Jhatpat home décor: How to get your act quickly together this Diwali

Inhaling the fragrance “actually causes a physical reaction my body because I feel really happy,” says Bali, whose projects have included Laila Majnu, Dear Maya, Parchhayee: Ghost Stories by Ruskin Bond, Tanaav, Bard of Blood and the upcoming biopic Chamkila directed by Imtiaz Ali.

“It’s my favourite season and the fragrance of the saptparni “tells me Diwali is here, heralding my birthday in December, so I try to cancel as much of work as possible to enjoy the festival and be with my family,” she says.

Instagram star and Youtuber Srishti Garg, known for her “empowering rants and viral sketches,” all aimed at GenZ, also loves family time during the festive season. “Since the four of us live in different cities we meet very rarely unless we go on a family trip, but Diwali is that one time when we take out four to five days to chill and be together.”

Such times remind Garg of the past years when “I was not working, my brother was not in college, my mom and dad were posted in the same city. This makes us cherish each other’s presence even more. I love that I can be with my family.”

Along with the joy of togetherness of course comes the wonder of lights, the beauty of flowers and the gastronomic delights cooked up for the occasion…

To put together a ‘look’ for your home during the festive season is an onerous task, but the good news for us procrastinators and tired oldies who leave things for the last minute and need some advice from young and happening social media ‘influencers’ (Bali and Garg have 596 and 427k Instagram followers, respectively) is that some quick-fix decorations can be managed with minimal fuss, expenses… and exhaustion.

Getting creative

Creative thinking saves the day, so use space smartly, brightening up staircases with flower petal rangolis in the corner of each step.

Short wooden ladders (Hiden, ₹2,400; ClufRox, ₹1,395 and your garden wala piece) can be propped up in a corner of the living room with diyas, tealight candles and decorated with gold tissue, satin ribbons or brightly coloured fabric lengths.

Boxes piled up according to size – a smaller one atop a bigger one – can be the focal point of a room with marigold, rose and jasmine garlands and fairy lights with traditional brass diya stands like the nilavilakku.

Quirky is cute

Add a quirky touch to the décor. Garg loved the very genuine looking “laddoo candles” she got last Diwali, which added a special sweet touch to the festivities, especially when these were lit up and put on brightly printed serving trays.

From scented praying Buddha candles by Aile Craft ( ₹249 for two); to playing card soy wax scented candles by Ehika for taash parties ( ₹310 for four) to laddoos in their own mithai box by AuraDecor ( ₹229 for four), you have great designs to choose from.

A big lover of everything vintage, Garg refuses to disregard her “generic aesthetic” even as she takes charge of Diwali decorations at home. “Since my mom lives in Jodhpur I go to a lot of stores and collect small antique pieces. I’m a big lover of everything vintage – a vinyl record player for instance,” she says.

Such precious possessions can be highlighted with bright or dim lighting, lamps and flowers.

“Use the cute, antique vintage pieces and interesting stuff you have stumbled upon in local markets,” she advises.

So this year Garg is putting up Diwali disco balls.

Bali loves to experiment with candles – which she and her mother get from Delhi’s Blind School fair every year. Last year, she used shot glasses with tealight candles to decorate the entrance area.

White flowers and the urli she got from Oma, which had lots of colourful candles floating on water, completed the visual treat.

Bali’s Diwali parties hold promise as she celebrates Halloween as well.

“For the past five years I have been throwing Halloween-themed Diwali parties. People are encouraged to dress up in Halloween costumes, but the festivities are typical of Diwali – we play cards, eat and have fun,” she adds.

Bali’s mother also makes sure a pumpkin is carved up and placed outside their house.

Hit the right spot

“For decorations I focus on two spots – one is the entrance of the house as lots of friends and family members come home and my mom also believes positive energy flows into the house from the main door. The other part is the drawing room where all of us gather. When you are hosting people these spots have to have very good energies,” insists Bali.

Sights and scents

Bali makes sure indoor spaces are scented with oil diffusers.

