Creating a naturalistic Easter Themed Afternoon Tea with La Redoute

When you think of Easter, you’re probably conjuring up pastel blues, pale yellows, bunny tales, Easter eggs and the like, I’m a simple girl. I like neutral tones and strikingly beautiful bold pieces, most often monochrome and natural textures. These two don’t necessary go hand in hand. Or do they?

Consider Numbers

When it comes to setting the table for afternoon tea, I love to think about create bold iconic areas of the table and then adding layer upon layer until I get the finishing touches.

Depending on how many you’re setting the table for you can scatter your feature dishes to create spaces of open-ness and those more saturated. For me to make more space for seats, I swap out my usually seats for a long bench that is ever so on trend but also practical. It’s a hit with the kids too!

Once you’ve settled on a number it’s important to think of the practicality of each arrangement. Does each person have a plate, access to cutlery, can they reach all elements of the lay out or is it possible to replicate areas of your set up in two or more locations so each can freely choose what they wish. If you want to save space on your set up, then I have just the tip for you. You can serve some of the ‘key’ items up first on your plates such as sandwiches to save space on your lay out. Hey, it’s your party after all.

Think about textures

Now if you’re into monochrome and neutrals like me, you’ll be wanting to think about how you can use these to your advantage. I used this milk & sugar serving dish to add a warm wooden tone to the otherwise monochrome table. To further compliment this I’ve also added the neutral tablecloth that has a black edged feature to tie it all in together.

 

Another way to add in this contrasting yet effective look is to use a bold vase and soften it with spring flowers. I suggest daffodils or tulips and fortunately for us, they’re everywhere right now and at really affordable prices.

Have Fun

Now you have the fundamentals, it’s time to have fun. Where you’ve laid your bold dishes, start filling them with different coloured foods, deliciously gooey jams and sprinkle a little bit of spring over your table. Now if you’re wondering how to do this, then there are several ways. Fresh flowers are perfect for breaking up a table, but you can also use little sweets such as these chocolate eggs. You’ll find that they add just the right pops of colour in all of the right places. You can easily add a luxury feel to your afternoon tea by sprinkling some icing sugar over your fresh fruit or creating cucumber twirls. It’s easier than you think.

I hope this has provided you with some insight into how you create a fabulous Easter table without having to use all of the bright colours. Now I’m off to have my cake (and eat it too!)

Violet

@violetglenton