Choice of
colour had not been a problem for one's own house before fifties of the last century
for majority of the house builders. Lime,Yellow Ochre, Mulatanimitti (Red
Earth) had been the natural choice. White was predominant. The colours were
used in decoration at the entrance, pooja enclosure and main living room
(padasale or hall).They were dictated by culture,tradition and availability
of the natural colouring materials in the area. Only the very rich thought of
varying the colours in their mansions.
The last
two decades of the last century saw a rapid growth in the middle class
population, which is now around 20% of the households.In many of these
households both husband, wife are highly educated and exposed to ad-blitz
through media.Many of the households have double income.There is greater
amount of disposable income.The house is no longer considered as a roof over
the head but a symbol of status and an environment for stylish living.
Commercial
banks entry into retail financing in housing,easy installment plans in trade,
Credit Card Culture have also helped in conspicuous spending. Interiors are now
gaining more attention. Earlier the expenditure on interiors used to be below J
0 to J 2% of construction cost.Now they have grown to 40 to 50%. Interiors
have become more colourful and lavish.
The Paint
industry has come up with number of types of paints in variety of shades. A
fallout of the hype and competition in Research on colours and their effect on
individuals has attracted increased attention. This article is about colours
and their influence on individuals to guide homeowners to make a proper choice
to add appropriate ambience to their style of living.
Colour has
an influence on our visual perception, also on our moods.Nowadays a large
number of shades are available in the market. It is becoming difficult for an
ordinary house builder to choose from such a wide choice. When making colour
selection, it is necessary to consider all the surfaces of the room as a whole,
that is one should consider, colour of the floor or carpet, walls, curtains and
furniture. They together act on the sensory perception of the individual. The
illusion of size and shape of a room can be manipulated by choosing a proper
combination of colours for the walls and ceiling.
Colours can
be used to express person's individuality. Also can be used to influence to
certain extent the mood of a person. Earlier, we used to retire early because
of the manual exertion (walking, drawing water from the well) during the course
of the work. The advent of electricity and the advancement in lighting science
now extends the day light hours beyond nightfall. The period of visual
stimulation has expanded from 8 to 10 hours to 16 hours in cities. Therefore, a
lot of research is being conducted on the effects of colour on human being.
According to new research findings, colours have profound effect on our
physiological and psychological selves. A study has established that even a
blind person can sense colours and react accordingly. Dermo-optic vision or
bio-introscopy as this vision is known, helps people recognize colours and
shapes.
Some
colours are considered warm and some others cool. Those colours, which have red
or yellow as base, are considered warm. Others, which have blue or green, are,
considered cool. Cool colours appear to recede, adding depth to a room. Warm
colours seem to advance and make space feel more closed in. Dark colours placed
low in the room will make the room defined. Dark colours on the ceiling give a
feeling of reduced height to the room while light colored ceiling will create
an illusion of added height. Light colours reflect and give a feeling of room
being more spacious while the dark colours give the opposite feeling. If the
intention is to unify the room use colours of same hue for walls, furniture and
furnishings. If the intention is to focus interest, use different colours with
contrast. So you can choose the colours so as to create,
a) Happy, Bright and
Cheerful
b) Natural, Open and Airy
c) Sleek, Sophisticated and Stark
d)
Simple, Clean and Restful.
It is wise
not to go in for expensive colour scheme. In the Indian context, it is
desirable to get painting done once in 3 to 4 years. You will recall in olden
days it was a custom to do white and Colour wash of a house either before
Yugadi or before Deepavali every year. Besides giving a fresh look, it used to
remove dust settled on walls, remove spiders web, lizards and small household
vermin. Cement based paint for the exterior and distempers for the interior
should be a wise selection.
Vastu also
has many things to say about colours and their effects on human being. White is
the colour of Sun God and says goes anywhere. Blue is colour of Saturn,
mentally soothing and physically cooling. Green is the colour of mercury. It is
for general wellbeing. It lowers hypertension and palpitation. Golden yellow is
the colour of Jupiter and is associated with warmth. Red is the colour of mars.
It raises passion, speeds up heartbeat, recommended for the warrior class.
Black or gray should be avoided, as it is associated with Yama. It will induce
worry and pessimism.
According
to scientific research, how the colours work on the human system is described
as under Blue has the effect of soothing nerves, lowering blood pressure and
palpitation. Blue helps in treating ulcers, disorders related to back pain.
