Springtime Decor? Say It With Flowers

Springtime Decor? Say It With Flowers

By Carleton Varney- Special to the Palm Beach Daily News

It’s Easter time, and the flower shops are filled with springtime blooms.

I’ve seen pots of pink, blue and white hydrangeas — they need lots of water, so please give them a lot to drink — and tulips of every shade. I like to display masses of tulips, bulbs and all, in clear glass containers. And, of course, there are pink, purple and white hyacinths.

But it is the daffodil that I love the most, with its yellow color in a mix of varieties — some with white centers, others with fluffy centers trimmed in orange and so many more.

In the decorating world, the daffodil can be found everywhere — on wallpaper, fabric, bed linens, throw cushions and, of course, depicted on canvas in watercolor and oil. The flower seems to be one that artists love to paint and draw.

Setting a springtime table with fresh flowers can be so charming. Recently, Palm Beach real estate agent Ite O’Higgins Young hosted a party for a select number of her friends, and the dining table was decorated with arrangements of beautiful daffodils mixed with greens.

If you’re setting a table for Easter — or one for a springtime birthday — I advise choosing a single variety of a flower you love and going to town with it. But beware of hyacinths, which have such a strong fragrance that they’re not a great choice for tabletop settings where food is served.

You should have no such reservations about hydrangeas or tulips, however. Think of how lovely your table might be with a single bloom placed at each setting, a different color for every guest. Then, for the centerpiece, mix tulips of every color. Now, wouldn’t that offer a warm welcome?

We haven’t yet mentioned another springtime flower — lavender, once regarded as sort-of old-lace-and-cameo-bros color but today considered young and fresh. Recently, I passed a home painted soft lavender with white trim and turquoise-blue shutters, if you can believe that. It was a dreamy and unexpected combination, and it got me to thinking about a color scheme for an interior you might consider.

Paint your living room walls lavender and all the trim a bright white. At the windows, I suggest curtains of a print of bright green leaves on a white background. Hang them from white or brass poles.

Cover your sofa in a fabric with a cabana stripe of aqua-blue and white, and then accent it with throw cushions of rich lavender and purple edged in white. The upholstery on your pull-up lounge chairs can be a tweed of rich lavender and purple.

Choose end tables finished in aqua lacquer or paint your existing tables aqua. I would select lamps with ceramic bases in spring green, topped with shades of white silk.

Your living room rug might be in spring green, woven in the Appalachian style.

For a coffee table, think either modern, such as clear acrylic, or comfy-classic in wicker. Place a lush arrangement of purple tulips in a clear glass bowl .

If the arrival of spring has you in the mood to freshen your home decor, be brave, I say. Go bright and cheerful with colors you love.

Easter arrives Sunday, and for those who celebrate the holiday, it signals renewal and fresh beginnings. And oh, how we need that after the past year. For those who celebrated Passover, I hope your holiday was joyous. And if you, your children, your grandchildren or the great grandkids are eagerly awaiting Sunday, please say “Happy Easter” to the bunny for me.

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