Once the month of August is over, the festive season truly kicks off in India. Starting with the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, India rocks its way to celebration after celebration all the way to December, ending with a bang over Christmas. Festivals are times for celebration, for rejoicing, and for those who own a home, a time for decorating their homes in the best festival spirit.

We asked around for the best ways to bring your home to light during this period of extended celebration.

Get creative with lighting

“Lights, lights, and lights,” is all that Savitha Sharma says. For her, nothing can bring about a more dramatic change in home décor than a change in ambient and decorative lighting. “Fairy lights are inexpensive and available on any online retailer’s website. Buy a few metres of these, and you can string them over a bookshelf, mirror or mantel to give your home a cosy feel that captures the spirit of the occasion.”

Don’t buy the cheap string lights, she advises, saying that it is better to choose lights with LED bulbs and thin copper wiring. And, if you can, buy lights that can be charged with an adapter. You can experiment with the colours of your lights – go with warm white or multi-colours or even cold white.

You need not stop with just that, Savitha adds. You can use tea lights, electric candles, floating lights, and even lamp shades in different ways to add that touch of warmth.

Change fabrics or furnishings

Not all of us can change our entire furniture for the festive season. What Mayank Jain does is to instead buy bedspreads and bed sheets in fresh and vibrant colours.

He throws in a stole or two on the sofa, changes the pillow covers for his cushions, and that immediately jazzes up the living room and bedroom. “It’s amazing the difference small changes like these can bring. You feel immediately refreshed even though these might seem mere cosmetic changes.” The key, he feels, is to go for colour to enhance the interiors during the festive season.

Bright reds, oranges, and gold can give a vibrant look. Faded furniture? A simple fix is to just reupholster old sofas and chairs in bright colours. “Use traditional Indian fabrics and designs,” suggests Jain. A mix of orange, yellows, gold, and pinks can add an Indian feel. But be careful – you would want to be subtle about the refurnishing as well. Not everyone can look at red and orange for the rest of the year!

Accessorise

One of the easiest ways to bring in the festive feel is to just add a few accessories.

• Brass lamps and antiques are easy to place around the house, giving a certain charm to the atmosphere.
• Keep a tray with flowers in a corner of the home, adorned by diyas for an immediate change in atmosphere.
• Just buying one or two accent tables with flowers can give the entire room a fresh new look.
• Artwork mirrors are a classy way to accentuate the festive vibe.

“Whatever you do, break the monotony. Use what you have rather than running around trying to change everything,” says Savitha.

Sometimes, festivals can be a chore with all the endless visits, the socialising, the cooking, and all the shopping. Or sometimes, it can just be an added celebration of the colours of life – of the joy we have at home with family – and a commemoration of the memories of each festive season.