Asakuki’s essential oil diffuser ( ₹2,299) comes with fragrant oil humidifier/vapouriser and has a timer and auto-off safety switch. Prathna’s ceramic aroma diffuser ( ₹184) has a beautiful Tiffany style night lamp and essential oil camphor burner for fragrance with switch on/off button for heating. Kraftlik’s ceramic owl diffuser retails at ₹649.

Overloaded tables with colourful mithais and other delicious treats, bright tablecloths (Earthy floral elegance table cover from the House of Harman, ₹1,799; Blocks of India, ₹749; Urban Space, ₹922), satin runners (Navroz Gold Hues runner from The Purple Pony, ₹1,050; Banarasi silk/brocade from E-Ezra, ₹599-Rs799) tinsel, flowers, lamps and candle stands/holders can also be made a part of the décor.

Gable House tealight holder and sculpture ( ₹1,395) from Rader Germany or a vintage patina gold bird on branch candle stand ( ₹1,378) marketed by New Leaf Retail Technologies are great ideas for centrepieces.

Mention food and Garg starts waxing eloquent over her mother’s annakoot ki sabzi (a mix of vegetables made especially for Govardhan Puja after Diwali). “Many people except those from Uttar Pradesh, where my roots are, might not know about this yummiest of all sabzis. It’s very soulful and filling, and I make it a point to bring some back to Mumbai as I can’t get enough of it.”

Liven it up

Indian printed throws or tapestry put up on walls brighten up rooms.

“I have a carpet tapestry that’s really affordable in my living room. It literally cost me Rs700 and is from Amazon… but you cannot tell,” says Garg.

Also Read: Diwali 2024 decor: Upcycled diya to paper torans, 5 stunning budget-friendly ideas that won’t break the bank

You can pick up beautiful pieces like the Orange Tree of Life from Handicraft Palace for ₹615 or The Dance from The Plated Project, for ₹2,499.

Going wild

Garg, who is “really scared” of her mother and “does not like to go against her aesthetics,” says she would if she could “just paint my walls red and green, put up huge canvases, change the bedcovers, the sofa colour and the dining table… unfortunately that power lies within my mom’s hands as of now.”

How they do it

Bali designs the rangoli at home even though “I am terrible at it.”

She makes mini rangolis with diyas in the middle to light up parts of the house.

Garg goes in for minimalistic, quiet décor after running ideas past her mother, who is “slowly letting go of control.”

First the house is decluttered and tidied up and then she puts up the lights – the “genuine game changers” – and pretty lamps.

Bali too is particular about the lights – which “have to be yellow or ivory white, not Christmas blue, or dancing red and green. Those are not Diwali colours,” she insists

Eye on costs

In this age of recycling, a one-time investment of ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 in fake flowers or mango pattis and torans (Decorative door hanging leaf brass from Anand Prakash, ₹3,490; gold metal hanging toran from Pepperfry, ₹2,499) for doorways doesn’t hurt much.

Also Read: Diwali 2024: Bored with the same fairylights? Try these lighting ideas to make your festive decor stand out

Garg paid ₹500 for two strings of fake marigold flowers which she has been reusing.

Such strings from Dryphon cost ₹228 for a pack of five. One string from KairaGiftWorld costs ₹65.

“I don’t believe in purchasing a lot of new things to decorate the place for Diwali. So great fragrances and aesthetics through flowers and lights would be the main thing,” says Bali.

Diwali mantras

“There should be no klesh (discord) in the family. Most Diwalis end up with a big, big klesh, so don’t do that although it’s impossible. But this year that’s what I aspire to do,” Garg responds.

But overall, good times with the family, good food thora klesh, great outfits and hopefully returning back to Mumbai with a few kilograms added are on her bucket list.

Bali wants to relax and enjoy the spirit of Diwali. “It’s wonderful to see everyone on the same page for that one week – everyone wants to be free of work, spend time together, eat, drink, play taash. For once no fights are happening, everyone’s of the same mindset, spending late nights, dressing up – that’s the one unique thing which chains people together,” she says.

Also Read: Diwali 2024: How to make flower rangoli and 5 easy designs you can recreate