According to a recent study*, the Indian interior design market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.3% to reach USD 81.2 billion by 2030. With urbanization expected to cross 50% in India by 2050, demand for curated and personalized living spaces is fast expanding, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Sharing insights into the launch of Dulux Maestro, Rohit Totla, Executive Director, Akzo Nobel India, said, “With growing demand for hyper-personalized and on-trend living spaces, affluent consumers are increasingly tapping on the expertise of interior designers and architects. Building on AkzoNobel’s 70-year legacy of quality and innovation, Dulux Maestro goes beyond just a product offering. It’s our commitment to empowering design professionals to reimagine spaces for the rising, design-conscious Naya Bharat, both in and beyond the metros.”

Thoughtfully crafted with needs of architects and interior designers at its core, the Dulux Maestro program integrates the best of end-to-end business support with Dulux’s global insights into colour, visualization, and personalization. From site inspections, on-site sampling, expert colour consultancy to advanced digital visualization with Dulux Colour Plug-in with over 2,000 shades, from technical trainings and on-demand previews to access to Dulux accredited top-tier contractors and quotation tools —the program is designed to empower professionals at every stage.

Dulux Maestro program also unlocks exclusive member benefits. These include early access to innovations, professional collaborations, insights into colour, trends forecasting workshops, and exclusive rewards — backed by Dulux’s trusted portfolio of premium decorative paints and the dedicated support team.

With over 2000 architects and interior designers already onboarded, Dulux Maestro program is live in 16 key cities across 5 states and 1 Union Territory in Phase-I. These include Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad in Maharashtra; Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Rajkot and Bhavnagar in Gujarat; Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and Burdwan in West Bengal; Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh; Raipur in Chhattisgarh; Ghaziabad and Noida in Uttar Pradesh; and Goa.

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Project Revive was piloted by AkzoNobel in Manipur in December 2021 in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare (Government of Manipur) and its NGO partner Makers Foundation. Here, identified vulnerable youth in 21 Drug Rehabilitation Centers (DRCs) across five districts of Manipur participated in AkzoNobel’s vocational skill training course in decorative painting. On successful completion of the course, trainees were also provided employment opportunities as professional painters. Minimising the risk of relapse, the social model also ensured active engagement with the trainees for the next 90 days.

Encouraged by the success of Project Revive in Manipur, the initiative has since then expanded to Assam in 2023 (seven DRCs in four districts) and Arunachal Pradesh in 2024 (six DRCs in two districts), directly benefitting 840 drug rehabilitated youth in the three states.

Rohit Totla, Executive Director of AkzoNobel India, shares how the power of paint is transforming lives and communities, “By empowering drug-rehabilitated youth in the North-East with livelihood oriented skills, Project Revive is helping these vulnerable youth unlock a meaningful life with new possibilities and confidence. Every second trainee now flourishing as an independent professional painter. Most importantly, their journey from substance abuse to becoming dignified, financially empowered professionals is also inspiring others in their community to break the vicious cycle of dependency.”

Vijay*, a 25-year-old from Assam, battled substance abuse for a decade. Coming from an underserved family with three sisters, an elder brother, and a mother, Vijay returned to a rehabilitation center for the third time in 2024. But this time, he was determined to take control of his life. After overcoming addiction, he enrolled in AkzoNobel’s decorative paint course, learning the craft of professional painting. Today, Vijay is a skilled painter and employed at the center, a testament to his transformation.

For individuals like Devajit* from Assam and Thoiba* from Manipur, Project Revive has been the path to independence and sobriety. Their remarkable progress is evident—once trainees, both are now salaried trainers at their rehabilitation centers. By instilling confidence in fellow drug-rehabilitated youth, they are helping others believe they too can “paint” a brighter future, giving back to their communities.

Making the three-year milestone of Project Revive even more meaningful is the recent honor at the 2nd North East CSR Award 2024, held at TISS, Guwahati. AkzoNobel India received a Special Mention for ‘Project Revive: Skill Building in Decorative Painting for Substance Users in the North East Region,’ recognizing the initiative’s notable efforts in driving sustainable development in the North East.

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Mr. Rahul Jain, ADC of Kaza and Chief Guest of the event, inaugurated the program by lighting a lamp in front of the statue of Lord Buddha. The event was further attended by lamas from Komic and Langza monasteries, along with over 100 residents of Komic, Hikkim, and Langza villages.

The unique “Let’s Colour” project was staged in Komic (the world’s highest village reachable by a motorable road); Hikkim (home to the world’s highest post office); and Langza (where marine fossils older than the Himalayas have been found).

