DIY festive decor ideas for all the creative Kareenas out there
Low budget, medium effort, maximum impact
As your horoscope would say, the last quarter of the year turns the spotlight on your home, just in time for Jupiter to enter the microwave and Venus to land in your 4th house of family.
Your home indeed is the star of the party, a passion project you get to show off to your work nemesis who thinks you don’t have a life beyond the office. While Diwali deep cleaning feels like a jhaadu, pocha, bartan workout, it all feels worth it once you change the upholstery, bring out the expensive dinner set, and switch on the fairy lights. If you want to take your decor a few notches higher, we rounded-up ideas from Instagram creators who will help you transform your home with their nifty tricks.
Whether it’s recycling old dupattas into wall hangings or turning glass bottles into mood-setting lanterns, DIY festive decor brings an extra touch of warmth and personality to your home without eating into your Diwali bonus. Ready to get your hands dirty?
9 DIY festive decor ideas to try your hand at this Diwali
Put your best-from-waste skills to use with this pista shell diya
Diwali is the one time when your house is overflowing with dry fruits. There’s an abundance of kaju, kishmish, badam and pista. It’s the pista that’ll help you hit the mark on decadent mithaai and beautiful decor, just like Rohina Anand. Use the nuts to whip up your mom’s special barfi recipe or, if cooking isn’t your strong suit, make a dry fruit trail mix. Then, spray-paint the shells to make a beautiful lamp with tea light candles. Sundar, sasta and tikau.
Give your old dupatta a new purpose
We all have that one dupatta that no longer matches any outfit but we’ve been holding on to it for years. Sonakshi Awana shows us how to take that dupatta out of hiding and fashion it into this simple wall hanging that needs nothing more than a pair of scissors, glue and a stapler. It’ll zhuzh up your wall and be the perfect photo background for your Diwali parties. And sshhh, mom will never know.
A vintage upgrade for your plain Jane wooden table
Preethi Prabhu has given us the ultimate trick to give our dadaji-era wooden table or footstool a festive upgrade that won’t give your dad a panic attack for messing with this ‘antique’ piece of furniture. To create this DIY gold foil stencil design, pick a pattern to create a stencil or simply buy one online (we love these floral borders). Then paint it with texture paste (here’s how to create it) and finish with gold foil. This requires a lot of patience and some practice, but the results are definitely worth it.
Dress up the corners of your living room
Plant parents, assemble. We have the perfect decor arrangement to let your babies take the spotlight. Take inspiration from interior stylist, Meenakshi and put together a few planters (you can pick one colour scheme like Meenakshi, or mix and match different pots). Place some floral arrangements next to your indoor oxygen suppliers, make a small genda phool rangoli and, just like that, you’ll have yourself a lively, warm festive corner.
Create mood lighting with this DIY wall lamp
The next time you have a girls’ night in, save the empty wine bottles — Kalyani has given us the prettiest way to reuse them for the festive season. The mirror work on the bottle plays beautifully with the light inside, creating mood lighting on a budget. You can try it out with bottles or lights of different colours to make it more vibrant. You can even reuse it as decor for your New Year and Christmas soirees.
A simple floral arrangement for your Diwali pooja
Besides chomping down bhujiya with friends, and defeating tauji and masi in card games, another Diwali tradition is the pooja. Take inspiration from Harika Reddy to create your own eco-friendly pooja setup with betel leaves, roses and baby’s breath flowers. Alternatively, you can also use this setup to create a floral arrangement by placing an urli with fresh flowers in the centre. Add decorative tea light candles and spray the leaves with water to keep them looking fresh.
Create a minimal yet cosy dining table setup
Food and eating are central to any Diwali party, and if you plan to play hostess, this tablescape idea by Rekha Beniwal will make your desi charcuterie board and delicious spread of samosas, kaju katlis, barfis and rajma-chawal seem even more heavenly. All you need is a table runner, a clothes stand, fresh flowers and some mood lighting.
Let your couch steal the spotlight
If you’re looking for simple ideas to style your living room take notes from Stuti Gupta‘s setup. You can pick a colour scheme for your cushions, layer your couch with a textured throw or create your own DIY wall hanging. If all else fails arrange flowers like jasmines in shallow bowls at the foot your your couch.
Let your rangoli drawing skills rest this year
Don’t let the fear of wobbly lines and complicated designs keep you from creating a rangoli you this year — use this hack by Swati Bora instead. This beautiful floral rangoli is the perfect design for your entrance. You can select a pattern you like and draw it with chalk. Then arrange flowers on the lines to bring your rangoli to life. You can even add floral diyas around it to add a festive touch.
