Choice of color
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 had been the natural choice.White was predominant.The colors were used
in decoration at the entrance, pooja enclosure and main living room.They were dictated by culture, tradition and availability of the
natural coloring materials in the area. Only the very rich thought of varying
the colors 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.
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 colors and their effect on
individuals has attracted increased attention.This article is about colors and
their influence on individuals to guide homeowners to make a proper choice to
add appropriate ambience to their style of living.
Color 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 color selection,
it is necessary to consider all the surfaces of the room as a whole, that is
one should consider,color 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 colors
for the walls and ceiling.
Colors 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 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 color on human being.According to new research findings, colors have
profound effect on our physiological and psychological selves. A study has
established that even a blind person can sense colors and react accordingly.
Dermo-optic vision or bio-introscopy as this vision is known, helps people
recognize colors and shapes.
Some colors
are considered warm and some others cool. Those colors, which have red or
yellow as base, are considered warm. Others, which have blue or green, are,
considered cool.Cool colors appear to recede, adding depth to a room.Warm colors seem to advance and make space feel more closed in. Dark colors placed low in
the room will make the room defined.
Dark colors
on the ceiling give a feeling of reduced height to the room while light colored
ceiling will create an illusion of added height. Light colors reflect and give
a feeling of room being more spacious while the dark colors give the opposite
feeling. If the intention is to unify the room use colors of same hue for
walls, furniture and furnishings. If the intention is to focus interest, use
different colors with contrast. So you can choose the colors so as to create,
a) Happy, Bright and Cheerful, b) Natural, Open and Airy, c) Sleek,
Sophisticated and Stark, or d) Simple, Clean and Restful.
It is wise
not to go in for expensive color 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 Color 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 colors and their effects on human being. White is
the color of Sun God and says goes anywhere. Blue is color of Saturn, mentally
soothing and physically cooling.Green is the color of mercury. It is for
general wellbeing.It lowers hypertension and palpitation. Golden yellow is the
color of Jupiter and is associated with warmth. Red is the color 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 colors 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 color has been used by many
psychologists in treating psychological problems, such as addictions, digestive
disorders, impotency and depression.
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 color 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 colors may
induce boredom, depression and sadness. Dark shade is associated with
negativity.
Red. This color
has been found to induce hyphenated/short bursts of excitement. It stimulates
heart activity, brain, respiration and blood pressure. The color supplies short
bursts of energetic thinking and has been used in sports activities.The color 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 coloring 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.
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 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 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 colors exert on one's daily life as revealed by the recent
advances in research in this particular field and accordingly decide the color
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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