Blue also helps treating tumors and cancer. The colour has been used by many
psychologists in treating psychological problems, such as addictions, digestive
disorders, impotency and depression. According to an observation when the
colour of the London Bridge was changed from black to blue, the number of
suicide rates came down by 50%. The colour is also recommended to those
students pursuing serious studies, which require a degree of concentration. In
parts of South India it is believed to be mosquito repellent.
Green, it
has been found, has a soothing effect on the mind. It induces relaxation and is
used to treat cases of depression, anxiety, nervousness.
Yellow, it
appears, has great energizing quality and can be used to treat depression. It
improves appetite, memory. The colour when dark, is supposed to be timulating.
One interesting study has found" strong links between street vandalism and
sodium vapour lights which are yellow when conditions are favourable as in the
case of protest demonstrations.
Yellow is also not recommended for rooms where
negotiations take place.
Violet has
been found to induce peace and balance. It has been used to treat people
suffering from migraine.
Black, in
lighter shades it has been found to boost self-confidence. But dark colours may
induce boredom, depression and sadness. Dark shade is associated with
negativity.
Red,This
colour has been found to induce hyphenated/short bursts of excitement. It
stimulates heart activity, brain, respiration and blood pressure. The colour
supplies short bursts of energetic thinking and has been used in sports activities.
The colour is recommended by some for those suffering from paralysis.
constipation, bladder infections and some skin disorders. Red is also not
recommended where meetings try to achieve consensus as it is found to induce
aggressive attitude.
Purple is
associated with low key affairs and gray is mild and indecisive. One might
observe many areas of agreement between Vastu and scientific findings.
All paints
being sold in the Indian Market are not safe. Many of them contain toxic
materials. If you are health conscious and an environmental buff you should
choose the paints carefully. For colouring rooms reserved for children,
pregnant women and convalescing persons it pays to be extra careful. Some paint
materials are known to cause allergies and some other, serious illness. However
choosing a safe paint is not easy in India because there are no statutory
regulations and many paint manufacturers do not fully declare all the
ingredients contained in them. In some advanced countries paints carry environmental
safety label when they conform to it.Before
purchase of paint it is better if the purchaser gets the ans wer to the
following 3 questions, Viz.,
Is the
product free of all poisons? (For paints used indoors no compromise should be
made.)
Are the raw
materials used as binders and solvents renewable? Paints and lacquers generally
consist of up to 65% of solvents and binders (including water).Examples of
raw materials, which fulfill this requirement, are resins from trees and oils
from plants.
Is the
product solvent free? For ceilings and walls only solvent free (water as
solvent) paints should be used. For other applications products with less than
30% should be used.
Paint is
made from three basic ingredients: a colouring agent or pigment to provide
colour, resin or binder to bond the paint into a protective skin, and solvent
which keeps it liquid until you brush it on after which it evaporates away as
the paint dries. Additionally other ingredients can be added such as
preservatives and fungicides.Generally
speaking water based paints are environmentally preferable to enamel or
polyurethane paints.
Water based paints have improved dramatically in recent
years and are suitable for most applications.There are
many different types of natural paints available and a suitable product can be
found for most applications. Two examples used for centuries are lime washes
and silicate paints. One is familiar with lime washes. Repainting is required
more frequently than for conventional paints. Silicate paints are based on
potassium silicate and they react with the mineral substrate that is painted.
This causes
the paint to become part of the surface, rather than forming a film over the
top of it. This type of paint is very durable and has given effecti ve
protection for over a hundred years.Natural
timber can be finished with oil, as an alternative to polyurethane. This will
protect the timber while allowing it to breathe. The oil is absorbed into the
wood, sealing the pores and stopping water from penetrating. Oils can also
harden the wood and give some protection from UV damage.
One should
be careful with paints, which contain metallic oxides. Better they are avoided.
Substances that are prohibited (except for impurities of no more than 0.1%)
include mercury, arsenic or selenium or their compounds, and pigments of lead,
cadmium, chromium or antimony. The paint must not contain any confirmed human
carcinogens (cancer causing) or formaldehyde, and must not contain ethylene
glycol as an integral part of the paint formulation. Hydrocarbon solvents and
aromatics are to be limited at certain levels.
The paint
containers must also contain information about inflammability, disposal and
cleaning methods. An individual who cares how he spends the money and how he
can use it for the family's well being will do well to take note of the
influence the colours exert on one's daily life as revealed by the recent
advances in research in this particular field and accordingly decide the colour
scheme of the different spaces of his house. The aim should be to harmonize the
home environment with family's personality and healthy living.
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