How to Decorate Your Home for Diwali: A Room-by-Room Guide
Diwali decorating follows an order. The doorway first, because that is what guests see before anything else. Then the floor and the light, then the centrepiece, then the pooja itself. Work in that sequence and a house comes together in an afternoon; work at random and you end up with a bright entrance and a dark living room.
This is what we would buy, in the order we would put it up. Everything here is handmade in India and ships from San Ramon, California.
1. Start at the door
A garland across the top of the frame and down each side is the single highest-impact thing you can do, and it takes ten minutes.
Mogra Jasmine Garland with Gold Bells — white jasmine strands with a bell at each interval, so the doorway sounds when it moves. Set of ten, in 5FT or 2FT.
Artificial Marigold Garland — ten 4FT strings, the cheapest way to cover a lot of doorway. Orange reads as festival from across a street.
Measure before you order. A standard door frame takes about 3FT across the top; 5FT if you want it to drape.
2. Then the light
Diyas along a stair edge, a window sill, or around whatever you put on the floor. Buy more than you think — a row of ten reads as intentional, four reads as an afterthought.
Mirror Diya Set of 10 — gold sunflower or paisley cutwork with small mirrors set into the metal. These throw pattern onto the wall behind them, which a plain diya does not.
Gold Pearl Jali T-Light Holder Set of 10 — pierced gold plate with a white pearl rim, four inches across. The restrained option, and the one that suits a table already carrying a lot of colour.
Tea lights are not included with either set. A standard 1.5 inch tea light fits both.
3. The centrepiece
An urli is the wide shallow bowl you float flowers and lit diyas in. The water is the point — it holds the petals up and doubles the candlelight.
Hammered Gold Urli Bowl — a single bowl for a dining or console table.
Lotus Petal Urli Bowls, Set of 3 — a nesting set with a fluted lamp-shaped rim, for grouping across a console or a mandir shelf.
One thing worth knowing: gold-finish urlis are iron under a gold polish, which is why they cost a fraction of solid brass. Use them dry with petals and tea lights rather than standing water. The brass and antique silver bowls hold water.
4. The lamps
Kerala Brass Samai, Set of 2 — solid brass at 14 inches, sold as a pair because these are traditionally placed in twos, one either side of a doorway or a shrine.
These take sesame or coconut oil with a cotton wick. Brass conducts heat, so stand them on something heat-tolerant. If you want the full explanation of the form, we wrote one: Kuthu Vilakku and Nilavilakku, explained.
5. The pooja itself
Om Pooja Thali Set, 5 pieces — an antique silver thali with bowls for kumkum, haldi, chawal and a diya. Set it up the night before Lakshmi Puja so you are not hunting for matches.
Brass Dhoop Dani — a peacock lid on a tortoise base, heavy enough to sit steady with sambrani, loban or dhoop cones burning inside.
Brass Ganesha Statue — solid brass in three designs. Ganesha is invoked first, so he sits to the front or to the viewer's left of the shrine.
Four things that make a setup look finished
- Layer the entrance. An urli on the floor with a garland above it reads as one arrangement rather than two objects. Add the floating diyas just before guests arrive so they are still burning when the door opens.
- Use pairs at the door. Two brass samai either side of the main door or the mandir. One lamp looks like it lost its partner.
- Hide the hooks. When you hang a garland over wall art or a jharokha, let a tassel or a bunch of flowers fall over the fixing.
- Scatter loose petals. A handful of real marigold heads around the base of an urli or along a rangoli edge blurs the line between object and floor. It is the cheapest thing on this list and the one people notice.
A word on safety
Keep open flames away from fabric, garlands, children and pets. Do not leave lit diyas unattended, and do not light an oil lamp inside a closed wooden cabinet — use the pull-out drawer or the shelf in front of it.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start decorating for Diwali?
Most people put the doorway and lights up two to three days before. Order two to three weeks ahead — the bulk garland and diya sets sell through, and restocking from India is not quick.
How many garlands do I need?
Measure the run first. A standard door frame takes about 3FT across the top; a backdrop needs one vertical drop every 8 to 10 inches, so a six-foot wall takes about eight strings. Most sets contain ten.
Are tea lights included with the diya sets?
No. These are the holders. A standard 1.5 inch tea light fits.
Can I reuse all of this next year?
That is the point of most of it. Store garlands coiled loosely in a bag rather than folded flat, keep metal dry, and the same set comes out every year.
Which pieces make the biggest difference?
A garland at the door, an urli with floating diyas as a centrepiece, and a pair of brass lamps at the entrance. Those three carry a whole house.
Are these good gifts?
Diyas, thali sets and dhoop danis are the usual choices, and they arrive ready to give. Tell us at checkout if you are sending directly and we will leave the invoice out.
Shipping
Ships free and insured across the USA and Canada from San Ramon, California. Most orders leave within one business day. Handmade in India.
See it set up:
If the reel does not load, view it on Instagram: @urliutsavdecor
Browse the full range in Diwali & Indian Festive Decor, lamps in Diwali Diyas & T-Light Holders, garlands in Indian Pooja Garlands, Torans & Danglers, and centrepieces in Urli Bowls.