Every year around Easter the fun of decorating a festive table for Easter Monday has become an institution in our household, we polish our best cutlery and take out family heirlooms and create the most picturesque table settings celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and thank Him for dying on the cross for our sins…

The market gets flooded with pastels and flower choices depicted by the European spring time thus not leaving us on the African continent especially NAMIBIA as a dry and desolate desert country with inspiration to celebrate this special day on the Christian calendar.

To create your inspiration … Dressing a table you feel inspired by but also feel at home with.

One word that every child of Africa known is shwe-shwe and I particular love this rich patterned cloth that has become entangled in our everyday life.

For this setting we used shades of rich ochre and navy blues and combined it with a more Dutch delft design, while soft gray and subtle whites refined the setting. For floral ware, we opted for natural grasses growing and blooming in plumes at the moment, kol-kol, fennel flowers and dried moss and a camelthorn branch hung over the table which we sprayed subtly with gray as not to remove the character of the branch.

The layered effect on a table is very important as in fashion to get the right look for a perfect table setting. First we added a straw place mat to start the setting off, We covered all charger plates with the ochre yellow shwe-shwe and this was done by using wood glue that you paint over the plate, then after it is dry you paint a layer of clear varnish as to set the plate. (Hint) Remember these plates cannot be submerged into water to clean- rather use a damp cloth to clean should it be dirty. The addition of the delft inspired dining plate with the rich ochre yellow napkin with fringed edges gives it a natural feel. To finish of the place setting a Blue floral cup and saucer gives it an opulent finish and remember Coffee is normally the welcome drink at any breakfast which means this is the first course to be removed from the table.

The flower centerpiece brings the table together – we used an elongated metal container and filled it with oasis (Hint) sand can also be used. On top of the oasis I glued egg shells with a glue gun that we accumulated and dried and then pasted the whole container full of the dried egg shells. I also sprayed a few full eggs with gray chalk spray to give another texture-The use of dried moss was used and glued into the container to secure the eggs. Into the eggs small pieces of wet oasis was placed and then designed with loose pieces of natural grasses found in nature (Hint) make sure to cut a variety with differed colours and textures as to make your design interesting.

I completed the design with kol kol flowers and heads of fennel flowers that I took from our herb garden and then a final touch of small quill eggs (Hint) You can use artificial eggs available each year around Easter time) or blow out your own.

I have used straw baskets in blue and natural to add delicious Easter treats to the table and also raw wood plates for some of the other breakfast delicacies. I have found that the use of pottery normally works well so remember this is the time to take out all the little pots and jars and bowls to create a novelty effect on the table setting.

Try to stay away from cooked breakfast as it takes allot of the host by doing it on the minute for a large group – rather opt for beautiful platters of cold cuts, tomatoes and an assortment of cheeses and spreads. Also, the perfect day to indulge with a bit of Nutella for the kids.

Bring in some Easter eggs and sweets on the table as this will ensure everybody enjoying a hearty breakfast before indulging in sweets thereafter. Fresh Coffee and teas are always a must on these days and no Easter breakfast is complete with Ice Cold Bubbly and orange juice – so stock up.

We love the sweetened bread ring with egg as a centerpiece and you could fill the center with anything you fancy to make the bread festive. Our children love the baked eggs in the bread. This is a very easy recipe to bake and include the children to bake it- they love to get involved

Thank you to Nelette of Pretty_Curious for the opportunity to provide some inspiration over this gloomy period

Blog Magazine:Pretty Curious

Venue:Home-Sweet Home

Styled shoot planning and execution: Tamonika Events(Tamonika Events & Floral Expressions)

Decor and flowers: Tamonika Events (Tamonika Floral Expressions)