Border and corner rangoli designs

Five border and corner rangoli designs: bands to run along a step or a threshold, and quarter designs for the corners of a room or a courtyard. Each is one unit you repeat to fit the space, with pictures for every step.

Diwali 2026 is on Sunday 8 November 2026. All 40 rangoli designs →

The 5 designs

Steps and downloads with each

Bands to run along a step or a threshold, and quarter designs for the corners of a room or a courtyard. Repeat a border as many times as the space needs.

  • Doorstep border rangoli

    Doorstep border

    Simple

    A border along the doorstep marks the way in, so good fortune knows where to enter.

    You’ll need Magenta, green, yellow, saffron and white colours, and chalk. No dot grid: two straight lines.

    Step by step4 stages

    1. Chalk guide. Draw two straight chalk lines along the step, and a third halfway between them.

    2. Outline. On the middle line draw a four-petal flower, then two leaves, then a flower again, all the way along.

    3. First colours. Colour the flowers magenta, the leaves between them green and the two lines saffron.

    4. Finished. Add yellow centres and dots, small green leaves round each flower and a row of white dots along each edge.

  • Creeper border rangoli

    Creeper border

    Simple

    A creeper keeps growing along the ground; as a border it wishes the family growth that never stops.

    You’ll need Green, saffron, yellow and deep blue colours, and chalk. No dot grid: two straight lines and a wavy one.

    Step by step4 stages

    1. Chalk guide. Draw two straight chalk lines along the step, and a third halfway between them.

    2. Outline. Draw a wavy line along the middle one, a pair of leaves where it crosses the line and a five-petal flower in each curve.

    3. First colours. Go over the vine and fill the leaves with green, and draw the two edge lines in deep blue.

    4. Finished. Colour the flowers saffron with yellow centres and add a row of yellow dots along each edge.

  • Toran border rangoli

    Toran border

    Medium

    A toran of mango leaves and marigolds hangs over the door at festivals; drawn on the floor, it doubles the welcome.

    You’ll need Saffron, green, yellow and magenta colours, and chalk. No dot grid: one straight line and a row of marks.

    Step by step4 stages

    1. Chalk guide. Draw a straight chalk line for the rope, and nine short lines hanging down from it, evenly spaced.

    2. Outline. On every other line draw a long mango leaf pointing down; on the lines between, three round flowers and a tassel.

    3. First colours. Draw the rope in saffron, fill the leaves with green and the flowers with saffron and yellow.

    4. Finished. Add a yellow vein to each leaf, magenta tassels and flower centres, yellow twists on the rope and a row of yellow dots.

  • Corner design rangoli

    Corner design

    Medium

    Corners filled with colour leave no part of the home unwelcoming; draw it in each corner of a room or courtyard.

    You’ll need Deep blue, magenta, saffron, yellow, green and white colours, and chalk. No dot grid: quarter circles.

    Step by step4 stages

    1. Chalk guide. From the corner, draw four quarter circles with chalk, like ripples, and three lines out from the corner to keep the petals even.

    2. Outline. Draw five broad petals on the first ripple, nine narrow ones on the next and seven leaves beyond them.

    3. First colours. Fill the core with deep blue, the broad petals with magenta and the narrow ones with saffron.

    4. Finished. Add yellow hearts and dots, colour the leaves green and finish with arcs of white dots.

  • Peacock feather corner rangoli

    Peacock feather corner

    Medium

    The peacock feather, worn in Krishna’s crown, is a sign of beauty and grace in a home.

    You’ll need Green, yellow, saffron, deep blue and white colours, and chalk. No dot grid: lines fanned from the corner.

    Step by step4 stages

    1. Chalk guide. From the corner, draw six chalk lines fanning out across the floor, and a quarter circle near their ends.

    2. Outline. Draw a long vane on each line, narrow near the corner and round at the tip, an eye inside each tip and a small quarter circle in the corner.

    3. First colours. Fill the vanes with green, the outer eyes with yellow and the corner with saffron, and draw the stems in yellow.

    4. Finished. Draw a saffron ring and a deep blue heart in each eye, then add yellow dots in the corner and an arc of white dots.

Fitting a border or a corner to your space

Measure the space first. A border is one unit repeated, so divide the length of the step by the width of one unit, round it to a whole number, and mark where each unit starts in chalk before you draw any of them.

Draw every unit in outline before colouring any, then lay one colour along the whole border at a time. Colouring unit by unit lets small differences show; colouring colour by colour keeps the units alike.

A corner design is a quarter of a round one, drawn into the angle of two walls. Use one in each corner of a room, or two at the sides of a door with a border between them, to frame the space for Diwali.

Doorstep border, step by step

4 stages

Magenta, green, yellow, saffron and white colours, and chalk. No dot grid: two straight lines.

  1. Doorstep border rangoli

    Step 1 · Chalk guide

    Draw two straight chalk lines along the step, and a third halfway between them.

  2. Doorstep border rangoli

    Step 2 · Outline

    On the middle line draw a four-petal flower, then two leaves, then a flower again, all the way along.

  3. Doorstep border rangoli

    Step 3 · First colours

    Colour the flowers magenta, the leaves between them green and the two lines saffron.

  4. Doorstep border rangoli

    Step 4 · Finished

    Add yellow centres and dots, small green leaves round each flower and a row of white dots along each edge.

Questions

How long should a rangoli border be?

As long as the step, threshold or wall it follows; most doorstep borders are under a metre and a half. Draw as many whole units as fit, and end with a whole one at each side rather than a part of one.

How do I keep a rangoli border straight?

Mark a dot at each end and stretch a string between them, or lay a ruler or a long strip of card along the floor. Draw the guide lines in chalk first, then draw the units along them.

How do I draw a corner rangoli?

Start at the corner itself and draw a quarter circle in chalk, then fan the shapes out from the corner to meet it: petals, leaves or peacock feathers. Keep the outer edge round, so it looks finished from the door.

Can I put a border round a large rangoli?

Yes. A border along the step with a round design in front of it is a common way to fill a large entrance. Use two or three of the main design’s colours in the border, so the two read as one.

More rangoli