Diwali, the joyous festival extravaganza of lights and vibrant colors, is just around the corner. If you are hosting a gathering on this auspicious occasion and are looking for helpful tips to prepare your home for the festivities, look no further! These top tips and gift ideas from Neeti Kashyap, the founder of Curate Home, will help you get set for the festival of lights and ensure that your home is Diwali-ready.
- Clean your home
Take the time to not only clean your home thoroughly, but also take the opportunity to declutter; give away things you no longer use or need and make space for calm and peace to enter your home. What’s more, you can finally make the effort to fix broken things around the house, or give the walls a fresh lick of paint, or revamp that room you’ve been meaning to do-up for so long now.
- Prepare in advance
Plan ahead and make lists of everything that you need to get done in order for you to be prepared once Diwali starts. The worst feeling is when you are a day away and there are numerous things pending and not enough time. As the host or hostess, you want to enjoy yourself just as much as you want others around you to enjoy themselves, so make life easier by organizing everything in advance. Dividing tasks between people in your family is a great way to lessen the load and share the joy of doing things together and enjoying the process as you go along.
- Decorations
Lighting is key and where possible it is tradition to use oil lamps with ghee or oil. If you want to stay away from using fire, then try to choose options which have warm lighting as you want to mimic the light of oil lamps in your space. Avoid multicolored lights as they are a contrast to the relaxed, ethereal glow you want to create in your home. Flowers are also important and choosing a color palette which matches your décor or theme is vital. We are spoiled for choice in this region with so many fresh flowers from around the world, however nothing represents Diwali as beautifully as the gorgeous marigold. You can use it in combination with white flowers or green mango tree leaves strung together, or even as loose flowers placed in terracotta cups. Get as creative as you want and allow yourself to think outside the box when decorating – this is the perfect time to do so!
- Table-scape
If you are hosting, a great way to make your table setting stand out is to use a vintage embroidered/woven sari or a textile panel from your wardrobe as a table runner. Make this your focal point and style the table around it; you won’t be disappointed as it will no doubt be the star of the show and leave a lasting impression on your guests! This is the time to take out your finest dinnerware and table linen and enjoy the luxuries life has to offer with your loved ones. After all, Diwali is also a time of prosperity!
Here are some beautiful products from Curate Home (www.curatehome.me) that we love:
Curate Home products are available online at www.curatehome.me and in store at The Collective, The Courtyard – Al Serkal and Kulture House – Jumeirah.
Follow Curate Home on instagram @curatelabs
About Curate Home:
Brainchild of entrepreneur Neeti Tandon Kashyap, Curate Home, a UAE-based e-commerce platform bridges beauty and conscious living through a variety of exclusive travel-inspired home decor. The goal is to provide authentic functional designs in home décor products that are ethically sourced and fairly priced. Products are created around unique stories and inspirations from contemporary India. Artisans are at the heart of what Curate Home does, and the brand seeks to keep ancient crafts alive by giving it a contemporary twist.