Last Year Diwali Decor Round-up (Diwali 2019)

Hope that festival preparations have started at your end and you are brewing up ideas for this Diwali. Oh yes, I have started to lighten up the glow of Diwali by small bursts of twinkling diyas and overload of brass. After all, putting on a play of lighting and swapping out accessories in every corner is a full proof formula to beckon the festival ;). 

It really gets busy during diwali so instead of taking time out for a blog post with a busy schedule of Diwali, I had decided to share all the Diwali posts on the social feeds of Facebook & Instagram only last year. However, before I kick start this year's Diwali preparations, I wanted to give you a round up of Diwali 2019 decor we did at our home. 

Taking you along with our last year's Diwali decor. Brass, as you all know, still reigns supreme in my all décor and our entry way is a perfect winning location to display all...after all the first impression does matter. Welcome to our grand entryway. However, this wall has been transformed totally. As this year we tweaked this powerful bold gold to another color (cedar green) by swapping, switching and adding few wall frames around.

This wall has always been festive ready in our home but decorating with special touches adds the thrill at the entry for the atmosphere of a celebration. Hope you enjoy your stay here and take some inspiration along for your own Diwali decor this year.

I don’t know about you but the festive season always seems to sneak up on me every year (24 hours aren’t enough). Suddenly I am knee deep in to-do lists with limited time. It definitely takes a certain amount of planning (read stress) to have a successful Diwali ready home but frankly that’s part of the fun.  Taking you forward to our under the stairs setting where I usually place our rangoli. Until I put up rangoli (coming up soon) here, the setting constantly reminds us of the glorious touches of the festive season. The irony of using brass cannot be missed when it comes to power game of festive décor.    

Diwali makes me go an extra mile and throw in some clever touches with glamorous effects to be a total show-off. Here are the portraits of our living room with diverse style, colors, accoutrements and ambience that exemplifies how small personal touches can bring charm to make your home look welcoming and festive ready this season.

Wanted to draw your closer attention to the pieces I received from Divine India Each piece is exquisite and perfectly falls in the rhythm of my decor style with ease. I also wanted to point out to that big brass pot (that I acquired from Facebook marketplace) is used as a side table by placing a tray atop. With the pieces from Divine India, it was quite easy for me to pull the overall Diwali look in our living room last year.

And we ended Diwali hubbub last year with a wonderful "Annakoot" celebration at home with friends and families who joined us from far and wide. 

Here are the decor pictures of the celebration. For someone like me who believes in a traditional approach it was just perfect to inject some "desi" touches with blissful colors to support the occasion.

It was an eventful yet equally tiring celebration...by the way, the bell decor is a DIY. I married Christmas bells to marigold strings for this look.  

Red and gold are the Diwali classics and can easily kick up a notch in any décor. I also sizzled up the foyer console table here with some exciting changes by mixing modern and vintage pieces. Staging of small pieces in a bunch can give you a power of a large display. 

As I end this post with our last year's Diwali celebration wishing you all that may the beauty of Diwali fill your home with happiness and may the coming years provide you all that brings joy in your life. Here is the last year's rangoli made with rice and food colors. The making of the same is up on my Youtube Video here. 

This was all about last year. Get ready to absorb all the eye candy coming your way this year also, as I will be sharing more videos and pictures of Diwali styling on my social feeds. Stay connected there until we meet again here, toodles!

Diwali Decked Home

I am back with a bang with our annual Diwali home tour and as always, we are all set to have you drool over our décor and bowl you out with the display of our collection. Come on in…the doors are wide open. 

Brass still reigns supreme in my all décor and my entry way is a perfect winning location to display all...after all first impression does matter. Diwali gives me ample reasons to display my décor but topping my game this Diwali are these lanterns (gifted by a dear reader Arpita who visited me from all the way New Zealand).

The powerful bold gold wall is always festive ready in our home but decorating with special touches adds the thrill at the entry for the atmosphere of a celebration. To enjoy the interesting display and the wonderful paintings of our daughter....a short stay in here is a must for every guest.

The irony of using brass cannot be missed when it comes to power game of festive décor. Glorious touches of celebration are carried through out the home. Details in décor add charm along with a sprinkling of intrigue in guests. My best of the brass pieces are added here for extra simmer this Diwali.
Diyas are integral part of any celebration and using them everywhere and in everything  illuminates the air of anticipation on festive season.

                               

Style and glamour come with endless possibilities. While I believe brass and diyas are the flavors of festive season and they can get your glitter game on in no time. Also flowers are fresh on the eyes, pretty on your vignette and perfect for the festive season….so house them to radiate chic serenity in the atmosphere.

