Thursday, March 14, 2013
From floral arrangements that burst with pastel blooms to candles that fill one’s home with scents reminiscent of warm weather, local style experts offer suggestions for accents that welcome spring.
Turn simple twigs and greenery into a harbinger of Easter. “Welcome guests into your home with a spring wreath on the front door decorated with greenery, flowers or eggs,” said Ann O'Shields of The Nest Egg in Fairfax. “Scents of spring are a sure way to alleviate the end of winter.”
Laura Smith of The Dandelion Patch in Vienna, Reston and Georgetown recommends filling air with crisp, fresh aromas. “There are candles with really nice spring scents, like jasmine or gardenia and lemongrass. Citrus scents are also very big in spring and summer.”
Smith suggests setting one’s table with serveware imprinted with spring produce like lettuces that herald the new season. “You can use cutting boards with artichoke prints or platters with asparagus prints. They are entertaining and fun accessories,” Smith said.
Festive baskets filled with paper grass, wooden eggs, bunnies and flowers make ideal home accents. “Using seasonal blooms are a great way to welcome spring,” said O'Shields.
A floral arrangement displayed in baskets covered with spring flower petals make a chic centerpiece for one’s dining table. “When it comes to floral arrangements, people are often driven by what their home décor is,” said Potomac, Md., based floral designer Evelyn Kinville. “The most popular flowers for Easter are hydrangeas in white or soft green, daffodils, tulips in yellow, hyacinths in pink or blue, Esperance roses, which are large pink and cream two-toned in color, and White or pink hybrid lilies.”
O'Shields said, “Pick one flower style and repeat it in various places throughout the room for the most impact.”