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August is the month of festive celebrations in India which has been marked by Raksha bandhan, Teej, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Jain Paryushan, Onam and other festivals following up which brings family and friends together and is an excuse to welcome them into our hearts and homes. Having said that, our homes often need last-minute touch-ups or something that needs to be done to make our guests feel welcome apart from making it appear festive.

The festive season calls for that much needed makeover of your living spaces and this year should be no different. It’s time to declutter and put those special touches to your home so that they truly reflect your personal style.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dhvani Bhatiya and Rhea Jacob Eapen, Founders of Design Attic, advised to go ahead with the festivities while doing the following to give a festive touch to your home:

1. Since you are likely to buy gifts for family and friends, begin by clearing up ALL the clutter by getting rid of unused and unwanted items. You will automatically free up a lot of space to store these goods apart from the decorative pieces and accessories that you have acquired for the celebrations. Doing so allows you to assign a permanent place to store or place these goods.

2. Take a careful look around your home, especially in your living and dining room areas since these are the areas that you will mostly use to entertain your guests. Check out all the larger pieces of your furniture and keep in mind their basic colour. Then, choose and decide on a colour palette that will brighten up your home. If required, give your walls a fresh coat of paint, or else, use a contrasting wallpaper thereby creating an accent wall. By doing this, you will freshen up your home, and not only will you end up brightening up your home but, you will brighten up the spirits of its occupants as well.

3. Having narrowed it down to a specific colour scheme, it is now advisable to change the colour of your soft furnishings, curtains, and cushion covers to ensure and achieve a different and new vibe. Try to pick out colours that will go with the festival. Select bright and bold shades. You may like to use different hues of the colour you have chosen. This is bound to make you experience the change in the feel and look of your spaces.

4. Now is the time to use additional floor lights to brighten up dimly lit corners in the room. You can also include festive fairy lights overall or spotlights in the event you need to highlight an idol or any specific area. Diyas are another cheaper alternative and look great but, remember, the oil needs topping up ever so often. Further, to achieve a different look, and if your budget is not a constraint, now is the time to invest in that chandelier that you have been eying for ever so long and secretly hoping to put up in your home. This is guaranteed to change the entire ambiance of the room.

5. You certainly want to see a difference in your space and what better way to achieve that? Hence, based on your theme, may we suggest that you buy wall art or a mirror or hang up a couple of frames with family pictures and adorn or beautify blank walls by hanging whatever chooses your fancy. Be certain of what you would like to display. You can use very specific themes depending upon your interest such as cars or flowers or landscapes or else you can choose to go completely funky. A well-placed large mirror frame may tend to visually double your space. Family portraits or pictures are hung together to lend a feeling of warmth to any home.

6. Now is also the right time to brighten up an otherwise dull floor. Just for a change of look, add in some texture. You could invest in a durrie or bring out that floor rug that has been in cold storage for a long time. Now, by adding in the new texture and colours on your floor, this is bound to brighten up your home and make it a happier place.

7. Finally, nothing can liven up a home or workplace like indoor plants and fresh flowers can do. Make sure to use flowers judiciously. Agreed it is the festive season but you don't need to go over the top. Place colourful vases or floral arrangements on your side table tops or your dining and coffee tables. Make sure you select the right colours since when it comes to flowers, there is no dearth of colour. In addition to this use scented candles to heighten your visual and olfactory senses. Remember to add plants as they never go out of style and can be used to add colour to any decor. They will liven up any room at any given time. Interchange them every week to get a new and fresh look.

Adding to the list of home decor tips to welcome the festive season, Sarah Arora, Founder of SanSar Home, suggested:

1. Innovate with lights - While diyas, candles and tea lights are an integral part of home décor, this season think beyond the usual and brighten the festive vibes with pretty flower vases, bright and attractive glass ware, pops of colours on table runners, cushion covers, centre pieces and more.

2. Bling it in - Metallics and golds have always been super trendy and use them to brighten up your living spaces. A pop of gold, silver or bronze, add that touch of extravagance to any room. A more subtle form of decorating can be through incorporating cushions, bean bags or cute accent pieces to your furniture.

3. Infuse fragrance - Who doesn’t love a beautifully scented home? Scents and fragrances are an integral part of home décor especially while entertaining guests and spending time indoors with your loved ones. From scented candles and essential oil diffusers to linen and room sprays scented candles, from fresheners to fragrance potpourris, tickling your senses is just a whiff away.

4. Fresh flowers go a long way - A great and effective way to add style and elegance to your home is to use flowers during the festive season. Spoil yourself with arrangements of marigold, jasmine, roses or hydrangeas, perfect for any room of the house. Use them as centre pieces, at the entrance of your home or bunches of flowers in cute corners of your living room. Well-chosen blooms never disappoint and will lift your spaces instantly.

5. Indulge in DIY’s - Nothing adds more warmth and style to home décor than one’s own piece of art. This is a great and sustainable way to recycle old and used personal items and repurpose existing décor pieces into something cute and new.

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