Rangoli designs with colours are what most of us picture when we think of a festival morning: bright powder on a clean floor and a design that makes everyone stop at the door. Picking colours is easy once you know a few pairs that always work.
This page has simple designs for home, five bright Diwali designs, colour pairs you can trust and sparkly glitter and kundan rangoli. Each picture gives the time, level and a colour tip. For white-only designs, see white rangoli designs.
Simple Rangoli Designs with Colours
These simple rangoli designs for home with colours use three or four shades and take under 25 minutes. An easy simple colour rangoli looks best when the shades come from one family, like red, orange and yellow.
1. Sunset Six Petal Flower Rangoli
Red, orange and yellow from inside to outside, like a sunset. Warm colours never clash. Easy, 15 minutes.
2. Two Colour Blue and White Dot Rangoli
Only blue and white on a 6 by 6 dot grid. 2 colour rangoli designs cost little and look neat. Easy, 15 minutes.
3. Pink Buds and Green Leaves Ring Rangoli
Pink buds and green leaves in a ring. Pink and green sit opposite on the colour wheel, so both look brighter. Easy, 20 minutes.
4. Rainbow and Clouds Rangoli for Kids
A small rainbow with a cloud at each end. Kids love it, and it uses up leftover colours. Easy, 15 minutes.
5. Purple Diamond in a Yellow Square
A purple diamond in a yellow square with tiny orange flowers in the corners. A strong pair for small spaces. Easy, 20 minutes.Bright Colour Rangoli Designs for Diwali
Here are our top 5 rangoli designs for Diwali with colours, one for each day of the festival. Deep red, gold, magenta and green glow in diya light. With a chalk sketch first, these are easy rangoli designs for Diwali with colours.
6. Gold Kalash and Coins Dhanteras Rangoli
Day 1, Dhanteras: a gold kalash with coins on a red circle. Gold on red is the richest Diwali pair. Medium, 45 minutes.
7. Magenta and Orange Star for Choti Diwali
Day 2, Choti Diwali: a star of magenta and orange with a diya in each magenta point. Bright and playful. Medium, 40 minutes.
8. Pink Lotus with Footprints for Laxmi Pujan
Day 3, Laxmi Pujan: a pink lotus with footprints walking in. Pink, gold and white feel calm and holy. Hard, 1 hour 15 minutes.
9. Green Hill, Cow and Flute Govardhan Rangoli
Day 4, Govardhan Puja and Padwa: a green hill with a cow and a flute. Greens and blue give a fresh change. Medium, 50 minutes.
10. Bhai Dooj Pooja Thali Rangoli with a Diya
Day 5, Bhai Dooj: a pooja thali with a diya, roli and rice. Orange, red and silver grey. Easy, 30 minutes.Rangoli Colour Combination Ideas That Work
Multi colour rangoli designs look best when the colours follow a plan. These five pairings never fail, on any floor.
11. Teal and Coral Petal Rangoli
Teal and coral with white. A unique pair that looks fresh and modern. Medium, 35 minutes.
12. Navy and Gold Paisley Mandala Rangoli
Navy and gold look royal, great for weddings. Use gold only for outlines and dots. Medium, 45 minutes.
13. Five Shades of Pink Rangoli
One colour in five shades, from baby pink to deep magenta. Mix white into pink for the light shades. Medium, 40 minutes.
14. Leaf Green, Turmeric and Marigold Star Rangoli
Leaf green, turmeric yellow and marigold orange, like a festival toran on the floor. Easy, 30 minutes.
15. Colouring Book Rangoli with Black Outlines
Bright fills with thick black outlines, like a colouring book. The outline makes every colour pop. Medium, 40 minutes.Glitter and Kundan Rangoli Designs
Glitter, kundan stones and small mirrors catch diya light at night. Kundan makes rangoli designs easy and beautiful with colours that sparkle. Press the stones in gently after the powder is done.
16. Red Lotus Edged in Gold Kundan
A red lotus with gold kundan on every petal edge and a ring of mirrors. Use tweezers to place the stones. Hard, 1 hour.
