Colours play a major part in contemporary design for residences and commercial outlets, and this is where Jotun scores, with its Multicolor centres, according to the spokesman. Jotun introduced its first Multicolor Center to Kuwait in 1994 and today there are 12 such centres, located at A2Z, Wameedh, Al-Jazairy, Ayed M Al-Shalahi, ACE Hardware, Boushahri, Jawala Establishment, Norway Paints, Al-Dahaby, Al-Matheel Establishment, International Insulation and Al-Mazkoury.

The Multicolor Center is Jotun's one-stop paint selection shop. It includes a state-of-the-art computerised system with a Colorbar, Color Reader and Color Advisor. The Colorbar has samples of more than 800 contemporary colours, from new neutrals and pastels to bold and bright colours, and is backed by more than 16,000 colours in a computer database. The Color Reader is capable of digitally scanning and replicating any colour from a piece of fabric, upholstery or out of a magazine while the Colour Advisor provides an on-screen display of how a home will look with different colour combinations, giving users an opportunity to see their choice before starting to paint.

Jotun also conducts periodic 'paint school' seminars in Kuwait. "Its first paint school, held in 1998, attracted 20 consultants, engineers and contractors, who were briefed on surface preparation, application methods and paint technology," the spokeswoman says. "And since then, Jotun has held several other seminars which have been well-received by decoration teachers,architects and consultants."