Diwali Decorating Ideas for a Warm, Glowing Home

Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November this year, and the simplest way to bring some of its warmth into a UK home is with candlelight at the entrance, a splash of colour on the sofa, and a table lit low rather than by the big light. Below is a room-by-room way to do that, using pieces that are just as at home through the rest of November as they are during the festival itself.

This isn't a guide to rangoli patterns or the right diya for Dhanteras: anyone already keeping those traditions knows them far better than we do. It's a shorter list, the light, colour and warmth that sit alongside them, for anyone topping up a table or a shelf rather than starting from nothing.

Windows and the entrance

Diyas at every window are one of Diwali's oldest images: a house lit from the outside in. A UK windowsill can do a quieter version of that, safely behind glass and out of any wind, with a small tealight rather than an open flame on the step.

The Natural Riverstone Candle Holder - Single Nightlight is carved from a genuine Indonesian river stone, so no two are quite the same, and it holds a single tealight low and steady behind its natural stone shell (tealight not included). Set two or three along a windowsill and the effect reads closer to a row of diyas than one candle on its own ever manages.

For a window that lets more light through, the Natural Floral Glass Straight Candle Holder - Pino has real pressed fern leaves set inside the glass, so the flame picks out the leaf pattern rather than just glowing plain.

Easy swaps for the entrance:

• If you already have marigold garlands or fairy lights from other years, this is where they belong, strung along the sill rather than left in a box.
• A doorstep swept and wiped down does more for the entrance than anything bought new.

Tip: keep any lit tealight well back from curtains, away from draughts when the door opens. Never leave one burning in an empty room.

A shelf or mantel that actually glows

A mantel, a sideboard or a deep shelf deserves better than being a dumping ground for whatever's nearest to hand.

The Small Candle Stand - Turquois Gold is hand-carved from sustainable Albesia wood, finished with a worn turquoise-and-gold patina. It already looks like it's spent a few Diwalis on a shelf. It comes in small, medium and large, each holding a single dinner candle. There's a White Gold finish too, if turquoise isn't the colour of your room. Group two or three heights together and they do more for a shelf than any single piece manages alone.

Easy swaps for the shelf:

• Whatever bowl already holds spare change or keys can hold a handful of walnuts, dried orange slices or cinnamon sticks instead, and it costs nothing.
• Move anything metallic already in the house, a picture frame, a small dish, closer to where the candlelight will catch it.

Tip: stand any dinner candle on a heatproof mat or saucer rather than directly on wood, since dripping wax is far easier to peel off a saucer than a shelf.

The table

You don't need to be hosting a full Diwali dinner for the table to matter. Candlelight at eye level, kept low so people can still see each other across it, makes even a weeknight meal feel like more of an occasion.

The Natural Floral Glass Large Bowl Candle Holder - Pino is a bowl-shaped holder in textured glass with real fern leaves and branches set inside, sized for a tealight or a pillar candle. It's also made in a Rosa colourway with pressed flowers instead of fern, if pink suits your table better than green.

Easy swaps for the table:

• A bowl of fresh marigolds or chrysanthemums from the supermarket flower aisle does much the same job as a garland, and costs a good deal less than most centrepieces.
• Gold or brass cutlery, if you already own any, earns its keep for one evening.

Colour, without a full redecorate

Marigold garlands, or genda phool, are one of the easiest Diwali touches to bring indoors, strung along a shelf or draped near a mirror. A sofa can borrow the same colour without a single flower.

The Classic Cushion Cover - Marigold Loom is a jumbo 60x60cm cover in 100% cotton, handmade in India, with a deeply textured weave in a rich marigold tone (cushion inner not included, concealed zip). The Classic Cushion Cover - Mustard Diamonds works the same way in a bolder repeating pattern, and the two sit well either side of a plainer cushion in between.

Easy swaps for colour:

• A throw already in the airing cupboard, if it leans gold, rust or deep red, can move to the sofa back for the week.
• Swap white napkins for a warmer colour. Cheap, instant, fully reversible by Monday.

Before you light the first one

Pick one idea for the entrance, one for a shelf and one for the table, rather than trying all of these at once, and the effect reads as considered rather than cluttered. Most of these pieces earn their place long after 8 November too, so nothing needs to go back in a box the next morning. If scent is part of your evening as well as light, our guide to using an oil burner covers oils, wax melts and how much to use. Taking something with you when you visit? Here are some Diwali gift ideas. Browse the full candle holders and cushion covers collections for more. Happy Diwali.