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A coat of paint — deep, dark and bright

New trend: Many houses these days sport bright and deep colours in Malabar.

Psychologists say shades of dark and bright colours indicate strong and intense feeling. But those who paint the exteriors of their homes in fluorescent colours do not normally care for the psychological interpretations; but they do care for what others do.

Bright exteriors have almost become the order of the day, with more and more people choosing darker and deeper shades for their houses.

For many people, it is not mere attraction of bright colours but also their trendiness that prompts them to chose the shades that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

“What fun is there when you don’t keep abreast of the trends,” asks Mohamed Koya, an NRI whose house in Kozhikode underwent a thorough transformation in terms of colours.

When Mr. Koya gave a fresh coat of paint to his house about two years ago, his kin as well as neighbours could not accept his choice of colour.

The deep purple he chose palpably startled a group who were used only to sober shades.

“Many asked me whether I had lost my senses. I knew what I was doing then. I told them to just wait and watch,” Mr. Koya says. And now, his neighbours and kin have found that his was a trendsetting move.

According to Fakhruddeen V.P., proprietor of Crescent Traders in Malappuram, the dark colour trend for homes is a direct fallout of advertisements. He says advertisements in recent years turned brighter and more colourful and they emboldened people to dare certain experiments that they hitherto did not attempt.

Mr. Fakhruddeen says the trend caught on a little over a year ago particularly among the people who worked abroad. If we take a ride along the highways of Malabar, perhaps every 10th house can be found painted in deep colours.

“When your neighbour does it, you won’t naturally be able to resist it for long,” says Paloli Kuhahamaed, bureau chief of the Desabhimani daily in Malappuram, whose house was recently painted purple. His house naturally never misses the eyes of the passers-by.

Deep shades orange, green, yellow, blue and purple are the most preferred colours among the people of Malabar. Different paint companies have different shades with unique names. For example, Dulux’s colours like Zesty Lime (green), Exotic Bird (orange) and Rustic Drama (orange) have become very popular in Malappuram.

Paint companies like Nerolac and Asian Paints have own brands for external coating. With the help of computer, one can get thousands of shades deep and pale. But the problem with computer-mixed shades is that the buy should remember the colour code. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get the exact shade if a patchwork is needed.

Although bright shades are catching on, people do not see any advantage in it. In fact, it has disadvantages, says Ummer Kutty, manager of Pandy Agencies in Malappuram. Bright or dark shades, whatever be the guarantee the company provides, will fade when exposed to hot sun, he says.

Mr. Fakhruddeen says a coat of any darker or brighter shade will cost more than that of a light shade. The stainer used for bright shades coasts more. Besides, darker shades cannot be diluted beyond a certain point, he says. Despite the trend catching on, most people still resist darker colours because they fear the trend will not last. “Darker shades will go fast. They are certainly not here to stay,” says Abdul Majeed, whose house at Chaliyam has been painted with a light but deep emulsion he brought from the Gulf. Darker shades are hard to maintain, says Mr. Majeed. When they fade, dark shades will not look good at all, which is not the case with light shades, he argues. By and large, people prefer light shades to dark colour because the former is more pleasing to the eye.

“Dark shades may not always give the desired effect. It can sometimes perturb your mind,” says Ameen Faizal, a teacher from Vallikunnu who currently works in Saudi Arabia. He says putting dark shade to the interiors is different from giving a dark coat to exteriors.

Interior paints can be given according to the taste of an individual and that will affect only that individual and the other members of the house. But exterior coating of a house can even disturb the eyes of passers-by, argues Mr. Faizal.

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