Diwali calls for one of the most rewarding of activities: decoration. While you can always quickly finish decorating your home with store-bought items, the act of lighting up your space with things made from your own hands brings great satisfaction. Add to it the benefit of not contributing to the piles of plastic that end up in landfills. Yep, this Diwali, take the challenge to go green with your decor. Raghunandan Saraf, founder-CEO of Saraf Furniture in Gachibowli, lists some ways
Use LED lights
LED lights, though slightly costlier than the normal bulbs, are a good green investment. They beautifully fulfill the gleam and glow of the place, while also saving on energy. Wrap them around pillars, and chandeliers for that perfect Diwali feel.
Use organic material
Go for items that are not harmful to the environment and at the same time look stylish and attractive. Ditch the plastic and go for items made of wood, cloth or paper. Get creative, buy some colourful paper, tear, cut, paste and go wild. You can also use pebbles to fill empty spaces. Try painting them, they add that much-needed quirkiness to your room
Light it up differently
Decorate your home with earthen diyas, tea lights and candles instead of electric-powered diyas. This not only adds authenticity to the decor, but also ensures you don’t burn a hole in your pocket. Earthen diyas are cheaper, don’t need electricity, can be refilled and light up only the small corners you choose to brighten. That soft light can double up as an Instagram-worthy aesthetic. Colourful candles are a hot favourite and definite winner, thanks to scented ones ruling the market right now. So, you now get to control not just the tone of your lighting, but how beautiful it can smell too!
Decorate with potted plants
The lockdown did get a lot of Hyderabadis hooked to terrace gardening and plant-parenting. Make the best use of these plant babies to add a green theme to your home. Choose plants that don’t need constant care and take in little to no water on a daily basis. This will make your job easier, and limit it to just ensuring they get plenty of sunlight
Use fresh flowers for rangolis
Diwali decor is incomplete without the traditional rangoli. From the time you spend selecting the prettiest design to draw, spare some to add real flowers to add to your rangoli. They not only make it look fresh, but also make your design stand out
Use sequin cushions and rich fabrics
You can’t do Diwali without some shine and glitter. Let your cushions do the talking with sequin detailing. Rich fabrics accentuate the look of your otherwise plain-coloured sofas and diwans!
(Compiled by Rachel Dammala)