With Easter fast approaching, and with it the promise of another four-day weekend to enjoy, how about trying these 11 cracking ideas at home, each for less than €100.
PAINT REFRESHES
1 Front door decor
It’s almost Easter and, if you’re feeling the urge to refresh your home, why not set the tone with a fresh coat of paint for your front door. Colourtrend is selling a complete deliver-to-your-door kit so you don’t have to waste time sourcing all the tools. It costs €89 and includes a paint brush, mini roller set, sanding block and paper, one litre of top coat, a handy can opener and the innovative Prime 2 – 750ml of base product to give adhesion to myriad surfaces, from laminate to MDF, gloss painted, painted, varnished and even stainless-steel front doors. You can choose from 34 colours from on-trend tones such as Sweet Caper green or Wild Raspberry, pictured, to a contemporary classic, Long Weekend Blue.
Add a long-lasting wreath for extra oomph. This one from The Garden at Powerscourt Townhouse features Irish bog myrtle, birch, pussy willow, dried strawflowers and egg shells. It’s about 50cm in diameter, will dry beautifully and costs €75.
2 Mood-lifting colour
Yellow is synonymous with this time of year and is a great way to refresh a room. Its iterations range from the pale spring promise of primrose and narcissi to the deep yolk yellow of crocus and daffodils, also seen in the rich fondant of a Cadbury Creme Egg and in decorative Easter chicks. Decor firm Neptune is looking to a more savoury shade, that of ripening quince, a fruit whose paste pairs really well with salty cheeses, to switch up the look of a room in a day. The emulsion seen here has a matt finish that looks especially fresh in a contemporary setting. It costs about €62 for 2.5 litres.
3 Folkloric and festive
These felt egg decorations from UK-based Talking Tables will enliven the barest of catkin branches as a table centrepiece or could even hang outdoors from the still mainly leafless trees (about €13 for a set of three).
4 Coney Cool
The slender mole ceramic rabbits, 17cm (€9.95) and 23cm (€16.95) high, in soft Scandi shades at Article Dublin, in Powerscourt Townhouse, are perfect for mantles, porches and window sills. Its Swirl honeycomb egg-hanging decorations will also add Easter cheer (from €7.95 for a set of two).
5 Burrow down
If you want to invest in the theme in a serious way, you might consider this Mr Bunny bed by Portuguese brand Circu as a way of bedding down in a very upscale burrow. The design, by Monarch Architects, featuring velvet upholstery, costs €9,170 excluding mattress and delivery to Ireland.
EASTER BREAKFAST
6 Breakfast bunnies
Start as you mean to continue by serving boiled eggs under these crochet cosies from The White Company (€13 for a set of two). Etsy also sells a wide range.
7 Hot drink drama
Serve with hot toast and tea in either Penneys gold-rimmed, punchy pastel scalloped teacup and saucer sets (€18 for four), or in fine bone china mugs by Ham, hand-decorated in Stoke-on-Trent (€18 each), from Nordic Elements.
EGG HUNT EDGE
8 If you have kids of an Easter egg hunt age you could get crafty with clever pre-hunt preparations. These Sostrene Grene paper pockets require you to use rabbit head and egg templates to draw shapes on paper, paint the papers, then let it dry and cut out. You'll need two per pocket. Then you fill with foil-covered eggs so that any melting chocolate won't ruin the effect, and blanket-stitch closed. These covers will protect the eggs from damp. Follow the step-by step instructions on sostrenegrene.com.
EASTER LUNCH
9 Stylish settings and no wash-up
It’s time to gather round and break bread. Set a stylish table with Vista Alegre’s Transatlantica, which costs about €10.50 per setting, excluding stemware and VAT, to order from Caterhire. The firm will even do the wash-up so you can kick back and enjoy your guests.
10 Check this colour combination out
Join the fashion set and team pink and green together in a way not seen since the early 1980s. The Designed Table's cheery checked cloth will form a mood-lifting base and comes in three sizes: a 170cm round (€55); a 165cm by 300cm, to fit up to eight (€75); and a larger 380cm long version that can accommodate up to 14 people (€90). You can see more at its pop-up shop at Brown Thomas, Dublin.
11 Chocs away
Worried about eating too much chocolate? A fresh and easy take on dessert are these customisable meringue nests, which you can buy and decorate with chocolate almonds or miniature chocolate eggs. The seasonal element is in the card and gold foil rabbit feet toppers by Ginger Ray, €5.95 for six, from online Irish shop The Party Boutique.
