Festive ready home (Diwali - Part 2)

I usually get décor hiccups for any festival but for people who know me would nod against it to say that isn't obvious. With an array of enchanting pieces we own, I don't need a better excuse than Diwali to deck the home with my brass galore. My all-brass route is carried forward in our Diwali -II too. After throwing the cyber gates open for you dear readers, to reveal our festive entrance (I am so thankful and happy beyond words with the response of our entrance décor, thank you lovely people) you are invited to take a peek at the festive touches in our living and family rooms. Savour the brass, smell the fresh flowers and enjoy this impeccable and uber stylish appearance of our brass, on this Diwali.

 

Just like every year, Ganeshas are taking the center stage on our coffee table this year also but in a fresh setting. Flowers, candles and brass...each element earns its place visually here. Impromptu grouping of more brass at the corner of the room flatters the style of entire vignette on the coffee table. With my brass at its best, I always hear the murmurs and sprinkling of intrigue in our guests :) and why not, it’s the time of the year when I long for accolades by all means. 

I love playing around with my accessories and it often makes me wonder how things start to gather up when I create a vignette. I run in all directions being excited and anxious around the home to gather the correct accessories. And the results after few trial and error combinations is a purer delight. Does it happen to you?

I have been craving to try something different on this fertile place to enliven this fireplace mantel space and with no rule approach this Diwali I came up with this. Sometimes a little enhancement is all that is required to convert a corner from functional to fanciful. With Ganesha being an anchor object,  this corner for now is updated with various heights.

Try making a grouping of small items in a fertile corner or space of your home. Elevate objects within the group adding different heights and play around layering with accessories. Trust me; it is actually so easy that you can whip one up on any bare floor in no time.  

Mingling great styles that is flexible and constantly evolving keeps the décor alive.  Small details of flickering lights can add a powerful impact on any corner. Don’t shy away to try diverse forms of votive holder in one frame if you ever run out of your Diwali diyas. Also, leaning a frame or covering up with a bright runner against a wall has always been a ‘win-win’ for me to uplift the entire look for me.  

Flowers are championing fresh and unconventional approach in all vignettes. Here is the closer look at all the ones that I used freely mixing unexpectedly in every vignette. The flower need of this season has been taken care by all home grown flowers. The bright and most B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L roses in the urli are graciously given to me by a very dear friend.

As you know, I drain every last bit of my flowers and I almost didn't had a heart to throw away those beautiful petals of the fallen roses hence I used them floating in the brass plate along with more candles until they survived :) 

As a part of Diwali celebration, we spend lot of time indoor with the company of close friends and having a communal space soaked with festive appropriate touches accurately conjure a touch of nostalgia and pleasure. Here is our prettified corner in a family room. With a bright kutchhi runner, used as a backdrop on the couch, it strengthens the point of focus in the room.

Unlike every year's blogpost on rangoli I shared my this year's creation a wee bit early for you all to inspire and create one in time for your home. If you missed it on my social media...here it is! As a true ‘Ganesha’ fan, we always have his presence in every décor and this year's rangoli is also not an exception. Since tackling the dusty rangoli colors is not my forte, we use two simple ingredients (rice and food colors) to make our rangoli every year. To personalize the design, I threw in some craft mirrors in the design.

My readers have a mild obsession with our chalkboard in the house and why not, it is my undisputed decor accessory for any festival. Our artist daughter always comes to my rescue when it comes to highlighting it for any season. Winding up this post of our home which is welcoming and festive ready with her ‘Diwali Creation’. Hope these lush festive ideas will inspire you to implement few Diwali touches at your end also.

Gobble up countless pieces of ‘Mithai’ this Diwali with many laughs along the way with your family and friends. Signing out wishing you all heap of joy and prosperity, until we meet again, enjoy Diwali, toodles!

Diwali Decked Entrance (Diwali Part 1)

Not that our home needs help in the looking good department but this Diwali surely does wonders. I have already started to hit the ground running for Diwali but before we invite our first guests for Diwali it is my yearly ritual to invite you (my dear reader) to our home where festive touches will greet you at every turn. Come on in, welcome and stay a while.

Our entrance is already a stunning sight. Serving here the major pop of color is our new Benjamin Moore's OXFORD GOLD wall which brings out the festive look effortlessly. To typify my style and choice for the festival of lights I have chosen all brass route because I believe in doing something I know is going to be a hit and brass surely does that magic in my décor. 

We did not buy any festive ephemera for Diwali this year (okay, except few red t-light candles to go with my theme). Instead, best suited tucked away pieces are combined with complimentary accessories to up the game at our entrance. Every shiny vase housing flowers is bought from an antique dealer this summer and many other accessories on the console dates back to my school years. And you know already...these gorgeous paintings are the best gift given by our artist daughter.

Here is the final look, the warm and welcoming spirit of Diwali is aced naturally without breaking a sweat.  With the fistful amount of candles and sparkling clean brass (tamarind is my best friend when it comes to rubbing all my brass) this corner quintessentially reflects the traditional tone of the season. 

