Why India needs walls that breathe

As architect Navnath Kanade once remarked, “Rich man’s plaster is so shiny the house tells you: touch me not.”

That line captures both the problem and the opportunity.

Imagine walls in exposed laterite, brick with lime plaster, or compressed earth—the kinds of surfaces that architects like Anupama Kundoo and Chitra Vishwanath have shown can be contemporary, durable, and humane. Each imperfection is a fingerprint, each stain a trace of life. What if we let walls speak instead of hide, and allow finishes that age rather than expire?
 

What “Aging Gracefully” Really Means

Most claddings and veneers don’t last long. They chip, peel, warp, or fall out of trend, leaving behind walls that demand costly replacement. These short lifespans make renovation cycles faster and waste streams heavier.

Contrast this with how we value objects that grow richer with time. A piece of solid wood furniture that softens with polish, marble that gathers a soft sheen with use, stone steps smoothed by decades of feet, or an old silk saree whose faded luster only increases its charm. Even metals like gold and silver gain a desirable depth with oxidation—an antique finish that collectors prize.

This is the difference between deterioration and patina. One signals failure, the other signals endurance.

Surface Culture in India: From Tactility to Veneer

India’s aesthetic grammar has always leaned toward texture and tactility. From hand-trowelled lime walls to carved stone, from the rough unevenness of terracotta to the layered weaves of textiles, friction and material honesty have been central. Smooth, mirror-like surfaces were not the default; touch and variation were.

This began to shift with globalisation. Liberalisation in the 1990s brought new materials, new markets, and with them new aspirations. Plastic derivatives—acrylic, acetate, laminates, PVC—became popular because they were inexpensive, easily available, and offered instant transformation.

Suddenly, interiors gleamed. Laminates covered wood, acrylic claddings offered a bright gloss, and synthetic tiles replaced stone. These surfaces felt new, modern, and global. For the first time, a polished finish was affordable on a mass scale.

A Cultural Timeline of Surfaces

• 1990s: Economic liberalisation opened India to global goods. Glossy laminates, acrylics, and synthetics flooded the market, signalling aspiration and progress.
  
  
• 2000s: Gloss became shorthand for success. Vitrified tiles, lacquer finishes, and marble slabs were marketed as premium materials, often with little regard for climate or craft.
  
  
• 2010s onward: Social media transformed interiors into a visual economy. Instagram and Pinterest favoured glossy, photogenic surfaces. Tools like Canva made design aesthetics widely accessible. The idea of “a look” began to matter as much as, if not more than, scale, proportion, or long-term function.

Three dynamics shaped this era:

1. More materials, faster. Ready-made laminates, engineered stones, printed tiles, and modular fittings multiplied choice.
   
   
2. Optics over performance. Curated feeds rewarded repeatable, photographable templates, flattening regional differences into globalised “looks.”
   
   
3. A market of speed. Quick-turn carpenters, modular suppliers, and packaged interiors promised rapid transformations—appearance taking precedence over longevity.

• Design for patina. Marks of time on wood, plaster, or stone can be read as narratives of use. They add character instead of detracting from it.
  
  
• Value craft and process. Commissioning lime plastering, sourcing reclaimed timber responsibly, or engaging with artisan techniques builds uniqueness and embeds skill in the home.
  
  
• Allow time. Spaces can evolve. Slower change often yields more thoughtful results and avoids the fatigue of constant overhauls.