My décor has peaked this year with the new addition of these cushion covers from Bristi. They turned out the masterstroke this Diwali. However they have a quirky story about how they are perfectly personalized to my taste…will share that some other time…for now let their picture do all the talking. 

Our aesthetics come from the genes and in my case, my guru, my mom who was right at home for me to learn from. It would be safe to say that much of what you may observe in my décor comes from my mother. I recently visited her home in India and she is still so focused and driven when it comes to her décor choices. The grouping in this corner is inspired by her styling and stolen completely from her. 

Handpicked selection of brass, flickering glow of diyas, glorious touches of flowers and voila…no corner is untouched and it totally reflects our style and taste.

And here it is our Diwali ready room....a visual and sensual delight and it makes me to stop and park myself before I pass  by every time...I am sure our guests will be aroused to vibrant conversations for Diwali party this year. 

Family room corners are also charged with love this Diwali (I told you...I have been on a décor spree and stirring up the storm). This console table is a perfect place for me for championing a fresh and unconventional approach every occasion. Following my own whimsy, I have inserted terra cotta diyas in almost all vignettes for festive touches. They perk up the plainest setting to something special. 

Some festive staples never go out of style - they just are reinvented year after year. My festive season's new mantra is fuss-free and yet festive by layering these already beautiful diyas effortlessly on the coffee table. Used here is jewel toned purse as a placement to enhance the aesthetic beauty.  

Brass has always been the blueprint of old world manners and chivalry across the eras but updating them in a totally contemporary way gives it a sparkly new twist. Mod meets old setting here with my DIYed marble bench is impeccable for festive entertaining. The backdrop of Ganesha painting on our chalkboard falls perfectly in the festive rhythm.

And with the final closer look of all festive diyas I wrap up this post hoping that you all will get your kick out of all sparkling ideas in the post.  A little inspiration and an eye for beauty are the only essentials you need to add that extra festive sparkle in your home. 

Signing out wishing you all a happy, happier and the happiest Diwali. Do stay connected on my social feeds of Facebook and Instagram as I am yet to share my rangoli of this year. Until then, enjoy all the laddoos, mithai and festivities at your end, toodles!

Diwali Exchange 2018 - An Exchange of Creativity

I don’t know about you but the festive season always seems to sneak up on me every year. Suddenly I am knee deep in to-do lists with limited time. It definitely takes a certain amount of planning (read stress) to have a successful Diwali ready home but frankly that’s part of the fun. 

Just like every year to take your décor dilemma from stressful to serene I have gathered wisdom and advice from eclectic individuals (who are scattered far apart on the map but share the same passion of décor) for our Diwali Exchange post.  In a truly personal sense of style, these home owners gave intimate insights of their Diwali decked homes with their shortcuts for easy decorating and simple eco-friendly strategies. A feast of great tastes and elegance is guaranteed to delight all the readers….and before you know it, you might find yourself with your feet up for a while before the doorbell rings.

Rohit Mohanraj

Hydrabad, India

Starting first in the series is from one of our favorite Instagram Buddy Rohit Mohanraj who may be a newbie being featured here but he is no stranger to décor, who got ready at the drop of a hat to share his festive ready home. Being in India, Rohit is lucky in a ways to add new décor elements in his décor however, playing safe with traditional décor he proves that you can never go wrong with classics. 

Diwali for me is a grand affair of celebrations and festivities that we commemorate with great pomp and show every year. It’s a time for visiting our friends and family, shopping, exchange of gifts, rituals and prayers and of course, fireworks!
I am without a doubt in love with Deepawali because it’s an excuse for me to re-do the home decor with shining brass pieces, different and unique styled lamps and seasonal flowers. This is the only time of the year when going over board with the decoration seems to be an acceptable norm.

Diwali is a glorious three day festival in my city, Hyderabad. The festivities begin with the festival of Dhanteras followed by the two grand days of Deepawali, Festival of Lights. Different communities come together to celebrate this joyous festival. During these three days, the whole city can be seen dressed in serial and string of different colour lights, candles, and the traditional oil lamps. This is the time when few communities also celebrate their new year and purchase metals especially gold for good luck. On the Diwali night, it’s an endless extravagant display of aerial and ground fireworks.

Desi DIY sisters

North Carolina, USA
Decor world's new age DIY sisters Divya & Sravani grabbed all attention when we featured them here . Their home tour made many of you to attempt your hands on their DIY projects. Developing their own grammar of style they have taken some rebellious rake on DIY's this Diwali. By spining off a whole new romance on the thrift store finds while adding healthy dose of gold they have bring on the glamour. 