How much is too much brass? It is raining brass at my end and boy, did they step out in their finest. I often wonder if it is possible to be born with a keen love for brass threaded in my DNA? These brass pieces enable me to express my evolving décor style in a unique way every time I bring them in. Rustling up the existing ingredients for an inviting setting always works for me, and that's what I did ;).

This season, sparkle comes imbued in all our heirloom pieces. This Diwali, I have surrounded ourselves  with the things that have meaning so that our home tells a story. All the pots housing the flowers in this corner are heirloom pieces which belong to my great grandfather that I proudly own. So thankful to my mom who handed me over these treasures on my last visit to India along with many other pieces that I will cherish forever and hopefully pass it on to my kids.

I love to surprise the guests adorning the home with festive décor through out and even in the places where you wouldn't expect. With brass making waves on the décor frontier this dull corner at the end of the staircase has been revamped with new styling this year. This jumble of my brass will not only offer a moment of pause for my guests but it will also let me deposit that applause in my compliments account :).

Hope these corners have intrigued you enough to know what lies ahead in the living and family room, well, my little self is running around in all directions with all the hurly burly of Diwali but promise to be back soon to crack open the rest of the decor in next post  in mean while, you may go here and here to see Diwali Decked yesteryear at my end. My Facebook and Instagram accounts are equally enticing to get you Diwali ready. Until we meet again, eat those Diwali goodies and enjoy the festivities, toodles!

Diwali Exchange - An exchange of Creativity

It is the time of the year when the brain is in top gear and we are all busy unspooling our minds to take things up a notch this festive season. But when it comes to our home décor, we may go an extra mile and throw in some clever touches and glamorous effects to be a total show-off about. And just because everyone defines style in own personal way, I requested the experts, turned myself to the pros and tapped into the minds of the most talented décor divas and avid readers of my passion stories to share my space today and be a part of our ‘Diwali Exchange’ post.

Portraits of their lovely spaces with diverse style, colors, accoutrements and ambience will exemplify how small personal touches can bring charm to make your home look welcoming and festive ready this season. Go ahead deep dive into the post and be assured-it will be worth it.

Padma from Padzdecor
North Carolina, USA

Brass is threaded in Padma's DNA just like me :). With an enviable amount of brass (her brass always quickens my heartbeat) Padma has conjured a look of glamour and elegance. Along with her gracious creativity, the finest materials like metallic brass and glossy diyas complete her Diwali vignettes. 

I am one of those unlucky one who doesn't own any heirloom. Recently my parents gave away all their antique brass stuff but that didn't stop to own and make my own collection. All of my brass is bought in from Bengaluru and various craft melas. Since all the figurines are bought in, I may not have stories to share but I surely know how to weave new ones. Goddess Saraswati is posing the right stroke in the company of tea light holder chandelier. I love making these impromptu corners around the home which adds much needed oomph of the festival. Another intricately detailed Goddess Saraswati in brass is taking the center stage here in this vignette in the company of freshly bloomed fall mums. The vignette is brought to life by perfectly teaming with sparkly brass diyas. 

Shilpa from Buddha Love

 Ontario, Canada

A lover of all forms of art, design and photography, Shilpa is a photography enthusiast and I am a big fan of her soulful and signature style images that keeps getting featured on different platforms of social media.

For me, Diwali evokes lots of wonderful memories just like it does for many Indians.  Hence miss being back home in India even more than usual.   

I always try to create a festive mood at home for the family, especially for the kids during Diwali by way of following family traditions, preparing festive sweets/snacks, decking up the house with lots of diays, so they can  have fond memories of their own when they grow up.

Personally, I think there's nothing more beautiful than the combination of brass, lights and flowers to adorn one's home the traditional way. It creates instant ambience and positive vibe.

Ramya Vijaykumar

Texas, USA

Self-proclaimed home decor diva, who loves to adorn her home and even as a child she was deeply into home décor. Ramya starkly believes that a home is a personification of its residents. She takes all efforts and spends at least a trifling portion of her evening rearranging her vignettes, which she thinks, is therapeutic.

We start off Diwali with first offering to the supreme lord of intellect and wisdom, flowers are an integral part of every celebrations, the man of the house never refuses to overload us with flowers during festivities

In the entryway we have an urli filled with flowers from our garden and the brass lamps are from mother in law who gave me about three dozen lamps so I can play around the house bringing the needed blink during festive season. The peacock lamp is from my mom’s wedding trousseau.

The trio as we call them Lakshmi-Ganapathi-Saraswathi, any festival or occasion my mom had a picture of the trio and I took her footsteps and here we have ours adorning the coffee table in the formal living.

We ingest as much desi influence as possible at home so the kids get exposed and take in as much as possible. Our loving Krishna, who is an antique store find here in Texas, is totting up to the Diwali Spirit in a royal manner with a horse and an elephant. Also many other corners are similarly adorned with Deepa Lakshmi, Ganapati, terracotta lamps and Lord Natraj in Diwali spirit around the home.

