Festivities always get us excited. We love coming up with interesting ideas for decorations and want them to see the light of day. Although, it’s important for us to make sure that the decorations aren’t taking up a huge chunk of our time and efforts. Decorations need to be rich and lively, but they need to be efficient in implementation so that you are left with ample time for the main events and rituals. 

It’s best to adopt décor strategies that are simple to plan and execute, even if the cost goes a little over your budget.  Time is always of the essence… So spend as little time as possible on the decor part and make the most out of spending time with your family.  There are hundreds of various décor ideas for this festive season that you can adopt, depending on your theme, style and taste.  There are 2 types of décor ideas: There are basic ideas which can be adopted into various formats, and there are specific ideas which usually have little to no scope for modification. It is recommended to go for the basic ideas so that you can later work on them if time permits or leave them as is.  

Here are 5 basic home décor ideas for Diwali. 

1.      Paper Cup lanterns:   One of the most interesting and commonly used décor article. 

How to:

Wrap paper cups with various decorative papers of your choice. Once it’s done, make an X mark on the bottom of the cups, and cut it with a knife. This will be the hole where your light bulbs poke through, so keep it small to prevent the paper cups from slipping off. Slip the light bulbs to the bottom of each paper cup. Do this until you cover the whole length of the garland.  

2.      Henna Decorated Candles: Make plain candles more lively in a simple way! 

How to:

Choose a big candle for your ‘canvas’, with at least 5 cm diameter (anything smaller would be too hard to decorate), and paint your pattern with a henna cone. When it’s dry, mix PVC glue with a little water, and use a brush to coat your henna-decorated candle. Once the first coat of glue has dried, apply another layer to make sure your henna sticks in place.  

3.      Painted Diyas:  The most creative and the cheapest décor article you can create. 

How to:

Buy a few Diyas from road-side shops.  Use enamel or acrylic paints to paint your Diyas in shades of red, blue or yellow. You can mix colours to up create unique interesting patterns.  

4.      Fairy Lights with Photos:  A simple décor idea with a twist! 

How to:

Get normal fairy lights and put them up on walls as usual.  Get a series of pictures of your family… Maybe from moments in the past or even recent ones and clip those along the fairy lights strings. 

5.      Crepe Paper Toranas:  Easy to make and longer lasting than normal fresh Toranas 

How to:

Get crepe papers in various colours of your choice. Make regular Torana cuts and start putting them together as usual… Like you would for a normal Torana.Add gold bells at each end to make it more festive. When Diwali is over, don’t throw away your Torana, keep it for other festivals or gathering. 

These tips will surely help you light your home without eating up much of your time. Every festival is dearly important for us and our families. So we need to make sure that most of our time and energy is spent on enjoying these special moments together, and the least amount of time is spent on the décor.