Diwali Fervour: 5 Tips on Decorating Your Home from HomeLane

Buying a house is one thing, making it a home is another. When Srikanth Iyer bought his house, little did he know that furnishing it would be more troublesome than the actual home buying process. The daily hassles of dealing with the carpenters, their changing deadlines and budgets, and the constant monitoring, all ended up making it a harrowing experience.

“What was meant to be our moment of crowning glory, turned out to be a nightmare.”

Like Srikanth, some of his friends also faced the same issues. This was when he decided to put an end to this problem. The result? HomeLane was born in 2014.

“I saw the scope to offer a credible and branded alternative in the interior designing segment that was completely chaotic and comprised of carpenters and brick-and-mortar furniture stores. Additionally, the segment was immensely labour dependent with delivery and quality being unpredictable, and timelines almost never being met,” he explains.

While HomeLane is infusing a fresh lease of life to several homes, we had an opportunity to have an exclusive tête-à-tête with Srikanth Iyer where we talked about his home and his incredible journey.

“Helping people create beautiful homes continue to motivate me”

Solving buyers’ furnishing problems continue to motivate me. Home designing and organised home furnishing is a huge market that is yet to be tapped to its highest potential. Offering homeowners a technology-enabled solution, along with a branded, value-for-money alternative for home designing and furnishing, is what keeps me going.

“Light is a must”

When asked to list the three things that made him select his present home, in the upscale Bangalore neighbourhood of Koramangala, Srikanth believes that light plays the most important part. “The first thing that attracted me to this house was the beautiful landscape. The second was the ample natural light. Lastly, the bedroom has a large balcony that overlooks a large avocado tree.”

“Paintings can brighten up any room”

Srikanth is extremely fond of paintings by artist Anand Panchal. His favourite is a painting of two young girls, which adorns the living room. He is also very fond of a stone Ganesha in his living room.

“Diwali is a celebration of goodness”

Diwali signifies the victory of good over evil. For me, it means the celebration of goodness. I believe that Diwali is the time when you let go of your fears and focus on the positivity it brings along. I love enjoying the festival with my family and friends.

The top 5 festive décor tips that Srikanth recommends for your home:

Create some colourful wall pieces

If you have an old skirt or embroidered kurta that has lost its shine, you can repurpose it to create a brilliant splash of colour on your wall. This piece of embroidery can find pride of place in your living room wall, embellished with pretty mirrors and intricate handwork.

Set the tone right at the entrance

The week leading up to the festival, you can start decorating the entrance to your home with intricate rangolis. If you do not have a flair for this, go for readymade stickers.

Pretty patterned earthen diyas can be lined up on either side of the entrance. Try creating rangoli patterns using colourful flowers in orange, pink, and yellow with lamps in between.

Add a traditional touch

You can revive the Diwali spirit by adding more traditional artefacts like brass and copper utensils and crafts.

You can also add mirrors with embellished or copper-toned frames to add a little bling to your interiors. Bring out the cherished centrepieces for your coffee table and dining table – your guests deserve the best!

Redo the furnishings

Redo the upholstery and drapes to match the occasion and spread more festive vibes.
Raw silk drapes look beautiful as part of an ethnic décor. Get some colourful raw silk cushions in an ethnic print to match. Gold trims also look very festive and vibrant.

You can choose embroidered cushion covers, drapes, and table mats or coasters to brighten up your home.

Don’t forget the lights

Diwali is the festival of lights, and you can never have enough of showing off your collection of little sparkly fairy lights!

Rope lights look beautiful on your balconies, windows, or at your entrance door. Try being creative — string them around old beer bottles or coloured glass jars for a unique look.

Your garden can be given a magical makeover with tiny sparkles hanging from the trees, strings of lights on potted plants, and even a cascade of lights from quirky accessories.

Indulge in some hanging lamps that offer a burst of colour and brighten up the dark corners of your home!