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Interior Design Essentials: How Colour Choices Change Your Home

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Interior Design Basics and Ideas | Birla Opus Paints

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Interior design is the silent storyteller of every space. It shapes how we feel, how comfortably we live, and how beautifully we connect with our surroundings. 


While decor and furniture draw the eye, it’s the wall colour that sets the emotional tone. In this article, we’ll explore what interior design is, its core functions, and how wall shades influence mood, perception, and overall harmony of your home.

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

  1. Introduction
  2. What Is Interior Design
  3. The Role of Wall Colour in Interior Design
  4. How Paint Colour Changes Room Perception
  5. Warm vs Cool Tones in Interiors
  6. Expert Tips for Colour Coordination in Interiors
  7. Bringing Your Interiors Through Colour
  8. Explore the Next Steps
  9. FAQs

 

 

What Is Interior Design?

 

At its core, interior design is the art and science of creating functional, aesthetically pleasing indoor spaces. It involves planning layouts, selecting materials, managing colour schemes, and ensuring that a space supports the way people live, work, or relax.


If you’re wondering what interior designers do, their role goes far beyond decoration.

 

They help:

 

  • Analyse the needs and lifestyle of occupants
  • Develop spatial layouts that maximise comfort and efficiency
  • Choose colour palettes, furniture, textures, and lighting
  • Integrate architecture with decor so the whole space feels cohesive
  • Coordinate with contractors, suppliers, and architects
  • Create visual harmony while maintaining practicality

 

Interior design combines creativity with technical expertise, yielding spaces that are aesthetically pleasing and functional.

 

Read More: Looking for fresh ideas to design modern spaces? Dive into our room-by-room interior design guide for inspiration that transforms every corner of your home.

 

 

The Role of Wall Colour in Interior Design

 

The role of wall colour in interior design is foundational as it sets the entire visual tone of the room.

 

Here’s why wall colour matters so much:

 

  • It acts as the visual foundation for everything placed within the space.
  • It defines ambience, depth, and emotional tone. Colours like blue feel calming, while yellow feels uplifting.
  • It influences spatial perception, making rooms appear larger, smaller, cooler, or warmer.
  • It affects how furniture, artwork, fabrics, and lighting are perceived, altering vibrancy and contrast.
  • It ties together multiple elements, creating harmony in the overall palette.

 

 

 How Paint Colour Changes Room Perception

 

Understanding how paint colour changes room perception allows you to manipulate space, light, and mood effortlessly.

 

 

1. Making Small Rooms Look Spacious

 

 

 

 

Light, soft colours like off-whites, gentle greys, and muted pastels reflect more natural and artificial light. This creates an open, airy feeling, making compact rooms feel larger than they are. Matte finishes further reduce shadows and visual clutter.

 

Our Recommendation: Our shades, like Grey Swarm (WW 0156) and One Flat White (NN 9190), are perfect examples of colours that can make your room feel more open and airy.

 

 

2. Adding Warmth and Depth to Large Rooms

 

Expansive rooms sometimes feel empty or impersonal. This is where darker, richer tones shine. Chocolate browns, forest greens, navy blues, or deep terracotta shades add intimacy, anchor large walls, and create cosy zones. If you’re exploring bold shades, our blog on the 10 Striking Dark Wall Colours to Redefine Your Interiors is a great read.

 

Our Recommendation: Blue Planet (BG 6014) or Silky Spaniel Ears (NN 9014) are ideal to add depth and personality to expansive rooms

 

 

3. Creating Mood and Function

 

Colour directly influences psychology and is often used to shape the purpose of a space:
 

  • For Productivity:
    Muted greens, dusty blues, and soft taupes can help reduce visual clutter and maintain focus, making them ideal for home offices and study nooks.

  • For Relaxation:
    Gentle earth-tones, misty neutrals, and pastel variations can create a soothing backdrop that promotes unwinding, especially in bedrooms or reading corners.

  • For Social Interaction:
    Lively hues like mango, coral, or muted terracotta can stimulate conversation and warmth without overwhelming the senses, making them suitable for living rooms and dining spaces.

  • For Creativity:
    Soft lavenders, mint, or experimental tones like teal can energise the mind and spark imagination in craft rooms or children’s play zones.

