‘Birla Opus Replay’ looks back at how India played with colours in 2025

Mumbai,  Dec 24: India is a diverse canvas with regional influences, seasonal and cultural nuances shaping how homes are painted, designed and experienced. Over the years, colours have reflected these shifts in quiet but meaningful ways. Yet, these choices are rarely viewed together to understand the larger consumer patterns they reveal at a national scale. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Birla Opus Paints, part of the Aditya Birla Group, presents ‘Birla Opus Replay’, India's first-ever look at how the country played with colours in 2025, based on millions of real purchase decisions gathered via the advanced Birla Opus Tinting Machines. This isn't about trend forecasts or designer predictions. This is about what India chose when painting thousands of homes from Kupwara to Kanyakumari

Drawing from millions of consumer purchase patterns, 'Birla Opus Replay' offers a look back at last year's loyal favourites and the colours that sparked consumer’s imagination, revealing how India played with colours across various regions and seasons. One of the key findings show that despite India’s diversity, nearly 50 percent of consumers returned to the same 20 most trusted shades consistently throughout the year, highlighting a strong preference for familiarity even as newer colours found space during festive season and occasions.

India’s Most Playful Shades in 2025

‘Birla Opus Replay’ shows that while Indian consumers continued to return to familiar shades, they also made deliberate colour choices influenced by emotions and occasions.

• ‘Fort Kochi’, a dark bluish gray colour from the Neutrals family, emerged as India’s most-travelled shade, with more than 6 Lakh litres sold from across 30K+ dealers. That's enough paint to cover every square foot of Mumbai's Marine Drive...four or five times over.
• More than 5 Lakh Indians began their day with ‘Morning Birdsong’, a light bluish gray shade making it one of the country’s top light neutral choices
• While whites and neutrals remained the most preferred colour families overall, Indian consumers consistently leaned towards warmer shades like Yellow, Orange and Blue as their secondary and tertiary preferences

Regional Play of India’s Colour Choices

‘Birla Opus Replay’ highlights how geographies continue to influence colour choices, shaped by climate, culture and architectural styles.

North India continued to favour warm, comforting palettes, with earthy and muted neutrals widely chosen for homes. ‘Fort Kochi’, a dark bluish grey, remained the leading shade, reflecting a preference for timeless and reassuring colours

• The South stood out for its strong preference for whites and light tones. This trend is most pronounced in Kerala, where maximum consumers opted for light shades, reflecting a unique blend of minimalism and tradition. ‘Compact on Skin’, a pale orange shade, leads as the region’s top shade
• The West favoured light, thoughtful palettes that reflected modern architecture, led by ‘Easy Hope’, a very light blue. From Mumbai’s urban sanctuaries to Pune’s designer neutrals, Ahmedabad’s warm heritage tones, and Goa’s breezy coastal shades, each city added its own character
• East India stood out for its stronger inclination towards midtones and darker hues, particularly in West Bengal. Rich, expressive colours defined the region’s palette, with ‘Just Woke Up’, a pale-yellow shade, emerging as the most popular choice
• Central India leaned towards cool, calming colour stories, favouring soft blues and greens. Reflecting this nature-inspired sensibility, ‘Goodbye Winter’, a very light yellowish green shade, emerged as the region’s most chosen colour

Seasons, Celebrations and India’s Paint Purchases

Beyond colours themselves, ‘Birla Opus Replay’ captures the moments and occasions where Indians chose to revisit, refresh or rethink painting decisions across the year.

• Over 35K+ homes were painted during the onset of monsoon, with blue and green shades emerging as the preferred choice
• During Diwali, colour preferences showed a clear contrast, with Indian consumers choosing 14K+ litres of vibrant festive shades, alongside 8K+ litres of clean, minimal whites. Tradition versus minimalism; and both won.

Inderpreet Singh, Head Marketing, Birla Opus Paints said,

“Colour has a unique way of shaping how people feel about their homes and the moments they experience. With ‘Birla Opus Replay’, we wanted to reflect on how Indian consumers engaged with colours over the past year. This initiative builds on our brand ethos of ‘Duniya Ko Rang Do’, where colour is seen as a powerful medium to bring beauty and meaning into our homes. As a new-age brand, these insights help us stay closely connected to consumer sentiment and create experiences rooted in what truly matters to Indian households.”

"Birla Opus Replay is our way of looking back at how India played with colour -not what we told them to choose, but what they actually chose," said Srikanth SK, Head – Consumer Experience, Birla Opus Paints. "From shades that became household names to the colours that spiked during festivals, these patterns reveal something deeper: Indians are thoughtful about colour. They return to what they trust, but they also experiment when the moment feels right. What stands out is the consistency -these choices appeared across metros, tier-2 towns, and smaller markets. That's the strength of our dealer, contractor, and design ecosystem. It gives consumers everywhere the confidence to explore."

With ‘Birla Opus Replay’, the brand reinforces its commitment to understanding how Indians engage with colour, not just as a product choice, but as an expression of lifestyle, emotion and intent. These insights underline the evolving ways in which consumers approach home transformation, blending long-held preferences with new patterns shaped by seasons, celebrations and digital access.

As Birla Opus Paints continues to expand its footprint across India, ‘Birla Opus Replay’ reflects how Indian consumers played with colours over the past year, balancing familiarity with moments of change across the country.