If there is any Indian festival that’s all about decor, it’s Diwali. From sprucing up your home in the weeks leading up to it, whether by painting the walls or buying new furniture and furnishings, to decorating it with diyas, candles and rangoli on the big day, it’s all about creating the perfect place to welcome Goddess Lakshmi into.
It’s also about creating the perfect table setting to welcome guests into your decked-up home. For what is festivity without feasting? Which is why we have collated three different celebratory table settings for you to take tips from when you host your family and friends tomorrow. If one is all-out Indian, the other is completely European and yet another is an amalgamation of both. Take your pick and go with what suits your vibe.
First, we go East. Lifestyle brand, Good Earth, lays a low white table with natural-hued silk runner and placemats on which are placed white- and gold-rimmed dinner plates with a typical Indian motif. The cutlery, katoris and serving bowls are all from the brand’s Kansa collection. As is the case with any traditional Indian setting, marigolds and jasmine top the table. The final touch? Heaps of embroidered and printed cushions in bright hues on either side. Colourful, ethnic and elegant.
Then, we head West. Ajay Arya of Kolkata-based interior decor consultancy, A Square Designs, creates a refined composition in white, green, silver and gold that oozes sophistication and luxury. He does away with the tablecloth, using white mats and napkins embroidered in gold that match the white and gold plates. The candelabras and fruit baskets in silver and jade green are offset by glassware with gold detailing. The elegant white flowers in the centrepiece and individual plate settings add the finishing touch. Festive and formal, classic, yet contemporary.
We meet in the middle with our third arrangement. Lucknow-based table stylist, Adity Chakravarty, set up a cosy nook in the corner of her garden where she shows you how to take the best of East and West and make them your own. Over a white underlay is a textured red tablecloth layered with a kantha runner in pinks, greys and purples. These are contrasted with white textured plates and white napkins. Traditional copper vessels act as flower vases alongside glass votives for tea lights. Marigolds and bougainvilleas complete the picture. Perfectly tasteful, perfectly traditional, and perfectly timeless.