the Easter Bunny in.
But then for the produce aspect, like I mentioned before, I went
with bok choy because I think it's a bit more of an
affordable, easy little moment versus the Dutch carrots or the
cabbages. Now I know the bok choy candle
holders might sound a little bit ridiculous when you say it out
loud, but visually they work. They are sculptural, organic,
and a little bit whimsy, which is what I think Easter is.
It's whimsy and fun, but not kitsch.
And there's a difference between the two.
It speaks to the Easter Bunny produce story without being who
literal. Even the hot cross bands become
part of the styling. They're not just food on the
table, they contribute to the overall look and feeling.
Now when it comes to chocolate, I think the lint bunnies are
iconic. The gold foil, the coloured
collars, the little bells, They're instantly recognisable.
They're chic, they're not too expensive and they fit the
Easter brief. So no friend or follower is
going to look at the table and say this just doesn't feel
Easter. And that matters because even
when you're doing a more elevated version, you still need
enough of a nod that people who just don't get it will
understand and comprehend it at some level.
Meet people with where they're at with nods to Easter, but
still keep it in a way that you want to do it.
I've also used brown honeycomb bunnies as well which I love.
They are a great switch out for those Bunny statues and the
ceramic Bunny heads. I love the brown tone because it
speaks to chocolate. They fold down easily, they're
easy to store away, and they don't feel overly decorative.
They're subtle. They have a nod to Easter, but
they don't take over to across my whole series that I'm doing
on TikTok and Instagram this year.
Whether it's the table, the console, the bunnies, the
produce or the flowers. The point is not just one final
image. The point is showing you an
approach how to to Easter in a way that feels cohesive across
the home. It feels elevated, seasonal,
recognisable but not overdone. Because you don't need more
things, you just need a better point of view and a sense of
direction that leads you down a path where you can have a
seasonal in style Easter. So if you're wondering how to
actually tackle Easter at home, here is how I would break it
down. Start off with your palette.
Work with colours that make sense in your home already.
Greens, warm neutrals, creams, maybe touches the brown, maybe
one pattern if it's anchored properly.
I've seen a lot of soft powder Blues, but I'm reserving the
blue for Mother's Day, which is in another month's time because
I think leaning pink for Mother's Day can be a bit too
kitsch. So doing blue with a hint of
pink just feels right. I think the green angle works
better because it complements brown and chocolate at Easter.
And then we're leaving the blue and the pink accents for
Mother's Day. So next we look at materials,
Linen, ceramics, glass, woven textures, things with the
natural finish that are always going to make seasonal styling
feel more elevated, and things that you can use year after
year. Yeah, I'm not interested in you
buying new things every year. I'm interested in you having a
solid collection that you can add little bits and pieces to
each and every year, just like Christmas.
What about mask consumption or buying what's cheap on the
shelf? It's about finding things that
speak to you, your style, and the holiday seasons.
We need to source like a stylist, not a panic buyer.
Go to the fruit and bed shop before the homeware store.
Look at the produce, the herbs, the branches, the flowers.
Pick two or three hero elements and then stop there at one or
two Easter cues, not ten. Maybe that's the lint Bunny.
Maybe it's the honeycomb bunnies.
Maybe it's the napkin folded into Bunny ears.
Enough to signal the holiday, but not enough to turn the house
into a theme park and think everything that you buy you have
to store away. Be sure to edit.
The difference between chic and kitsch is almost always
restraint. I think people assume beautiful
homes happen because people buy more, but really they happen
because people choose better. So the goal with Easter for me
is that it should feel like you have decorated for Easter.
It should feel like your home is simply ready for Easter.
Like if you went to the market, bought beautiful things, brought
them home and placed them with care.
That is what feels effortless. That is when it feels lived in.
That's when it feels special. So if you want the visual
version of everything I've spoken about in this episode, go
over and have a look at my Easter content series across
Instagram and TikTok because I've been sharing the whole
series there, from table styling to the produce details to the
different Bunny moments. Now, if you enjoyed this
episode, I would really love it if you'd left a podcast review,
shared it with a friend, or sent it to someone who's currently
standing in a seasonal aisle wondering how on earth to make
Easter look chic. Thank you so much for listening
to Home and Hosting, and I will see you all again next week.