Grey sky, earl greys and a lovely little book of exteriors by Asian Paints. That’s how the evening looks like at mine and I am wondering if it can get any better than it already is!
Welcome to Trumatter- a tiny place in the corner of this universe where I talk about all things DIY, colour and decor {simple ones at that} and this arvo, I’ll introduce you to a book that you’ll definitely want to keep handy if you are a home decor, architect or home enthusiast. The bus is moving, get on!
You know, before I get to the book, I’ll have to narrate a small incident. On a recent coffee session at work, on a day that had a similar grey sky, we were discussing home colours. This friend who is to deliver in a month and wants to colour her home before the baby steps in. Naturally the course of discussion steered towards home colours and home decor in general. A common friend- now, mind you I have a heady mix of friends- somehow casually expressed as to how all of this is completely irrelevant. “It’s just home colour”- he said.
Certainly it’s not very polite to present your opinion unless you are asked for it, but in my mind I vehemently disagreed that day.
The red post office, the big white house, the house with yellow windows, the white porch with blue pillars- they aren’t just dwellings of different colours. They are landmarks. Landmarks with character and with a persona of their own, and brilliant enough to stand out in a lane full of sad buildings perhaps. Remember that movie, “A Notebook”? {Though you’ll remember it for mostly Ryan Gosling} The girl wanted a white house with blue windows which Noah took it upon himself to build? Wonder why blue windows and not the other way round!
It’s never just colours.
Believe it or not, our dream house often lives in our minds in forms of colour and it’s because certain colours help in highlighting certain parts of your architecture so beautifully that it stays in our mind forever. For example? “Blue shutter windows are my favorite and they remind me of Greece”. Or “When I have a house, I want a dark green window box“. Believe me, you often don’t remember the architecture but colours- you will remember forever.
This, is why the knowledge of colours is so important. You might have a fantastic cantilevered sit out area or a terrace and it might just fail to create the impact because of the wrong colour choices. Ah, I cannot stress enough upon the importance of exterior colours…just don’t be as ignorant to think “oh it’s just colour”, because if you are I’ll tell you to paint your walls a dirty brown! 🙂
Anyway, so if you are planning on giving your home a facelift post monsoon or pre-Diwali {yes, definitely when they grey sky has vanished} take a look at the Asian Paints Book Of Exteriors that helps you with identifying your home {whether modern or traditional} gives you 3 broad colour palettes in each home style {Dark, Medium and Light} and also shows you how to mix and match colours for highlighting your home’s best features and geometry.
Why Should You Totally Have This Book
Honestly, you should ask me why not. The book documents the modern and traditional homes wonderfully and covers almost all types of structures. Well, yeah, my father is a civil engineer and I am used to the word “Structure”. By structure I mean buildings. Here, take a look:
With a clear division of modern and traditional, the Asian Paints Book Of Exteriors gives one great insight on the type of home they want to build or they are dwelling in, and one can easily narrow down the options. Honestly, I think this is a fantastic move and the most crucial at that. When it’s segregated, it’s so much easier than to grope in the dark- or worse in a sea of choices with nothing to really fall back and visualize.
If you live in a house that’s modular and adheres to the modern aesthetics, there are a number of beautiful choices to make your home exterior come alive. And if you are a trad home dweller, the paint choices for you have been chosen very carefully to highlight the intricate pillars and round porches and yet, not too garish to take away the charm of an old home. What I really, really like is the fact that there is a choice for everyone.
Further categorized into dark, medium and light shades, this gives the homeowner a chance to explore different styles keeping with his colour preferences. To be honest, this book actually does the role of a consultant, and most importantly, you can visually see how the colours will fall together other than a taking a wild guess or depending on the consultant.
This is Freedom!
Head to the Asian Paints website to see get a glimpse, view the book of colours or ask for a complimentary copy. Just in case, eave a comment in my blog if you’d like more info and I’ll be happy to furnish you with the same.
Grey Sky and Cold Tea
Tell you what? My tea’s gone cold. The grey sky is a shade grey-er and I am a tad bit lazier so I am just going to find a spot and read this up. Iced-tea latte will not be all that bad 😉
See you later decor alligators.
Rukmini