From Quiet Luxury To Cottagecore: Here Are 5 Ideas To Style A Diwali Tablescape

Elevate your hosting game, this Diwali with DP’s tablescaping guide, featuring everything from eco-conscious designs to understated stealth wealth.

  • 30 Oct '24
  • 11:48 am by Simran Almeida

Crafting a perfect tablescape is akin to designing a home, requiring equal parts aesthetics and a healthy dose of functionality. With the festive season on the horizon, planning a glitzy rendezvous for family and friends is as vital as illuminating one’s home. Often, a table serves as the pièce de résistance for conversations and ritualistic card games, bringing people together to celebrate, share stories, and savour traditional cuisine. This festival of light elevates your hosting prowess with DP’s décor ideas that infuse your tablescape with festive charm.

 

1.  Keep It Fresh With Florae

Diwali’s connection to florae traces its roots to the venerable Puranas—Old Tales, enlightening readers on the rituals to worship a deity. Consequently, incorporating flowers and hints of greens into your tablescape can either make a statement or serve as a reminder of Diwali’s folklore—of exile in the forest. 

Seasonal florae infuse a sense of freshness, and foraging in the backyard for leaves and branches adds a personal immersive touch to the decorating experience. Use the flora to craft rangolis, or just as a base to display the centrepiece and in some sustainable instances, even to serve food. The blooms can be cut and tied into bunches, arranged in vintage tureens and placed between the tableware or as a focal point. To enhance the depth of décor, use vases of varying heights crafted from materials like wood, glass or ceramic, from brands like Utopia & Utility. These reflect personal style while creating chic, vibrant visuals.

 

Also Read: From Concrete Chic To Tranquil Gardens: 5 Of Mumbai’s Hottest Dining Spots Unveiled


The Utopia & Utility vases are perfect holders for the fresh bloom. Price on request. (Image Credits: Utopia & Utility). Right: The gilded Agate Stone Napkin Holder from Mora Taara adds a dash of chic and a pop of colour. Price- ₹ 2950. Image Credits: Mora Taara.

 

2.   Bring In A Rustic Element

Diwali’s pomp and grandeur can be encapsulated even through natural materials by embracing a more cottagecore aesthetic, hosts can reflect a mindful commitment to eco-consciousness. Opt for natural hues with materials—wicker, natural wood, and pampas grass. Combined with earthen tableware and a flowy linen base, these ingredients create a rustic fantasy that celebrates the festival of light with a warm ambience, evoking a sense of nostalgia for cherished gatherings around bonfires.

Rhizome’s brass and wooden Mathaar dining table transforms into a canvas to be embellished for Diwali. Price- ₹ 4,50,000. (Image Credits: Studio Rhizome). The handwoven placemats from Kolus add a rustic touch to the table setting while serving as a sustainable element. Price- ₹ 690 to ₹ 1,270. (Image Credits: Studio Kolus).

 

Begin by choosing a hand-crafted dining table like the one from Rhizome’s Mathaar collections which blend rustic with brass accents, adding a touch of heritage. Enhance the aesthetic with vases from Studio Abaca, Muun Home’s Kai Organic Bowls and dual-toned wooden plates, to complete the enchanting cottagecore setup. Alternatively, you could deck up your table with an array of natural textures; like wicker placemats and coasters from Studio Kolus and table runners. 

Left: The Kai Bowls from Muun Homes, add a perfect rustic touch. Price on request. (Image Credits: Muun Home). Right: The Pomo Antique Vase from Studio Abaca, holds the fresh bloom while exuding a rustic vibe. Price- ₹ 6,250. (Image Credits: Manan Sheth)

 

3.   Infuse Metals Accents

These gleaming metals pay homage to the traditional Diwali practice of acquiring precious metals, symbolising prosperity and abundance. Layering the timeless elegance of metals with the other tchotchkes introduces a captivating glimmer to the tablescape, that evokes both sumptuousness and spiritual resonance. While gold and brass are customarily used in Indian festivals for their warm hues, silver perfectly fits a more contemporary vibe.

Left: The Haifa Brass Tapas Plates add a dash of chic to the table setting. Price- ₹ 7,800. (Image Credits: Gado Living). Right: The Sona Chaandi Dessert Spoons glimmer infusing a hint of glint to the tablescape. Price- ₹ 1,900. (Image Credits: Gado Living)

 

These lustrous accents, whether as brass cutlery from Gado Living, glimmer beautifully under festive lights, creating a radiant yet layered aesthetic. The brass trays and candelabras from Viya Home serve as the table’s centrepiece, adding a touch of sumptuousness and tying the entire setting together.

 

Also Read: Sourcing Secrets – The Festive Tablescape Edit With Srimoyi Bhattacharya And Chef Bani Nanda

Left: Viya adds a dash of chic to your table setting with its gothic candelabra. Price- ₹ 60,000. (Image Credits: Viya). Right: The metal bowls from Viya are perfect to exhibit your Diwali delights. Price- ₹ 25,000. (Image Credits: Viya)

 

4.     Layer With Patterns and Hues

Diwali is a festival steeped in the vibrancy of flamboyant rangolis that symbolise life cycle and balance. Mirroring this essence in your tablescape is an ode to that verve. By embracing a kaleidoscope of hues, one can concoct them with intricate patterns that are a blend of traditional motifs or more abstract art– dealer’s choice. 

Kainaat’s table runners and mats, from The House Of Things adorned with Anatolia’s traditional kilims motifs complement the patterned plates from Vyom By Shuchita’s Bahaarloom collection. Add striking glassware to finish the perfect layer for your maximalist fantasy. This mélange of patterns and colours evokes the joyful spirit of Diwali, creating a sense of balance for guests to revel in conversations and card games

 

Also Read: 5 Statement Coffee Tables That Can Have A Big Impact In Your Living Space

The Kilim Table Runner by Kainaat available at The House Of Things is perfect for the maximalist tablescapes. Price – ₹ 3,990. (Image Credits: Shankar Chand).

 

The Baharloom Hibiscus Tray by vVyom By Shuchita adds a pop of colour to an otherwise maximalist tablescaping. Price on request. (Image Credits: vVyom By Shuchita).

 

5. Hold Onto The Warmth With Candles and Fairy Lights

Illuminating the table is a key expression of the festivities. Picture a table suffused in an ethereal glow, adorned with an exquisite array of candles, from slender tapers to lofty pillars, all nestled in chic holders. The gilded pendant lights from Beyond Design, diffuse a soft glow on the entire table setting.


The pendant lights from Beyond Design exude a vintage charm that enhances the entire setting. Price on request. (Image Credits: Beyond Design)

 

The harmonious combination of traditional ‘diyas’ from Indian Heirloom Co. and Studio  Zimik’s scented soy candles, casts a mystical glow, illuminating the gathering with a warm radiance that embodies Diwali’s allure. This radiant display, snuggled in opulent, handcrafted diya holders of polished brass or etched glass, drenches the space in a plush, inviting ambience. The flickering flames enhance the warmth of the tablescape while the candles infused with opulent sandalwood and delicate jasmine notes orchestrate a sensory experience with the table setting.

 

Also Read: Vakr – A Statement Furniture Brand Where Computational Design Meets Indian Artisanship

Left: Indian Heirloom Co.’s Pooja Thalis with its Astakona form, capture Diwali’s traditional ethos adding a pop of colour. Price- ₹ 11,000. (Image Credits: Indian Heirloom Co.) Right: Studio Zimik’s candles with figured glass holders smear sweet notes to the entire setting. Price on request. (Image Credits: Atul Pratap Chauhan).