The search for seasonal trappings ramps up to a fever pitch as we approach the end of Ramadan and prepare for the highly anticipated Aidilfitri (Eid al-Fitr) celebrations to follow. With little more than a week to assemble the necessary decorations, appliances, and accessories of the season, we prepared this guide to get you ahead of the curve and provide some decorating ideas to get your home ready for the big feast to come.
Customary Colours
The first item on your list of things to do would likely have something to do with injecting the colours of the season into your banquet space. While the favoured colour of tradition would be a familiar range of green shades, paint manufacturers such as Dulux recommend pushing the line of convention a little further with the application of alternate colours to complement dashes of green. Dulux’ 2018 Colour Futures (the annual palette of trending colours) contains a range of muted and soft hues, including Heartwood (Dulux’s designated colour of the year), to complement various shades of green. For those looking to craft a luxurious ambiance, Dulux suggests using a range of paint with some shimmer to it – and it just so happens that they’re giving away coffee and food vouchers with purchases of paint from the AmbianceTM Pearl Glo range.
Symbolic Motifs
Malaysian batik and textiles adorned with the floral, abstract, or geometric motifs make for striking clothing, but they could also be used as a form of ad-hoc decoration in Aidilfitri-themed interiors. These fabrics could take the place of curtains, or they could simply be draped over furniture to provide layers of complexity in the theme of the season. Alternatively, if you find the colours and patterns of a piece of fabric particularly appealing, you could also transpose them to walls in the form of wallpaper or paint.
Classical Décor
With the entire extended family set to visit, you might be planning on setting up an exquisite décor to awe your guests – and with that in mind, we highly recommend looking to classical furniture and accessories such as those provided by The Home Concept Furniture. The timeless quality of classically inspired furniture and decoration has been a mainstay of Malaysian interiors for as long as classical style has been synonymous with prosperity, making this school of aesthetics ideal for portraying a flourishing household.
Essential Equipment
As it goes without saying that food takes on a central role in our daily lives, a banquet table during Aidilfitri would be incomplete without a simmering pot of rendang. If you are hosting a large gathering, or if you simply want to keep the requisite dishes piping hot until the celebration draws to a close, you should consider getting yourself a crock pot – such as the pictured five-litre slow cooker from Panasonic. Just as with chocolate fountains, the presence of a steadily boiling crock pot among a series of buffet chafer sets will be an attraction on its own.
Seductive Servingware
Beyond being a concern of protocol, making some formal dinnerware available on the banquet table immediately elevates a feast to luxurious heights. For a layer of elegance, consider adding classically inspired platters in white and gold – such as the pictured servingware set from Vantage, or solidly coloured plates and bowls to casually echo the hues of the space.