Whether you like the rains or not, if you are a Mumbaikar, you always await the rains eagerly just to escape the hot, hot Indian summer! You might tire of them easily and after a month of steady downpours, wait for them to be gone… but the arrival of the rains is always cause for celebration. Last year we celebrated the rains on this blog with a post on monsoon shopping. This year we celebrate with some great umbrella decoration ideas!

Umbrella Decoration Ideas:

A friend of mine recently gifted me this embroidered umbrella.

Isn’t she a beauty? The bright colours and fine sequin work are perfectly pretty.

I recently saw umbrellas used beautifully in the garden of the Taj Gateway at Madurai. They made for a warm, traditional yet glam welcome.

I also remember seeing this last year while walking down the Le Caudan Waterfront in Mauritius. What a pretty way to shade the walkways!

I couldn’t leave my umbrella lying around. I just had to use it. After giving it some thought, I went and hung it from my balcony ceiling, with the plants. It adds it’s own sparkle to that corner, especially when the fairy lights are on at night.

It helps to hide that outdoor AC unit a bit and take the attention away from it. And the bright red and blue add some colour amongst all the greenery.

I quite like the umbrella corner of the balcony!

Such pretty ways to use the umbrellas… it inspired me to look up some more, and hence this post! So call your friends over for a rain themed party, or celebrate the rains simply because you love them. Here are some pretty umbrella decoration ideas for your home.

(1) Umbrella Door Hanging:

Let’s start at the entrance. These door hangings are easy to make and so, so pretty. Use the umbrella like a vase. You could put in big bunch of real or fake flowers, tie it up with a pretty ribbon and hang it on your door.

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Use just whites and greens if you want to keep it understated and elegant.

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Or a bright umbrella with loads of different flowers to add a pop of colour.

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You can also hang these inside the house as beautiful wall decor.

(2) Make an Umbrella Centre Piece:

A pretty lace umbrella in a bright bunch of flowers makes for a delightful centre piece on your table.

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(3) Hang Umbrellas from the Ceiling:

A single simple umbrella, decorated with a trim of flowers and strings of glass beads… it’s like a gorgeous handmade chandelier.

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Or hang a number of them decorated with greens and flowers to make your private ‘rain-forest’!

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Or decorate your umbrella with ribbons and beads and hang it upside down.

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I love how everything is colour coordinated here… from the umbrellas to the flowers to the cupcakes… perfect for a girls lunch or girls night out.

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Add fairy lights and bulbs to the upside down umbrellas to add romance to your room.

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(4) Umbrella Decoration Ideas for Kids Parties and Baby Showers:

Planning a birthday party or baby shower in the coming months? Use these ideas to host a rain themed party!

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String up some raindrop cut outs and hang them from the umbrellas. You can go easily use the colours of the raindrops to enhance your colour scheme.

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Add some hanging clouds to make a rainy dreamland.

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I love this cocktail umbrella garland. You can learn this simple DIY step-by-step here.

(5) Use Cocktail Umbrellas to Decorate Your Food & Drinks:

I used a cocktail umbrella on my Watermelon Nojito (did you know a non-alcoholic mojito is called a nojito?)

Take a highball glass. Take chopped, de-seeded watermelon cubes to fill about 3/4 of that glass, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp of ginger paste. Blend all these in a mixer till smooth.

Put some sugar in a small dish. I use powdered and crystal sugar coz I love the crunch of the sugar crystals with every sip. Moisten the rim of the glass by rubbing lime on it and then place the glass upside down in the sugar to rim the glass.

Put some mint leaves, 1/2 tsp sugar and juice of 1/2 lemon in the glass and muddle it gently till you can smell the mint leaves.

Now fill 1/2 the glass with ice cubes and pour the watermelon juice mixture into the glass. Top up the glass with soda. Garnish with a slice of watermelon, a sprig of mint and a cocktail umbrella!

You can also use the cocktail umbrellas to decorate your deserts. My on-the-spot, quick-fix, ever-ready desert for always is vanilla ice-cream…

With whatever toppings I can lay my hands on. That’s delicious looking and tasting!

Now that you have umbrellas in your home and in your food, you’re ready to celebrate the monsoons!

Whether with family, with friends, or sitting by yourself at the window with a cup of hot chai, I hope you enjoy the romance of the rains!

Until next time,