Situated more than 15,000 feet above sea level (around the same height as the base of Mount Everest), the villagers – who are mostly Tibetan Buddhists – endure winter temperatures that regularly dip below -25°C, necessitating the hassle of annual repainting. This now stands changed as 20 painters used more than 10,500 liters of the company’s Dulux Weathershield range of exterior emulsions and enamels to ensure longer lasting all-weather protection for the tribal communities.

“This is more than a ‘Let’s Colour’ project, it symbolizes AkzoNobel’s commitment to paint the future for communities anywhere in the world. Paint really has more power than we think. While creating inspired living space for the residents today, it’s going beyond to provide enduring protection against extreme Himalayan winters and preserve the region’s centuries old Buddhist spiritual and cultural tapestry,” said Rajiv Rajgopal, Chairman and Managing Director of Akzo Nobel India Limited.

The transformation of the three villages located in the Spiti Valley – a high-altitude cold desert region of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh – happened over the course of four months. The revitalization that covered a significant 300,000 sq. feet area included more than 100 homes, three schools, three monasteries, 8 cafés and 12 homestays.

The transformation also revived a number of buildings integral to the cultural identity of the region, such as the 14th-century Tangyud monastery (one of the oldest in the world) and the Komic museum.

Collaborating with the villagers to, AkzoNobel team chose a palette of soulful hues steeped in Buddhist traditions – blues for universal compassion, whites symbolizing purity and reds for blessings.

The project’s impact extends well beyond aesthetics. A local artist also painted a series of purposeful murals designed to help boost tourism by creating a more vibrant and inviting environment. The young Buddhist monk with a prayer wheel in residence and a meditating Buddha paint a picture of tranquillity at the monastery. Art interventions on the region’s vulnerable snow-leopards, Himalayan ibexes, and yaks spread awareness of native species. The stargazing mural encourages tourists to marvel at the rare sight of Milky Way galaxy.

“We’re extremely proud to harness the transformative power of paint to uplift communities and inspire positive change,” adds Rajgopal. “Whether it involves rejuvenating the timeless Blue City appeal of Jodhpur and keeping homes cooler in the blistering heat, or safeguarding villages on top of the world from extreme sub-zero winters.”

AkzoNobel’s global “Let’s Colour” initiative was launched in 2009. To date, over 100 million people  across 46 countries have benefitted from 3,000 projects, using in excess of two million liters of paint.

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Dulux Velvet Touch Eterna takes Dulux Velvet Touch’s unparalleled legacy of innovation and superior quality to the next level. Introduced for the first time in Indian interior emulsions, the advanced PU reinforced acrylic makes paint significantly more durable and dust-resistant, ensuring that walls stay impeccably pristine and timelessly elegant.

This innovation also delivers on consumers superior colour performance expectation from luxury paint. As the first Dulux paint offering in India to come powered by the TruColour+ technology with antioxidants, Dulux Velvet Touch Eterna envelopes living spaces with rich and intense colours that stay fresher for longer. Unpleasant odour during paint application too is a thing of the past as the added tea tree oil results in a refreshing aroma.

Rohit Totla, Executive Director – Decorative Paints,  AkzoNobel India said, “As one of the Most Trusted Brands of India, Dulux is yet again pushing the boundaries of innovation and superior quality of its flagship brand Dulux Velvet Touch. Leveraging our global expertise, we have combined the best of timeless aesthetics with technology-driven performance to ensure that each brushstroke mirrors the eternal elegance and refinement that the most discerning Dulux paint consumers aspire to achieve.” 

Knowing that timeless spaces deserve an equally timeless touch, Dulux’s colour experts have curated the exclusive ‘Eternals’ collection for Dulux Velvet Touch Eterna with 10 themes such as Eternal Love, Eternal Fire and Eternal Cosmos. Whether used on their own or paired with complimenting palettes, (deep tones for impact, mid tones for a softer look, pale tones for a gentle lift to the walls or selected whites that bring tranquillity), the Eterna collection helps consumers to effortlessly transform their home interiors inspired by the hues of timelessness and exclusivity.

“At Dulux, we never compromise on quality and know that families want to enjoy a worry-free paint experience. That’s why we are backing the unmatched quality of Dulux Velvet Touch Eterna system (topcoat and base coat) with a 10-year performance warranty* under our Dulux Assurance^TM warranty program,” added Rohit.

Launched in select markets across India, the availability of Dulux Velvet Touch Eterna will be expanded to all major cities in the following months.

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