Give a Diwali makeover to your home

Simran Lamba / TNN / Updated: Oct 28, 2014, 14:24 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Diwali is the perfect time to spruce up your home and give it a dose of opulence.

Diwali is the perfect time to spruce up your home and give it a dose of opulence. But, decorating the home isn’t about shopping at the most expensive stores and burning a hole in one’s pocket. There are many other ways to go about it. TOI tells you how…
Paint the walls bright: Diwali is all about bright colours. Architect RituChanekar says, “Earlier, people used to paint their homes for Diwali, but with the rising expenses and paucity of time, one can choose to just paint a single wall in each room or paint the living room in a different colour.Brighten up the dark corners of your room with a new colour. You can either go for the festive reds, oranges, maroons or go wild with your own palettes. I love the texture or stencil paint for a focal wall, which instantly gives a makeover to your room while saving money. You can also go in for wall decals.”
Drapes and furnishings: The brightness can also be injected in your home with new curtains and cozy cushions, says Ritu and adds, “New drapes and furnishings can give a new look to your home this Diwali. To stay within budget, choose one item that will create the maximum impact. I feel that changing the drapes creates a whole new look for any room. You can also use old embroidered shawls as throws. Old silk saris that you do not intend to wear are an ideal choice for fabrics for both cushions and curtains. You can also embellish them by adding lace or readily available motifs from the market.”
Light it up! Ritu gives some simple tips for instant home makeovers as she says: “You can paint your own diyas and decorate them with lace, mirrors and 3D liners. Take three different-sized glass jars from your collection and put pebbles at the bottom; fill the jars with water and floating candles on top. This can act as a very beautiful centre piece. Put candle-holders on each side of your entrance gate and light candles in them. You can also use colourful lamps to decorate the open space in the house. For example, a balcony or terrace entrance can be lit up with colourful hanging lamps.”

Best out of waste: Diwali cleaning spree usually lands you up with a lot of trash. According to the architect, if you think creatively, you can turn this trash into treasure. “Paint old beer bottles into vases, plain glass bottles filled with fairy lights, make for a beautiful centerpiece; big glass bowls can be used for floating candles and flowers. Repaint wooden boxes as magazine holders, make torans with flowers and leaves and use old sari borders as runners for your dining table. The ideas are endless; just think out of the box,” says she.
Blooming fresh flowers: Flowers can add beauty and colour to any décor. “Decorating the staircase of the house with fresh flowers is a great idea. Flowers like carnations and orchids can give the décor a contemporary look,” says Ritu.

End of Article