At the onset let me tell you that I might be late in writing this blog but with all honesty I don’t do full blown festive decor months or even weeks in advance, what we do is ideally prepare bit by bit and take it easy. Bring out some stuff from last year like the lights & votives and if at all anything needs to be bought we buy that to avoid the rush in the markets last moment. Anyway this blog is more of my documentation towards the years gone by so it could definitely be of some use to you next year if not this.
Let me also grab this opportunity to explicitly say Diwali or any other seasonal , festive decor for me is about little touches , small corners that refresh the home over going crazy all the way. I simply cannot manage cleaning hundreds of marigolds and rangoli’s the next day so everything you read and see here will be understated , subtle and timeless.
Point number two that I would like to make is I prefer investing in versatile pieces that are not Diwali or season specific but can easily fit the bill with a few changes here and there for most seasons , be versatile and last me years. More about them below as we go.
The Highlight or the Main Decor
I like decorating one large area of our Home as a centerstage , it could be a corner next to the entrance or the Dining Table or a Chest in the living area (preferably something that you won’t need to use often but is visible to guests). You can call this my Rangoli at an eye level probably.
Its pretty simple to achieve , a gorgeous vase with fresh flowers , a couple of smaller vases and votives that compliment it at the bottom does the Job for me. Using varying heights creates interest and depth we all know so does grouping things and mixing a bit of texture is how we like it. Use what you have if you have Brass , Copper use them without a thought, if not use clear Glass, Cut glass or Silver. Have none of these the go ahead and use your stainless steel even. The important point is to marry them together in such a way that there is harmony.
Top Tip – When grouping different Metals , and Textures stick to a colour theme to bring cohesiveness.
In the below setup I combined , a very English country chick tablecloth with a French style galvanised vase and forcefully married our Indian style silver glasses and lotus votives together. What brings the look together really is the colour scheme , repeated use of Yellow and white across with hints of green. And can I just say this, I am very proud of this marriage. What are your thoughts , would love to hear.
Coffee Table Decor
The Coffee Table is where probably you’ll gather or entertain your guests unless its a cards party then off course laying Gadda’s (Mattress) on the ground make most sense. For me simplicity and little touches go a long way so rather than having truck loads of garlands around I added a few loose Marigolds in different size and colour onto an antique Brass tray my mom passed on.
A few candles & a glass votive , My favourite glass decanter used as a Vase , its such a versatile piece and coasters did it, my Mom would have removed the extra candle and put some dry fruits here and that would also be perfect.
Instead of adding fresh flowers in the vase and both in the tray I chose to just add them to the tray and precisely only three Marigolds in different sizes & colour variation were enough. My mom always offers fresh cotton from our village farm to goddess Lakshmi every year because cotton is harvested around this season. So I added a cotton stem to the vase picking it up from her and I love how this turned out. It could be my favourite look off all.
Create Little Corners
I think after we have tackled the main areas Fairy Lights in and around the house is just enough at least when it comes to us. But if you belong to the category of People ” Dil Abhi Bhara Nahi ” then pick little corners of your Home in different rooms and add a few simple touches.
Here are a few ideas. Marigold Petals added to the bottom of very modern Ikea tapered candle holders, you could also do this to a group of votives and place them on a mantle , a console or a side table any corner you wish to brighten up.
Or add a traditional Urli with water and fresh rose petals and a few floating candles.
Add Fairy Lights & LED lamps
Easiest way to bring the bling and be very safe with kids around. I have burned one of my favourite table covers a few months ago so I know how impractical candles may get no matter how pretty they look when you have children around.
With k\Kids & Toddlers it makes all the more sense to skip candles & diyas with safer options like led candles or place them outside their reach for sure. Place Fairy lights in a bottle or in a Jar to brighten up any corner of your home or tuck them onto your favourite plant in the corner and you are quite sorted.
Diwali Tablescape
For the Table setting I chose the colours Blue & Red simply because a hard look at my crockery and linen available with me pointed in that direction. So unless you are buying anything new here, take a good look at what colour your dinner set is , dive into your Linen cupboard and Crockery units and then arrive at a theme. Just a word of advise that no one asked for ” Tablesetting don’t necessarily have to have matching crockery and Table Linens and expensive cutlery always”. Mismatched plates can look uber chic too, in fact they add a lot of interest.
You could create fabulous name tags and napkin rings and tie them to your plain sober cutlery to up their quotient. So here’s what I happened to do, used a fluted glass vase as the center piece to which we added silver glasses with some Fuchsia Bougainvillea from the garden. A string of fairy lights and to avoid burning another Tablecloth , chose glass votives over candles. Now to be honest I didn’t even have a pair of matching votives and again was in no mood to shop so I used my juice glasses as a replacement (if you have shot glasses they are the ideal size I say). You could add a ethnic runner to Jazz it up a bit more or again if runners ain’t available an old Saree or Dupatta can be used too. There are really no rules here.
Balcony Decor
I think this should have been right at the top of this list but anyway , fairy lights , string lights they all look loveliest the most in Balconies and over plants is my belief. The low intensity of these lights against the greens is simply magical. I have been searching good solar lights for years now but until I find those we used some battery operated ones which was a close cousin of the Edison bulb string lights over the ceiling.
To avoid any burns on my plants I used LED candles by placing them between the plants on my favourite shelf. For the floor I used our old farmhouse lanterns that work great at illuminating outdoor spaces on everyday basis or on occasions. Ideally balcony is where your decor should begin a week or two in advance. Post which the little floral fixes and tiny touches we like keeping for the final Diwali week. Not rushed , not maniac , not too much just subtle , delicate and simple with happy memories.
Thats it you are set to welcome your guests for a round of taash party and make endless memories. Hope you and your family had a great Diwali filled with love , laughter and light.
love,
Kamakshi
