Play with colour

The importance of colour in interiors can hardly be over emphasised. The colour on the wall is an extension of one’s personality, mood and lifestyle. While doing up homes, one might immediately tend to look at aspects like furniture, furnishings and accessories. However, fundamentally the first thing that adds colour to a home is wall paint.

The new order
With the demand for eco-friendly paints, organic, natural and solvent free paint products are being created with properties of anti-allergy, anti-fungal/bacterial and UV protection. In terms of surfaces, smooth and scratch resistant finishes like luxury emulsion, superior to velvet touch and the like are preferred. The evolving expectations and demands of Indian consumers have inspired Kamdhenu Paints to introduce new paint varieties from time to time under its brand ‘Colour Dreamz’. “Our latest product launched is ‘Velvety’, a luxury interior emulsion. This paint is washable and its elastomeric film provides a soothing glow to the walls. ‘Kamoloite’, premium enamel paint from ‘Colour Dreamz’ is the other variant introduced lately. High gloss, smooth finish, stain resistance, durability have earned it huge response,” says Saurabh Agarwal, Director, Kamdhenu Paints.
Another new launch is Nerolac Impression Metallic, a premium quality water base special effect designer series range that creates a variety of special effects and textures like combing, dragging, spatula etc on interior walls and is based on pure acrylic emulsion.
Dulux has recently launched paint for exterior surfaces, the Weathershield Waterproof, a waterproof paint geared to protect the exterior walls of a structure from rains and make it long lasting. Nippon has developed a number of breakthrough products using Japanese technology, odourless being one among them.

The colour connection
With every season, colour trends differ. Colour preferences in India are strongly based on geography and climate. While wall colours have primarily been in pastel tones, small bursts of colour inspired by local crafts and fashion make an appearance on trims and moldings. Colour experimentation is greater in rural India than urban India and trickle of ideas and inspiration is in the reverse direction.
“Earlier, one of the walls was treated as the feature wall. Nowadays all four walls are done in different colours, either of the same family or in complementary colours to add that bit of excitement to the room,” says Sunaina Gera, VP, Product Development, Gera Developments Pvt. Ltd. 

Also, there is increasing interest in textured finishes that has led to innovative theme based paint schemes and textures. Nowadays, people do not hesitate from experimenting. Similar to the international trends, innovative colour combinations are catching the attention of modern consumers. “Contrasting colours are applied on opposite walls of a room and also different tints are mixed and matched for the entire decor. The concept of uniformity is gradually taking a backseat. People are opting for every type of colour arrangements enhancing the aesthetics of their home with a more lively appeal,” adds Agarwal. Colours like beige, pastel yellows, pinks, mauves are being preferred.

“At the same time, one is aware of global influences of fashion and technology that are imported back into Indian metros.
Urban India is seeing an exciting confluence of international ideas and cultural inspiration. Warm robust yellow combined with dark brown or a green denotes hopefulness, energy and optimism.
Teaming peach and orange with reds and creams works wonders to create an unparalleled sense of opulence. Accessories in wood and metal juxtapose strikingly well for a cream yellow room. Pinks and reds can be combined with pastel and contrasting tones to create lively settings.
Browns act as the perfect foil to bring an earthy balance into living spaces, blending beautifully with other colours of its family,” says Anuj Jain, Vice president, Sales & Marketing, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd.

Trends
Highlighting one wall and making that as the centrepiece for the entire decor using texture paints is the latest trend in the paints category. Also, consumers are opting for Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints as these are more eco-friendly and use water as the carrier instead of petroleum based solvents.
Says Percy Jijina, GM Decorative, Jotun India, “we have found these days that many customers are using light shades and hues for their houses and apartments. A typical scenario for texture paints in most houses or apartments is that out of the four walls, only one wall is texture painted while the rest have the same colour/shade in a smooth finish.”  

With regard to textured effects, the ones most popular today are the Marble finish, Ragging affect and Spatula effect.
Experimenting with different colours seems to be the order of the day. “You could either paint one wall a bold colour and the others a lighter shade or alternate walls bold and light. The effect has to be one of harmony though. In fact, nicely done walls are the biggest room accessories and do not need to be supplemented with furniture. Minimalist designing will help bring out the beauty of your wall colour.
“It is a good idea to decide on the tone and shade of one’s wall keeping in mind the setting and colour of furniture, curtains etc. Bright bold colours would do wonders to an ethnic setup, whereas a pristine white look would complement a futuristic, urbane setting, creating a sense of structure and space,” explains Hemant Somani, Head – Marketing, ICI-India.

Colour scheming has been fast catching up as a trend, where consumers get to have a choice of various colour combinations before zeroing on the one of their choice.
Colour scheming software is an innovative computerised Colour system that allows customers the freedom to express their originality with their ideal choice of colours.
“It helps buyers make informed decisions on how their rooms would look, well in advance of paint buying decision. The software is installed at dealer points and enables people to walk in with their building plan, rooms and so on, and then mix and match with the colour range and get a preview of how their painted walls would finally look.
“Colour guides are also available at stores which show consumers various colour combinations to paint the interiors and exteriors of houses,” says a spokesperson of Nippon Paints. Another trend, which is really the rage this season is to get one wall of a room painted with a special designer paint.
Designer paints come with pre-built textures that are a great way to enhance ones settings. 

Tips to paint your home
As painting your home can be a huge effort, it is important to be prepared and make the experience one to cherish. A key challenge for consumers is choosing amongst the number of paint products available in the market.
“Avoid painting in the monsoon due to increased humidity. Don’t let dust particles to accumulate on the walls for a long time to avoid getting the colours and texture dull and faded,” explains Gera.
Make sure that you move all the furniture away from the wall and mask/cover all the elements in the house before starting the painting work. Always use good quality emulsion tinting at the dealer counter into your desired shade.
Stress on good surface
Emphasise on good surface preparation, as your final paint finish is as good as surface preparation.

“For a client with a 2BHK apartment for instance, we have found that one wall in the living room is texture painted along with one wall in each bedroom. A wall is normally 300 sq feet in area and given the above scenario, a customer would be painting roughly 10 per cent of the total area in their home. Customers, therefore, can budget approximately at Rs 30 per sq feet, which would include material and labour.  Again it is important to take into account the desired patterns and style affects,” opines Jijina. Previously painted areas should be freed from loose or flaking particles, cleaned and rubbed down.
Fill up the cracks, dents, uneven surfaces with putty, rub down with sand paper and wipe off the dust.

For exterior paint, in case of areas affected by fungus or algae clean with wire-brush thoroughly and wash with water. 
After drying, apply one coat of anti-fungal solution and allow to dry. Colouring the home is the fastest way to give it character. It is important to invest in a long lasting, good quality paint that protects the walls and is lead free, to prevent any toxic side effects to children and the environment.  (Pics courtesy: Jotun India)