Aubergine, Emerald and Amber
When decorating for Mardi Gras, give purple, green and gold a modern twist
When it comes to designing your home for Mardi Gras, begin with the colors of the season. Rex selected the official Mardi Gras colors in 1872, and the 1892 Rex Parade theme “Symbolism of Colors” gave meaning to the hues: Purple represents justice; green represents faith; and gold represents power.
The key to creating a modern look for this season is to tone down the color palette and utilize modern technologies to produce a unique look. There are many shades of gold, green and purple so select contemporary tones.
There really is no need to spend a lot of money when transforming your home. One way to create a one-of-a-kind look is to use glass vases and fill them with colored water. Imagine yellow tulips in a vase filled with purple water or purple irises in a gold vase. In addition, you can fill a vase with branches that are spray painted green and yellow. Add glitter to the branches if you want it to be “sparkalicious.” This allows you to bring in the colors of Mardi Gras without being too obvious. The modern way of designing usually means being a bit more subtle, however, you can be more gregarious. Just add beads in the base of the vase or throw in a few feathers.
Mardi Gras is a time of abandon and merriment, as people are known to indulge in voluntary madness. So it’s fine to go over the top. Buy some simple portable light fixtures and place colored lights in them. This will allow you to flood the walls of your home with the colors of the season. At the end of the season, on Ash Wednesday, all you do is hit a switch and your home is back to normal. Light always adds a special dimension to any design. Replace your clear lightbulbs in your chandelier or lamps with yellow, purple or green bulbs. Light lets you create a wonderful mood in your home. Also, reuse those Christmas lights by placing them inside colored glass vases and then adding flowers to top it off.
And when it’s time to throw those dinner parties, all you need to do is find beautiful linens, tablecloths and glassware that incorporates the colors of Mardi Gras. You can use ribbon or beads for napkin rings.
The entryway of your home is a great place to decorate for the season. Take a lemon tree and wrap the pot with foiled paper and reuse your purple, gold and green Christmas ribbons to add large bows at the top of the pot. If you still have garlands on your home’s balcony or columns, just add Mardi Gras–colored lights to update the look.
Creating a unique, modern Mardi Gras design can be a great way to celebrate the season. Remember it is a season of excess, so go over the top if you really want to make a statement.