 

Warm vs Cool Tones in Interiors

 

Knowing how warm vs cool tones in interiors work helps you shape rooms that are visually intentional and emotionally harmonious.

 

1. Warm Tones (Red, Yellow, Orange)

 

Warm tones add vibrancy, richness, and a sense of approachability to interiors. Shades like terracotta, mustard, burnt orange, and coral make social spaces feel more inviting. These colours visually “advance” in a room, making large spaces feel fuller and more intimate.

 

Our Recommendation: Warm, welcoming shades like Preserved in Amber (YR 2180) or Red Curtain (RR 3126) can make social spaces feel inviting.

 

 

2. Cool Tones (Blue, Green, Violet)

 

 

 

 

Cool tones bring calm, freshness, and clarity to a space. Colours such as sage green, powder blue, teal, and lavender help rooms feel more expansive and serene. They visually “recede,” which can soften heavy furniture and open up compact areas.

 

Our Recommendation: Opt for cool, refreshing colours like Historical Fiction (BB 5028) or Crushed Violets (PP 4158) to create visually spacious interiors.

 

 

3. Neutral Tones (White, Beige, Grey)

 

Neutral tones act as stabilisers in a colour palette, offering balance between warm and cool shades. Soft greys, warm creams, and stone beiges can shift in either direction depending on lighting and décor. Neutrals also make bold colours stand out without overwhelming the room.

 

Our Recommendation: Elegant neutrals such as Gris Afternoon (NN 9573) or Himalayan Sea Salt (NN 9169) can ground other elements and maintain a cohesive palette.

 

 

4. Choosing Between Warm and Cool Tones

 

The right tone depends on natural light and the room’s purpose. Rooms with strong sunlight can handle cooler hues, while dim or shaded rooms benefit from warmer tones. Always test swatches in morning and evening light to see how the colour’s temperature changes.

 

 

Read More: Explore our comprehensive guide to interior design for home offices for work-friendly colour palettes that boost productivity and style.

 

 

Expert Tips for Colour Coordination in Interiors

 

Knowing how to select wall paint for interior design makes colour choice easier and more effective. 

 

1. Use the 60-30-10 rule (dominant, secondary, accent colours).

This ratio keeps your palette balanced and prevents visual clutter. The dominant colour sets the room’s tone, while the secondary and accent shades add depth and personality.

 

2. Experiment with texture finishes like matte or satin for contrast.

Matte finishes offer a soft, elegant look, while satin adds gentle reflection. Mixing finishes creates contrast without changing the overall palette.

 

3. Create accent walls with deeper shades for visual interest.

A deeper shade on one wall adds character and draws attention to the room’s best features. It’s an easy way to introduce bold colour without overwhelming the space.

 

4. Balance bold colours with soft neutrals.

Bright or intense colours stand out best when paired with calming neutrals. This balance ensures the room looks expressive yet still feels cohesive.

 

5. Add depth through layered lighting and decor.

Lighting changes how wall colours look throughout the day. Combining different light sources and complementary decor helps enhance the paint shade and overall ambience.

 

 

Bringing Your Interiors Together Through Colour

 

A well-designed room begins long before the furniture arrives; it begins with colour. Understanding how paint colour changes room perception and mastering the nuances of shade, tone, and temperature gives you the tools to craft spaces that look intentional and feel complete. 

 

When you choose wall colours with clarity and purpose, you elevate the entire interior, proving that design isn’t just seen, it’s felt.

 

 

Explore The Next Steps

 

Pick Your Colours – Explore the Birla Opus Colour Catalogue and find the perfect shade for your space.

Visualise Your Walls – Try the Birla Opus Visualiser and see how different paints look in real time.

Browse Paint Products – From interiors to exteriors, textures to wood and metal, discover our complete range.

Book Painting Services – Get expert end-to-end painting solutions from Birla Opus professionals.


Opus Assurance – Enjoy superior painting backed by our commitment to quality with easy registration, hassle-free claims, free repainting (product + labour), and the freedom to choose your preferred contractor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Painting your home is fun and hassle-free when planned well. For that, you must know all about various aspects of the painting process. Find answers to all your paint questions here!

