Gorgeous Vintage Easter Decor Straight From Grandma's Kitchen

It’s a garden party—indoors edition—at stylist Eddie Ross’ house this Easter, where ceramic bunnies perch amidst 1950s cabbage plates and sunny ranunculus on the dinner table. Everything is on-theme, but not over the top, thanks to a tight color palette and versatile collectibles. “These are all things that, when they come together, read Easter,” Eddie says.  "But you can really use them individually year-round.” Create the look for your table by embracing vintage and rounding it out with quick DIYs.

Start your Easter decor with a basket filled with vintage Easter eggs—well, vintage-inspired. Give your display retro vibes by applying temporary tattoos to Easter eggs that have been dyed and dried. Use all-natural Easter egg dyes to create subtle muted colors. These patterned eggs look best when displayed with greenery, or arranged in a vintage ceramic Easter basket. 

This centerpiece plays up carrots’ sunny colors. You need carrots with their frilly greens still attached and a clear vase to show off the roots. Pair with yellow and orange ranunculus and tulips, or other spring flowers in similar tones from the grocery store. Wash carrots thoroughly (but don’t peel) before arranging to keep the water clean.

Antique Easter decor can be as bold or subtle as you would like. For just a touch of nostalgia, delicate teacups and saucers are the perfect vessels for small flower arrangements. Fill each teacup with soaked floral foam and add in small blooms, like grape hyacinth or lily of the valley. These precious arrangements add pops of springtime color to a side table, kitchen counter, or powder room.

Stylist Eddie Ross keeps the egg decorating simple in his treasure hunt display by using washi tape ($5, Joann) and stick-on glittered numbers. Inside the eggs are on-theme clues like “Where might you find dust bunnies?” leading to gifts hidden around the house. (Under the bed in this case.) He arranges numbered eggs and candy-filled eggs on stacked cake stands.

Miniature spring dioramas are as vintage as Easter decor gets. These displays date back to the sugar eggs of the Victorian era, and this DIY version gives the look with the help of modern crafts supplies. The individual scenes are built into small cardboard boxes that have been lined with colored paper and artificial moss. Bring each box to life with vintage figurines, tiny toys, or images from retro postcards. Consider displaying your finished scene alongside a vintage Easter bunny.

The bunny face is drawn on a circle of cardstock (trace around a glass) with a pom-pom nose glued on. The jaunty bow tie is a loop of patterned cardstock ($11, Hobby Lobby). Glue ends of a 6-inch strip into a loop; pinch and glue together at center. For the bow tie knot, wrap a 2-inch strip around the cinched center; glue ends. Glue back of bow to bunny face, then glue back of bunny face to the paper band around the folded napkin.

Hosting a retro Easter brunch starts with a little antiquing! Throughout the winter, keep your eyes peeled for dishes in coordinating pastels like yellow, pink, or baby blue. Mix and match patterns for a set of vintage-looking Easter decor that adds a touch of nostalgia to your table.

Plain eggs get an old-timey twist with these vintage decorated Easter egg holders. To create these antique Easter eggs, start with illustrations that fit into your vintage theme. Nostalgic images like Easter bunnies, flowers, or butterflies are ideal designs. Print and cut each design out. Glue the images to a strip of pastel construction paper. Wrap the strip into a ring large enough to hold an egg and secure with glue. Fill each holder with a white egg. 

Time to raid grandma’s cupboards! Old-school scales are the perfect vintage Easter decorating ideas for your kitchen or arranged on your springtime mantel. Vintage cookbooks are a great way to round out the display. If grandma’s old cookbooks are a little too tattered to display, try checking out a local secondhand bookstore.

Antique Easter decorations can be a bit more fragile than their contemporary counterparts. Encasing a decorative display of spring blooms, antique silver dishes, colored eggs, and a vintage photo will keep your decor safe and intact. Try mixing up your treasures under a clear, glass cloche. Vintage Easter figurines, small ceramics, or even paper bunnies are all a fun twist on this centerpiece.

Of course, Easter dinner is a big deal… but so is Easter dessert! Prepare your guests for the sweet treat ahead with a beautiful Easter cake display. Dress up your special occasion cake stand by surrounding it with classic Easter decor. We added one of our favorite vintage Easter bunny figurines and a simple potted white orchid.

These antique Easter decorations give a whole new meaning to tiny houses! Check out your local antique shop for retro teapot houses that inspire a spring vibe—we love the ones featuring flowers. Incorporate a “neighborhood” of these teapots into your vintage Easter decor by arranging them with other flea market finds to form a simple centerpiece.

Make your Easter table decor pop! Start with a table runner in a springtime hue. Paint quail eggs and butterfly cutouts to match. Hot glue the butterflies to cut branches and arrange on the table. Fill small raised dishes with faux peony blooms and fill each flower "nest" with the painted eggs. 

This DIY Easter tree will fit in perfectly with your vintage Easter decor. To make the decoration, spray paint a bunch of gathered branches white and arrange them in a pail lined with floral foam. Weigh down the pail with sand, stones, or pebbles. To decorate your Easter tree, hang blown-out pastel eggs with ribbons and finish with handmade paper bird ornaments. 

Floral Easter cards might not technically be vintage Easter decor, but they do harken back to the good old days before “Happy Easter” text messages. Plus, you can’t email the smell of fresh flowers. Fold cardstock into a simple card shape; then glue a piece of scallop-edged vellum to the front. Glue a small decorative envelop on top of the vellum. Once all the layers have dried, cut a small hole through the vellum and cardstock, just above the decorative envelope. The hole should be just large enough for a small florist’s tube ($2, Michaels). Fill the tube with water and a few springtime blooms and fit the tube into the hole.

Welcome your Easter guests with a handmade spring wreath. Start by wrapping a foam wreath form with satin ribbon. Hot glue faux lamb's ear leaves to the wreath form. Add springtime color with silk flowers in fun hues. Simply cut faux blooms and hot glue them to the wreath. 

Chocolate Easter bunnies are a springtime classic. Delight everyone around your Easter table with a simple place setting that's good enough to eat. Set each place at your table with a large chocolate Easter bunny and finish with place cards that have been decorated with floral stickers.

This quick sewing project is both useful and an adorable piece of vintage Easter decor. Inspired by British tea cozies, these little chicks will keep soft-cooked eggs hot. To make a cozy, trace and cut out two simple chick shapes from a piece of yellow terry cloth. Layer the two chick shapes, wrong sides out. Then hand-stitch the edges together, leaving the base open. Turn right sides out. A black french-knot makes eyes and black felt makes a beak.

Think of these as the grown-up, vintage version of shoebox dioramas. Start with white shadowboxes. Line the back of each box with colorful paper.  Then add your favorite pieces of Easter decor. Vintage Easter figurines, bird’s nests, and other antique Easter decorations create a lovely treasure trove of memories. Try switching out your favorite pieces each year for a handmade Easter decoration that pays homage to the old while being fresh each year.

Sometimes throwback Easter decor is more vintage-inspired than actual antique. If you don’t have truly vintage Easter egg tree decorations, try a DIY version. Simply cut vintage photos to make festive paper ornaments. Attach each photo to ribbon or string and hang on your Easter tree. 

Dress your vintage Easter bunny is his Sunday’s best! Add some springtime flare to each bunny with colorful ribbons and flowers. Display your figures as part of a sweet spring centerpiece. 

Pansies are the perfect flower for a colorful springtime arrangement. Try using a vintage ceramic Easter basket as the planter for this assemble-it-yourself piece of decor. Fill the basket with soaked floral foam and top with green moss. Insert cut pansies and finish with a few paper butterflies.