Never Lose Your Style of Dining During The Monsoons

Partying outdoor, with a pool in the background and a barbeque smouldering in a corner, with a band playing strains of lilting and soulful music, while the bartender pours out  aperitifs for everyone, mixes the cocktails and pours shots of scotch whisky, all to the chatter and laughter of your friends. Come July and the Rain God comes out to shower its blessings upon all of us. Surely, you are not going to let the rains play spoil-sport and dampen the party animal in you, are you?

Move indoors and continue the bash with the mesmerizing rains as the mystical and heavenly background to the celebrations. The flashes of lightning add a dash of stroboscopic illumination enhancing the ambience. With the soft murmur of the rain in the background drenching your garden and the incessant sound of the clatter of drops of rain as it drums against the window panes of your drawing room, seducing ever-so-slightly, your senses and drawing your sub-conscious mind to its lullaby that heralds the message of rejuvenation, freshness, and life. Your home is the most suitable place to be in as you welcome the rains. A sumptuous meal prepared with flair and panache to cater to palate of your close friends, as you bond over a feast fit for kings. Yukta Mathur, Editor, House Full International has this to say, “Monsoon is a season of happiness, fun, and an eyeful of greenery. It is a great time to get together with friends and family. It’s also time to prep the hero of all gatherings at your home – the dining room – for this rainy season.”

The rains have always brought out the best impulses of genius in creative people prompting incomparable designs suitable to the season. Interior designer Shikha Shah gives expression to this feeling thus, “The rains bring a feeling of newness and change. There is also a very strong link with playfulness, and carefree fun. This lends itself to a mix and match design-style with drama, pops of colour, experimentation and touches of quirkiness. At the same time, there’s a foundation of earthiness, rustic comfort and warmth.”

The monsoon season bring on spreads of watery pale tones of grey, blues and dark blues and wet-green only contrasted by the wet muddy terrain, all around. The gloom can be easily offset by a myriad array of a vast and multifarious canvas of colours, to liven up the surroundings of your house.

Creating the Right Ambience

Create the right ambience to boost every one’s spirits that may be dampened by the deluge of an ample monsoon. Strike the perfect notes with a splash of vibrant colours all around. Place your dining table to allow your guests a panoramic view of the cascading rain outside your window. Pack off your heavy tapestries of the summer gone by, and substitute it with diaphanous curtains of bold, vibrant shades of red or orange. They will liven up the room and offset the grey sky outside and even allow some of the infrequent sunlight to cheer up the room. Change the lighting to cast a soft feel of warmth creating a sense of contentment. Lamps, if any should be placed to cast a broad throw of light and avoid creating shadows, which reminiscent of the dark outside. Change the paintings to match the décor of the rest of the room and you are all set to entertain.

Table Décor Set the tone for the rest of the accessories on the table. Choose a bold solid single colour table cloth to set the tone of the evening or a flirtatious patterned spread that lends character to the rest of the accessories. You cannot go wrong with an embellished table runner and eye-catching table mats. A dash of lace or silk as napkins in multi-hued napkin holders, will add flair to the table. Advises Yukta Mathur, “Beat the humidity and dampness of this season with light fabrics. Make sure your dining table cover and runner have a blend of synthetic to keep away moisture and the stench of dampness”.

Some would like to be more rustic and a choose a set of pottery styled crockery, bamboo or straw mats, jute table runners topped off with wood carved napkin holders.

Setting the Table

Select and place exotic shades of crockery that serve to lighten the ambience. Shades of glacial blues, scandalous scarlet, fiery yellows, refreshing greens, sensual pinks and vibrant oranges are the flavour of the season. Arrange the table with flowers that compliment the crockery and you have an exciting table for a meal fit for gods. Choosing crystal cutlery would round off the mood for the meal.

The Decisive Touches

Top off the arrangements with a few decisive personal touches. Going with the season, you can place a flat, broad crystal bowl with aromatic water sprinkled with flowers floating in it and a dash of petals of different colours. Divyan Gupta, the Founder and CEO of Arts and décor.com says this, “Floral centerpieces are a great idea as they help in making the ambience refreshing and beautiful. It is also the best way to evade the damp smell the monsoons commonly bring.” A clutch of sweet smelling candles can lend a spiritual touch to the arrangements and help ward off the damp smell while the glow from the flame of the candle will add to the ambience at the table.

You must be raring to go with all these wonderful tips of decorating your homes to play the perfect host to your friends and family to the end of the monsoons.