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4.1. Our Disclosure of Your Information

 

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If you have any questions about this Policy or other privacy concerns, you can also email us at legal.birlapaints@adityabirla.com

August 2023

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By agreeing to this privacy policy, you agree to receive promotional messages, offers, and updates from the Company via SMS, RCS (Rich communications message service), WhatsApp, etc.

GRASIM INDUSTRIES LIMITED, Birla Paints division

 

9th floor, Birla Centurion, Century Mills Compound, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Worli, Mumbai– 400030, Maharashtra, India. 
 

Registered Office:
Birlagram, Nagda- 456 331 (M.P.) Tel: (07366) 246760-66, Fax: (07366) 244114, 246024, CIN: L17124MP1947PLC000410  
 

Allwood Contractor App Helpdesk 

Call: 1800 120 1234, Monday to Saturday, 09:30 am – 6:30 pm (Except Public Holidays).

Email: paints.custcare@adityabirla.com

Product Warranty

Terms and Conditions for product warranty registration of Birla Opus products



  1. The Warranty shall be effective from the date of purchase of the Product as per the tax invoice (“Warranty Start Date”), provided that painting work is fully complete, and the Consumer registers the Product for warranty.

  2. The Product must be registered within 15 days from the date of purchase by calling customer care at 18001201234 or registering on www.birlaopus.com and furnishing purchase details as required during the Warranty registration.

  3. The Warranty shall be valid for parameters and period as defined in the respective product warranty document (‘Warranty Period’) from the Warranty Start Date. 

  4. Upon settlement of any claim, Warranty of replaced Product will not start afresh, and will continue for the remainder of the Warranty Period from the Warranty Start Date.

  5. If there is a break/ lag in completing the painting work, the registration of the Warranty and Warranty Start Date will be determined by the Company at its sole discretion.

  6. The Company may appoint a person to examine and confirm the application of the Product as per the directions specified prior to registering the Warranty.

  7. For registering of Warranty, where quantity of Product purchase is equal to or more than 200 litres, please call our Helpline on 1800 120 1234 with requisite details. The registration of Warranty in such cases is subject to a satisfactory pre‐inspection at site by Company’s representative.

  8. For the warranty to be applicable:
    1. Minimum volume of the product required to be purchased needs to be met
    2. Birla Opus recommended system needs to be used
    3. Product coverage and application guidelines need to be adhered
       

For more details, please refer to respective  product specific warranty document and product information sheet.

  1. Consumer may raise a claim within 30 days of discovering issue(s) noticed on the affected areas based on Warranty Parameters/ scope

  2. The Consumer is required to notify the Company of the issue(s) noticed along with the invoice details, sample pictures and basis for Warranty invocation by contacting the customer care at 1800 120 1234. The Consumer shall provide such additional details as required by the Company and/or allow the Company to visit/inspect the painting site either in portion or entirety at the Company’s discretion.  

  3. In case where the Company decides that the Warranty is applicable on the issue(s) noticed on the affected areas, the Company shall bear the Replacements Costs as detailed in respective product warranty document to repair/ repaint the affected areas.

  4. Replacement Costs shall mean the cost of material and labour required to correct the affected portions, as determined by the Company.

  5. In case where the Company decides that Warranty is not applicable, the same shall be communicated to the Consumer.

  6. Warranty is applicable only to the affected area where the Product is used in accordance with application guidelines and not to the rest of the areas.

  7. In case the Consumer carries out repair works on the areas covered under the Warranty, the same shall be at their own risk and the Company’s Warranty on the Product shall not be valid on such repaired areas.

  8. The Warranty will cover only manufacturing defects of the Product and will not cover any defects arising out of factors not in control of the Company. For more details of exclusions, please refer to the warranty document of respective product. 

  9. Except expressly stated, the Company disclaims any liabilities whether in contract, tort or otherwise. The Company makes no warranty regarding merchantability or fitness of products for any particular purpose. 

  10. The Company shall not be held liable towards loss or damages of incidental, indirect or consequential nature or for any value more than the tax invoice value. 

  11. In case of any disputes, exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Mumbai shall apply. Governing laws shall be Laws of India.

  12. The facts and all matters concerning any Warranty/ claim/ dispute will always be kept confidential by both the Consumer and the Company.