If you are yet to begin doing up your home for Diwali, don't fret. Here are 10 quick-fix ways that are light on the pocket and sure to help you give your interiors that coveted glow.
1. First things first. Giving the house a clean look is very important. It may take a few hours, but an intense session on the interiors with a broom and duster will do half the job for you. Do not leave anything undone, be it the curtains, sofas or fans.
2. Get all leakages and faulty electrical fittings fixed. Diwali is a festival of lights and symbolises brightness. Avoid leaving any corner dark or grimy. "Getting the house utilities functional will also save you time during workdays in the future," says Vikas Misra, personal banker with a foreign bank in Pune.
3. To give your rooms a new look, try a few stained-glass artefacts and paintings for the walls. You can buy them at a home store or even a roadside stall, at prices as low as Rs 150-200 a piece. The contrasting colours on a glass base make for more space in the interiors.
4. To add a glittering hue to your home, try new lampshades. While a floor lamp adds dimension to the room, designer table/roof lamps brighten up the aura in multiple hues. The astonishing variety, from paper scrap to stained glass, available at stores comes at a range of prices, starting at Rs 100.
5. Try bringing home new curtains. "To add sparkle to Diwali, one needn't get the entire household redone, considering it not only requires time but is also prohibitively expensive. Instead, bring home bright and inexpensive furnishings and festival merchandise from various home stores," says Rajnish Kumar, a senior merchandise manager working with a leading retailer in Bangalore. The ready-to-hook curtains in vogue are easily available at all leading furnishing stores for Rs 200 apiece onwards.
6. The markets this year are flooded with multiple diya holders that can be placed inside the house or at the door. The traditional diya lighting complements the trendy designs of the holders, available in decorated clay and wrought iron. The brightness of a room is further enhanced by this combination.
7. It may be a good idea to visit a garden nursery and pick up plants and bonsais. Making a corner inside for these won't be difficult and the exuberance of green in your home will do just right for the festive season. Don't forget to light a diya in this corner too.
8. Do not miss out on the essential potpourri and floating floral candles that make your interiors aromatic and colourful. Widely available, these can be bought for as little as Rs 150.
9. If your home is still reeling under the aftermath of the monsoons, it may be a good time to give wallpaper a shot. Pick any wall that needs a makeover the most. Papering takes less than three hours and lightens the décor for a long time. "It adds not just brightness, but also a theme to the room," says Anubha Srivastava, a homemaker from Hyderabad who just tried this concept for her living room. With several companies now rendering the service at reasonable rates, festival offers and jet speeds, it will definitely help give your house a makeover.
10. End it all with a bright rangoli at home. This traditional décor tool has now become uncommon, but stands as an ideal source of colourful welcome to the New Year. Those trying to remember if they have ever made a rangoli needn't fret -- get yourself a rangoli colour-and-stencil kit, now easily available. You can also use rangoli stickers that stay a lot longer.
The pointers suggested above should not take you more than a day to try out. The options are also easy to find. So get your shopping list straight, and get set to welcome the New Year in style.