Painting your home before Diwali? Vastu advice on colours for each room and direction

As Diwali draws near, everyone wants their home to look spotless, and the season of fresh paint begins. But colour is not only about looks. It also affects our mind and the atmosphere of the home. Vastu Shastra gives colours considerable importance, and the wrong colour can spoil the look of the whole house. It is therefore worth knowing which colour suits which room and which colours are considered auspicious or inauspicious.

Start with the hall. We spend most of the day there, and guests sit there too, so the colour should be pleasing at first glance. Avoid very dark or loud colours. White, milky cream, light brown and pale pink are described as the right four for a hall. They make the room look bigger and keep it calm. If the walls are painted in such a colour, the curtains and cushions should be in the same shade family, which gives the home a rich look.

In the kitchen, cleanliness matters most. According to Vastu, no colour is better than white for the kitchen, as white is regarded as a symbol of peace and cleanliness. Even a small kitchen looks bigger in white. However, stains show up on white at once.

The bedroom is where one rests after a tiring day. For sound sleep, avoid loud colours here. Sky blue, light green, pink and cream shades are good for a bedroom. These are all cool colours, so the mind stays calm. They are said to reduce quarrels between husband and wife and increase love. Choose only muted shades for this.

The bathroom should preferably be painted white or pink. White gives a feeling of cleanliness and pink brings a different freshness. Both colours also give the bathroom a distinct look.

Now to colours by direction. Every direction of the house is different, and a different colour suits each. For a north wall, use green. Green stands for plants, growth and money. Elders say green in this direction brings prosperity to the home and gains in business.

Use red in the south. Red stands for strength and energy. In a home with red in the south, enthusiasm rises and relationships stay warm.

White in the east and blue in the west are considered auspicious. The sun rises in the east, while blue in the west steadies the mind and brings peace.

The most important corner of the house is considered to be the north-east, known as Ishanya, because this spot is called the place of the deity. Use yellow or saffron here. Yellow stands for wisdom and saffron for fresh hope. These colours keep the atmosphere in the home positive. So this Diwali, choose your paint with thought.