Diwali or Deepavali or simply the festival of lights awaits you this weekend. While the vibe is to go ethnic, exchange gifts, invite family and friends and indulge, have you managed to organise your home yet? If not, we have some easy tips for you to give your abode a quick facelift this festive season.
Diwali is one of the biggest celebrations on India’s festival calendar, with parts of the US also slowly recognising the festival as a public holiday. Through this festival, we eradicate darkness from our lives and usher in light, which translates to happiness and prosperity. Among several traditions followed on the occasion, the most significant one is lighting up diyas in each and every corner of the house. Diwali is incomplete without lights. While the age-old tradition of lighting earthen lamps will always be there to ward off negative energy and evil spirits and is beautiful in its own right, your home in itself can be the source of all positivity. Energise your home with some tinkering here and there, keeping within the spirit of the festival while caring for the environment too.
Spruce up
Cleaning up the home is an intrinsic part of Diwali. It is said one’s living place needs to be clutter-free on auspicious occasions in order to retain positive energy and drive away dark energy. Clear your space of unnecessary items. If you’re not sure of eliminating all those unused articles clogging your living space, put them away out of sight. This will naturally uplift the look and feel of your space.
The basic you can do is change the cushion covers, if you are not up for changing the whole upholstery. Mix and match colours, designs, patterns and textiles. Match the vibe of the season by adding a dash of colour to your ordinary sofa set. Satin cushions with a solid colour base and floral or vintage designs or some sequin work or mirror work on them will be perfect for the festive vibes. Velvety cushions with one prominent design or even no design at all will also be sufficient to add a touch of glam. Simple designs like animal prints or embroidered or block-printed cushion covers in vibrant colours will be the perfect choice for this occasion.
You can also make a line of cushion covers with cool prints into a collage and put them up on a monotone wall. You can also decorate the wall with a Banjara tapestry wall art. This one will be a classic addition to the colour scheme of the room.
Change is the only constant they say. And it gets all the more necessary around festival time. Revamp your dining table with a block-printed or digitally painted table runner. You can opt for the same colour curtains, carpets and upholstery, if giving your home an entire makeover is on your mind.
The eco-friendly way
Lighting up candles and earthen lamps and putting up fairy lights lie at the heart of the festival. But how about going a little eco-friendly? Opt for ceiling bamboo lamps or handmade hanging bamboo pendant lights. Hang them on the balcony, your dining space, stair railings, that cosy little corner in your living space or even in the centre of the room. Reminiscent of our rich artistic lineage, terracotta lamps will add a rustic charm and are going to be a responsible addition to your house. You can simply leave them on a nightstand or a console table. Add warmth to your place with metal tea-light holders with any floral patterns and Goddess Lakshmi or Lord Ganesha carved in the end. These are typically available in the market as wall hangings. Fairy lights along the curtains will amp up the vibes.
Another environmentally responsible choice to spruce up your living space would be experimenting with torans ( decorative floral door hangings) and flower arrangements. Be it tangerine, marigold or rose, a bouquet on the coffee table or foyer table would add a certain softness and charm to the festivities. While decorating the floor near your entrance or the Puja area with rangolis is a common tradition across households, you can save time and energy by simply spreading out a floral mat that also serves as a tea-light candle holder. Put together a toran made of real flower garlands instead of opting for artificial ones because ideally, it is better to keep at least one element original.
Colour code
Red, yellow, magenta and blue are associated with Diwali. Get fresh flowers from the market and arrange them in a pattern and float them on water in a urli or a glass vessel or container, making it the centrepiece of attention in your drawing room or right at the centre of your dining space or your Puja room. Save the flowers that you have not used. Decorate the stair railings with mini garlands stitched together.
Get a little direct with your festive season announcement by putting up a Happy Diwali banner on your balcony or straight in your living room, letting your guests catch the vibes right there. The classic red and yellow combination or each letter in a different colour will both work in cheering up your guests. And the best part is you don’t have to throw them away after the showcase. Fold them up and keep them for next year.
DIY
While it is convenient to place an online order or get readymade lanterns from decor stores, it is always fun to make them on your own from scratch. Get some pre-cut sheets from a stationery shop and craft them into decor items like lanterns or diyas or even lamp art. While aluminium diyas are your usual go-to, for a change these diyas and lamp art will enhance the beauty of your workstation and coffee table, taking the mood several notches higher. Perfect as a gift item too!
Easy way out
Running out of time for making rangolis? Fret not! Although there is no substitute for handmade flower arrangements or alpona drawn with rice dust, it is a lot of work and can be time-consuming. Browse through your local decor shop or even several shopping sites. Reusable rangoli temple mats or rangoli stencils will be your saviour, thank us later!