Anupama R
Banglore, India

A doctor by profession and a décor lover by passion is sharing Diwali vignettes in a brand new avatar of moody and evocative photography. Her pictures are bold, experimental and seek to express her distinct personality.  

Love what you do and do what you love is the mantra when it comes to my décor style. A far cry from the traditional use, the collection of small brass diyas are adorned with flowers in them.

A burst of color thrown in with Indian touch is a look I seek while revamping any corner. Flowers always add warm and welcoming spirit while boosting the drama.

During festivities, I take creative freedom and let myself loose in discovering new décor paths. Gracefully arranged 'dashavatar' frame here is taking the highlight with the gleaming of fancy diyas and shiny rangoli.

With that we come to an end of our post and I am sure you will be searching an excuse to throw a party now with these ideas and inspirations in your back pocket. I truly hope these designer tips and tricks will aid to add that extra drama quotient to your existing décor. I relished the entire process of communicating to these divas 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 lovelies.

Signing out inserting the best of Diwali vibes, wishing you all a very happy festivities ahead. Do circle back next week for a post to see Diwali decked up corners of our home. Until we meet again, stay connected on Instagram or Facebook, toodles! 

(You may head straight here for last year's Diwali Exchange post.)

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.

Decked up Entrance - (Diwali Special Part-1)

As we approach Diwali, I cannot help but get nostalgic about my best childhood memories around the festival...the aromas of wonderful traditional food, the spectacle of colorful decorations, the glow of lights in every corner, the thundering sounds of fire-works, oh the euphoria!

Fast forward many years, although the grown up rat-race has subdued my bubbly childhood cravings, the pent up anticipation for Diwali still manages to surge; and I do my best to tackle the feat of earnest celebration with panache. This year is no exception. Welcome to my entry way that is currently brimming with Diwali preparations and inspirations.

On festivals like Diwali, I suffer major transformational moments and for me, nothing heralds Diwali like the eternally elegant brass. This year, a dominant shade of deep red with a lavish dose of sparkling brass is sprinkled throughout our home, fostering a classic traditional palette. Our entrance that usually wows every guest, has been elevated further in style quotient with an extra dose of color and bling.Akin to my changing seasonal wardrobe, I also rotate decorative pieces around the home to complement the passing season and moods. For special festivals like Diwali, some buried treasures are unearthed from my treasure chests and displayed around my home for that extra festival oomph. Like this old fashioned "Jharoka" that adorned the entrance in our old home now comes out for special occasions like this.

Unconventional pieces like my antique brass ice bucket used as a vase here, added that depth and dimension to the shimmering decor here.

The bold palette created with a personalized amalgamation of sparkling brass, colorful flowers, Diwali diyas and the patina of some well-loved pieces enriched the festive look I wanted to orchestrate. If you are visiting first time here, take a glance at the paintings above the console, they are creations of our artist in the house, our teenage daugher.

Our glittery, shiny and gleaming entry way is all set with the spread of festive accessories.

Diwali is the time to spruce up any dull corner begging a zing. Remember, those often forgotten corners offer that unlimited décor prospective to impress your guests upon arrival. The niche beside our staircase also offered a potential of more decorating opportunities and grouping of few metallic accents here, with varied heights made this darling little space a show-stopping alcove.

If you are eyeing those urli stands, they are the our new additions for Diwali this year. I could not pass on the 50% off offer on these awesome pumpkin stands at Pier 1 and they now elevate and display my urlis beautifully at varied heights. Also friends, this is the same treasure chest where all  my goodies jumble when they are not in use ;).

The heirloom piece here with intricate work is an antique brass lamp, displaying a subdued glint through layers of age-induced patina. The brilliant craftsmanship and elegance of this beauty draws attention to its aesthetics and an intrigue for the bygone era.

If you are looking to pep up your decor for this festive season, browse through your collection and build a scheme. You will be surprised at what you can come up with. For the festive punch, diyas add that rich glow and flowers, a freshness in any décor. The combination of both is surprisingly effective. I didn't shy away from using the vast collection of my clay and brass 'diyas' that I layered together, perking up the corners with a bold radiance. 

The wooden engraved box is also another recent addition from Home Sense Canada. The rich gold details on the box with some diyas perched on top, adds some visual drama to this corner.  

As a concluding visual, here is a bird's eye view from the stairs, where the lit diyas in a dramatic setting brings to life, our dull nook that has now become a highlight of our entryway.

Hope you all get a good boost out of all the sparkling ideas in the post and will now spruce up your place with this inspiration. I do have a number of more posts including a Diwali tour of our Living Room planned for you between now and Diwali, so I better get busy! And for you lovely peeps, stay connected on Facebook and Instagram for more decor sagas to celebrate Diwali with me, until we meet again, toodles!