As noted in Mud, Mirror and Thread by Mapin Publishing, traditionally a plethora of application techniques were used to decorate walls. Colours were dabbed, freely sprayed or directly applied by hand to obtain interesting textures and patterns. This practice is translated into the urban context in an interesting way. Paint companies now offer a variety of ‘special effects’ for surfaces - a range of textures derived from the older, simpler methods. For instance: Royale Play, launched by Asian Paints in 2004, offers dabbled, sponged and combed walls amongst other alternatives - all prepared through the use of simple spatulas, cloth and brushes.

The palette of textures is truly widened by options that replicate material. Technology facilitates the manufacture of ‘sheets’ of stone, stucco, and concrete that can be pasted onto surfaces, lending walls a naturalistic finish with great ease - a bargain well suited to time-strapped city dwellers.