By creatively challenging each other we both sisters put our heart and soul when it comes to any DIY. Diwali does wonders and we put a lot of thought into our décor choices. Sometimes a simple makeovers gives you a lot of satisfaction. These pillars here are loots from a local thrift store which we painted in terracotta paint by giving rock texture. Adding kolam designs made them from an "uh-oh" to 'oh-wow" pieces. The easy-peasy flower arrangement is another winning deal. May it be artificial or real flowers, they make a grand impression on festive season. 

We consider ourselves lucky to be enjoying Diwali outdoors. Well, the temperatures are wee bit chilly but the warmth of Diwali lights always brightens up our spirit. Talking about lights, the ball candle here is also a thrift store find which we painted in red to befit our festive theme. 

Urlis and Diwali arrangements go hand in hand but don't get dishearten if you don't own one. You can pick any bowl from thrift store and give it a make over by giving spray painting in gold. The centerpiece that caught your eye on our coffee table (yet another DIY) is a delightful illusion of urli.

Do check out more amazing Diwali DIY's of these creative sisters here.

 Pinky Interiors

San Francisco, California

 Priyadarshi family's home is a veritable Diwali wonderland. Keeping the experimental trick at the bay they believe in doing something that you know is going to be a hit. The same goes for their decorations. Kanika who has ingrained the aesthetic sensibility of her mom thinks their home every Diwali screams loud: "Welcome and stay awhile".

Our family goes big every Diwali. Every year we are famous to throw at least two colourful parties that our friends are keenly looking forward to enjoy. Though, to add a little bit of drama, we took this year's party out doors in our back yard and boy, it was a grand gala event for all of us. 

A design mashup of personal treasures are dotted in every corner of the home to feel the festive vibe. Diyas are the hardest working element during this Diwali at our end. Punctuating them not only lightens up the glow but also adds sparkling delight in our décor scenes.

We wanted to choose a palette that makes us feel happy in every room hence our this year's Diwali décor is inspired by my mom's favorite color - aqua blue. By adding the pop of evergreen Diwali combinations of red, green and gold I think we nailed off more colorful look this Diwali, if I say so myself!

As we wrap up this post, I truly hope that you all enjoyed the magical realm of individuals who emanate that holidays and festive season bring out the best in all of us. Hoping that all glistening metallics, quirky objects and a multitude of textures in this post will be your ultimate guide for decorating this Diwali.

As always, I relish the entire process of communicating to these blogger friends for building this post and making another year of Diwali Exchange post happen out of our own busy schedules of Diwali preparations. I am grateful to all of you for opening your heart and home for this post, thank you. I have linked back their Instagram account in their names, so do connect with them to see more of their Diwali Décor. Until we meet again, stay connected, toodles! 

Exchange of Diwali Creativity

Diwali is time to decorate with absolute abandon and our homes are the highlight of the festive season. My feverish state of ‘impatience’ is cured and “feel good” phase is back as Diwali preparations at my end are perfectly falling in the rhythm.   

Diwali is a wonderful time for creative expressions. The herald of festive season has not only me on a massive decorating mode, but also the mammoth virtual land of social media, which is also brimming with festivity fervor. To bring some inspiration for my dear readers, I reached out to few of our readers and fellow bloggers to share their creative inspirations. They graciously shared their outrageously creative ideas for Pinks Passion, doused with a generous does of glitter and dazzle to match the spirit of Diwali. Preserving the traditional bone, they all have enlivened their dwellings in their own unique style, that reflects a perfect applaud for the festive season. Jump on the bandwagon and enjoy the visuals from their festive homes.

  

 Neha from A Cauldron Full of love  

Neha, an avid gardener, a home decor enthusiast, a self-confessed food connoisseur shares her well thought out vignettes.  

Ganesha Vignette: Every new beginning, everything auspicious in our home and in many Indian households is celebrated with the blessings of Lord Ganpati. This vignette conforms to the same with Lord Ganesha on a peacock throne, tiny elephant diyas, and my favourite Golden pothos. I loved the details on the elephant diyas and instantly bought them for Diwali. 

Buddha Vignette: This Buddha statue holds a special place in my heart for 2 reasons - first, it’s a lovely gift from my MIL and second, if looked closely, it depicts the entire life of Lord Buddha from being a prince to an ascetic to the enlightened one in the form of detailed carvings all over the body. The Buddha symbolizes inner peace and serenity and hence is a focal point in my home. The little bird diyas, an impulse buy from an exhibition and the lotus tea light is from The Purple Turtles, a lovely store in Indiranagar, Bangalore.

