Spectacular decor inspiration for Diwali

Aside from the food, one of my favourite things about Diwali is what a visually rich celebration it is.

Every year at this time Diwali falls on the darkest night of the lunar cycle. There are many mythological stories around the festival but the essence of the celebration is to push back the shadows and "light up the darkness." Lots and lots of tealights and traditional diya, lanterns and candles are lit in every corner of the house to do just that. 

With the festival taking place just after harvest time, decorations reflect the changing of the seasons; rangoli patterns are drawn in doorways with coloured powder.

Flowers and plants are placed to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and tempt her to stay a while and bless the home. Bright fabrics in red, green, purple, golden and fuchsia make a colourful canvas and are a key part of the decorations, along with lights. 

The only thing that could be more inspiring than thinking on this as I set out to decorate, is seeing how others take on the task of making their spaces as festive as possible for Diwali. With that in mind, here are some stunning examples of homes prepared for Diwali with glamour and flair.

To bring home the spirit of Diwali, home decor focuses on bright colours, metallic finishes, lights, images of Goddess Lakshmi and her consort, Ganesh, along with natural elements like flowers, plants and water. Thenmozhi from Inspired Decor Art reimagines Diwali with all of these elements and more. 

The lotus flower and its motif is prominent in India, even more so around festival time. There are many reasons for this but you will see the shape echoed in home design, fabrics even patterns of rangoli. Shwetha of My Décor Passion uses tea light holders in this shape to light up dark corners. 

Diwali is a great opportunity for people to let loose their creativity. That often means a maximalist style of decor. Pinky of Pinkz Passion captures the spirit of Diwali wonderfully as she combines all the natural elements with colourful brightness that is associated with the festival.

Speaking of maximalism, Anubha of Anubha Dube shows off the spirit of the festival through the use of nature, plants and string lights, all at varying heights. Note: the rangoli on the floor, the combination of design patterns and marigold flowers. Gorgeous, right?

Along with flowers and light, metal is another key component of a traditional Diwali display. Brass, bronze, copper finishes all add to the glow and ambience of the festival. Sonali of _.Yahvi._Home and her minimalistic use of metallic layers inspires me to experiment with my Diwali table this year.

One of my early memories of Diwali as a child was lighting candles down the staircase in our apartment building in Pune. Kids are often tasked with that job (along with sampling snacks of course). Chandana of Pretty Much Moi with her vignette of tealights down the stairs offered me a peek into my own past. Goddess Lakshmi will definitely find her way around this home!

There is no such thing as too many Diwali decorations. Sisters Divya and Sravani of Desi_Diy_Divyakandala prove that through this post as they highlight all varieties of Diwali decor. They have created beauty and inspiration for this girl for sure. 

Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma is a blogger and better food advocate behind Maple and Marigold. She writes about family, food, wellness and ways to help people form deeper connections with their food. Her blog is her love letter to India and Canada. Maple represents Canada and her family's life here, and marigold with its significance in Indian culture, represents her roots in India. Puneeta has also launched a public awareness initiative Nourish by Numbers that is dedicated to educating and engaging people to make food choices that are better for people and for the planet. You can follow Puneeta @MapleandMarigold.