Easter with a Twist

Somewhere along the way, Easter decoration ended up in the land of pretty pastels and cute baby animals. To avoid having your brunch table look like a nursery, we turned to event planner and designer David Stark for some modern interpretations of the holiday.

Known for his imaginative events for clients like Target and the Sundance Institute, Stark often uses unconventional décor elements that transform the ordinary into the outstanding. Here are three fresh ideas inspired by some of his best events:

Use Bright Colors for a Visual Pop
At the American Patrons of the Tate Gala, we used Benjamin Moore paint strips to create an undulating wall of color, which paid homage to painting in general.

For your Easter palette, use paint strips in vibrant spring colors found at your hardware store. Home Depot has single square options that can be made into chic place cards. Strips are great for gift tags which can be calligraphed with the guest’s name in a coordinating color. Table runners or hanging displays can be made by punching small holes in the top and bottom center of each strip and joining them with a ribbon or s-hook clasps.

Repeat an Everyday Item For Dramatic Effect
For the Robin Hood Foundation gala in 2007, we made an urban version of Sherwood Forest from materials found in New York, like a castle made from street vendor coffee cups and trees made of faux lotto tickets and newspaper.

For Easter, you can use seasonal candy like Peeps to create a kitsch painting that will make your guests grin. Just take the Peeps out of the box – they’re already attached to one another like a brick – and hot-glue them to a pre-stretched canvas from a local craft store. Fill in any white areas or cracks with feathers from a bright marabou boa, if you have the time.

Change the Scale of a Centerpiece
For a wedding at Lincoln Center we incorporated potted, flowering bulbs that were replanted en masse. This strategy works for a breakfast or luncheon because arranged cut flowers sometimes give too grand an impression!

Simply buy multiple pots of daffodils, tulips, ranunculus or hyacinths (it’s a really good time to be a flower!) and replant them into a larger one to create a striking centerpiece for your serving table or foyer. I love this clay pot at GRDN in Brooklyn (my favorite plant store) or these Terrazo Planters from Crate and Barrel.

If you don’t have time to repot your plants, wrap a piece of Kraft or colored paper around the plastic pot and nestle moss around the plant stem for a quick and stylish fix.

David Stark Design (87 Luquer Street, Brooklyn 718-534-6777) produces and designs a wide range of events, from intimate dinner parties to elaborate weddings, museum openings, foundation and non-profit benefit galas, and large-scale corporate functions for clients including Condé Nast, MOMA, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and the New York City Opera.