Peacock Diya: If there's something that creates a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach during Diwali, its the amber glow of the terracotta diyas. As kids, and even now, we light up our oil soaked diyas immediately after our Diwali Puja in every single corner of our home. I loved this beautiful brass peacock diya the moment I set my eyes on it. Here, its set against beautifully woven white chrysanthemums and red roses on my favourite chakki table, which I must add is a versatile canvas for all my vignettes.

 

Shalu From Temple Bells

Shalu, (whose plethora of fantastic treasures we shared here) is a decor enthusiast, shares her  warmly traditional corners where brass, Diyas and flowers are the tag team that make this festival come to life.

Stitching the thread of memories, an eclectic mix of silver and flowers are adding the glorious touches of celebrations at my end. Silverwares are my mom’s handed down heirloom pieces that evoke nostalgia as and when I bring them in my décor.  

Nothing else can beat the gentle glow of flickering diyas and home grown flowers on my brass settings. After rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty on some brass cleaning, finally my console table is adorning few of my priced possession.  

Diwali is a much-loved festival of mine & I think, eat, drink, & sleep decor ideas during this festive season :)! I am a traditionalist of Indian decor and always try to emanate with new ideas every Diwali and this year is no difference, I have used an antique wooden ladle holder to display the flowers & lamps as my table setting for festive spreads.

  

Jayeeta Chakraborti - A reader of Pinkz Passion

 

Jayeeta Chakraborti is a fitness lover and a home decor enthusiast, who also happens to be a loyal reader of Pinkz Passion. Her décor and style are equally inspired by the traditional vibes of India.

Home decor is Yoga for me. This gives me immense joy, motivates me to create something new, helps me release my stress.

Being a Bengali, our main festival is Durga Puja. But we try to celebrate almost every festival whether it is Ganesh Chaturthi or Diwali. I especially do this for my kids so that they learn about our culture. Also when I decorate my home for a festival I feel my home becomes a peaceful place where we all can live happily!

"Less is more" - I try to follow this simple rule when it comes to Diwali home decor. I try to keep things simple yet elegant. I read Indian as well as Western home decor blogs regularly and these are the sources of my many new ideas for home decor. I try to incorporate my own ideas with that and the end results become a whole new thing!

 

Paddy From Decomania 

It would have been a total amiss if I have not asked Padmaja Rama, aka Paddy (whose home we recently show cased here in our home tours segments) to share her festive flavored home, where essence of Diwali is loudly felt. Tucking in the well wishes for the festival, Paddy shares some portraits from her Diwali ready home.

Welcome to the bedecked Rama home during Diwali. Diwali is hands down my most favorite festival, just as it is for millions of other Indians around the globe. Living in the US, there certainly has been a moderation in the way it is celebrated. Nevertheless, we Rama's make every effort possible to keep the traditions alive and make this festival authentic and exciting for our kids. This is the time I try to bring to life, my nostalgic memories from life back in India and re-enact the rituals and the fun activities that I have experienced. I test the limits of my DIY endurance around this time, be it cooking or cleaning or festival decor. 

During Diwali, our home decor gets enhanced with an extra drama quotient, both inside and outside. Kolam/Muggulu, clay diyas, external festival lighting, tea lights, lanterns, flowers, brass, more brass...the house is decked up completely, like a new radiating bride. 

That being said, I do believe in staying green, minimizing the efforts, curbing mindless buying as well as keeping the home safe and kid friendly.

Ultimately, the most important thing, festival or not, is to cherish life, celebrate and create best memories with the true lights of our lives - our beloved family members!

 Dolphia from Story of Cooks

 A bubbly and cheery food blogger with an infectious smile, sends beautiful corners from her contemporary home, brought alive with dramatic Diwali decor.

Diwali meant much more than Durga puja to me. Everyone has their own way of decorating their nest for the festive season. And this is mine, I like cozy, compact settings, because every time I enter it gives me a warm embrace.

I am not a fan of colorful, bling-y products so it’s a tad bit hard to shop for me. I like white and golden when it comes to festive décor, so I invest some golden and earth colored props and perk them up with white flowers.

And as we conclude the post, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all creative divas, who contributed their Diwali adorned homes for this festive special post. I greatly appreciate this lovely exchange of creativity and hope you dear readers have been inspired thoroughly with the decor ideas.

 

Circle back with me this Thursday for another Diwali Tour of our Living room. If you missed the entrance tour, head straight here for some bite size ideas to adorn your corners. Until we meet again, stay connected on Facebook and Instagram, toodles.