17. Glitter Peacock Rangoli with Sparkly Feather Eyes
A peacock with glitter on every feather eye. Sprinkle glitter last, while the powder is still loose. Medium, 50 minutes.
18. Kundan Mandala Rangoli on a Purple Base
A purple mandala with rings of pink, white and green kundan. It looks like jewellery. Hard, 1.5 hours.
19. Gold Glitter Pinwheel on a Maroon Circle
A maroon circle with gold glitter swirls. Only two colours plus glitter, but very rich. Medium, 30 minutes.
20. Ready Kundan Pieces in a Flower Rangoli
Kundan rangoli designs for sale in shops come in pieces you can use every year. Arrange them on a powder base. Easy, 10 minutes.How to Choose and Mix Rangoli Colours
- Pick a family: warm (red, orange, yellow) or cool (blue, green, purple). Add one colour from the other family as an accent.
- Opposites pop: pink with green, purple with yellow, blue with orange.
- Make light shades: mix white rangoli powder into any colour. One spoon of colour to three of white gives a pastel.
- Dark floor, bright colours: on granite or a mud floor, yellow, white and pink stand out. On marble, use deep red, blue and green.
- Home colours: haldi for yellow, kumkum for red, gerua for brick red, and dried leaf powder for green.
- Outline last: a thin white line separates colours that would blur.
How Much Colour to Buy
| Design size | Total colour | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 45 cm | 150 to 250 g | 3 or 4 packets of 50 g |
| 70 cm | 400 to 600 g | Buy 200 g of the main colour |
| 1 metre and more | 1 to 2 kg | Buy white and the base colour by the kilo |
Sift lumpy colour through a tea strainer before you start. It flows evenly and shades come out smooth.
Bright and Safe
Many shop colours are synthetic. Do not let kids blow the powder or rub their eyes, and wash hands after. For glitter, use a little: too much hides the design. Keep kundan stones away from small children. For more festival ideas see Diwali rangoli designs and simple rangoli designs.
Natural Colours You Can Make at Home
If you want safer colours for small children, try these kitchen and garden colours. They are softer than shop colours but look lovely in daylight.
- Yellow: haldi mixed with rice flour.
- Red: kumkum, or gerua (red ochre) for a brick shade.
- Green: dried and ground neem, mehendi or spinach leaves.
- Orange: dried marigold petals ground fine.
- Brown: coffee powder or dried tea leaves.
- Pink and purple: beetroot juice dried into rice flour, then crushed.
Natural colours fade in a day or two, so make them close to the festival.
Common questions
Which colours are best for beautiful rangoli designs with colours?
Pick one warm family, like red, orange and yellow, and add a little green or blue. Finish with white outlines. This works on almost any floor.
What are good colour rangoli designs for Diwali?
Gold kalash on red, a pink lotus with Laxmi charan, or a magenta and orange star with diyas. Deep colours glow in diya light, while pastels can look dull at night.
How do I make light shades of rangoli colour at home?
Mix white rangoli powder into the colour in a small bowl. Add white a spoon at a time until you like the shade. Make enough for the whole design in one go, so the shade matches.
Are simple color rangoli designs with 2 colours enough?
Yes. Two strong colours, like blue and white or red and yellow, look neat and cost less. Use one for the shape and one for the fill or outline.
Can I use kundan and glitter on any floor?
Yes, but sweep carefully after: glitter sticks to tiles and grout. On a mud floor, press stones in lightly so they do not sink. Pick them up and keep them for next year. For painted designs that last, see paint rangoli designs.
Are rangoli colors safe for kids, and what is watercolor rangoli?
Many shop rangoli colors are synthetic, so kids should not blow the powder or touch their eyes, and everyone should wash hands after. A watercolor rangoli is a rangoli design painted on paper or chart sheet with water colours instead of powder. It is a safe school project for small children and a good way to test a colour plan before the festival. See rangoli designs for kids for easy shapes.
