The festival of lights is all about welcoming the Goddess of wealth. The following tips could be helpful

DIWALI is all about doing up homes to heighten the festive mood. Freshly painted walls, new curtains and upholstery, wafting aroma of candles, thresholds lined with diyas, flowers at the entrance the list of festival home décor ideas is endless. And why not? After all, you are right in the midst of the Indian festival season.

Rangoli and toran: Any Diwali is incomplete without the traditional rangoli outside the main door. These are colourful motifs with which one welcomes Goddess Laxmi. "You can create your own designs or copy patterns from rangoli books,"

says Varalakshmi Iyer, a Barodabased home-maker. "If you are not good at drawing, rangoli stickers are available. But nothing can match flower and colour, the real rangolis. You could place diyas in the designs," she says.

Torans that adorn the archways are another must for getting the complete Diwali look.

One can get floral torans too in the market. "Kalash torans, touchwood torans and Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha torans are popular during Diwali," says Sulekha Patel, who runs a toran and diya unit in Nagpur.

She also exports them and set up a stall in Dilli Haat, where her designer torans, which cost anything between Rs 200 to Rs 1,200, doing rather well.

Flowers: "Greet visitors to your home with flower power," says Delhi-based interior designer Seema Singh. "Place fresh flowers at strategic points in your home to add freshness and vibrancy. Even ersatz silk flowers can do the needful as they retain their freshness for a long time," she says.

Colour: A splash of colours sets the tone for festive times.

Moreover, the use of rich hues like orange, yellow and gold creates a warm and luxurious decor. "Changing the fabric of sofas, curtains, bed linens, bed sheets, bed covers and quilts can give a new look to your interiors," says Navneet Taneja, a Kanpur-based interior designer. Painting the home: For a festive look, choose a bright colour that makes a plain wall come alive. If you want to be extra creative, make a stencil or go for a textured effect on the walls. "Go for deeper colours rather than lighter ones. You can also opt to paint one wall in the room a deeper colour just to add a festive touch to it,"

says Taneja.

Lights and candles: There is no Diwali without traditional diyas and candles. Candles lend a festive mood to the room and capture the Diwali spirit very well. With changing times, candles have become more sophisticated and ornamental.

Importantly, the range available is unbelievable. Lladro, Swovski, d'Mart, Episode and many others have a wide range of products to suite the occasion.

Adita Bhaskar, managing director of House of Ishatvam, believes in presenting an assortment of ideas "to enhance the experience of a truly festive season." The lifestyle store has a wide collection of diyas in brass, silver and terracotta, the prices being equally wide ranging from anywhere between Rs 350 and Rs 22,000.

L'Occitane, Shangri la, Forest Essential and Good Earth are the major brands of aromatic and scented candles available in the market. Aroma Magic, aromatic candles by Blossom Kochchar, are expensive but worth every cent you pay. Then there is the popular Kundan work candles by Faraway Tree company run by actress Dimple Kapadia. These candles range between Rs 600 and Rs 1500 apiece. Lladro's Ganesha diya costs $210.

This Diwali, Elitaire has come up with new collection of chandeliers and lamps in association with famous design houses of Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Their goldplated chandelier from Italy costs Rs 4,85,000 and the lamps in gilded gold costs Rs 3,40,000.

Terraniums: Go for a green look with terrariums. They are miniature, self-contained ecosystems that can survive for months unattended, and without water. At Art Deco, terrariums are available in the price range of Rs 900 to Rs 1,800.