Color can set the mood of your entire home. From bright and lively to warm and comforting, the palette you choose says a lot about the sort of interiors you’re trying to create. But, just as important as the color you choose is how you use it in your home.
If you’re refreshing your interiors with a new palette and want your look to stand out, consider color drenching. Modern and bold, this design technique instantly elevates any space and brings plenty of aesthetic charm - as long as it’s executed correctly.
In this guide, we’ll explore the art of color drenching and how you can use it to transform your home.
What is Color Drenching?
Color drenching uses a single color on your walls, baseboards, and ceiling, ‘drenching’ your room in the same tone. It can also extend to your furnishings and decor, especially for items used along your walls.
Cabinets and shelves, for instance, are often painted in the same color when using the drenching technique, creating a seamless look in which they’re almost indistinguishable from your walls.
While the walls and ceilings are all one shade, it’s standard for the floor to be a different tone.
Why Use Color Drenching?
Choosing one main color for your walls, ceiling, and furniture can bring warmth to a space, creating a cocoon-like effect that wraps you up in color. It’s surprisingly soothing, reducing visual clutter for a tranquil, calm home. Even vibrant colours, like yellow and orange, bring a lot of character to a home without feeling too busy.
One of the main reasons, though, that color drenching is effective is that it so confidently sets the tone within a space. Deep blues and greens can make a room feel serene and restorative, for instance, while lighter tones open up your home for a bright, relaxed vibe. Regardless of your color choice, there’s no hesitation in the technique, leading to interiors that feel purposefully designed.
For the impact it has, color drenching is also relatively simple to achieve. A coat of paint isn’t too hard to master (even on the ceiling), but soaking your space in a single tone adds so much depth and interest that your entire home can feel transformed.
By committing to a single shade, you create a strong foundation that works as a backdrop for the rest of your interior.
Does Color Drenching Work in Small Rooms?
Color drenching is known for working well in large rooms, creating a cosier feel. It can even work in adjoining rooms to accentuate cohesion for a seamless flow from one space to another. But what about small rooms?
If you’re working with a little space, like an office or guest bedroom, you’ll be happy to know that color drenching can be an interior design asset. It opens up smaller spaces, with fewer sharp lines (such as between your wall and ceiling colour), making the room feel less boxed in.
By wrapping the entire interior in one hue, the eye doesn’t easily distinguish between individual sections, making small spaces feel larger than they are. It’s still cosy, though, maintaining the charm of little rooms while elevating their design.
How to Master Color Drenching
If you’re won over by color drenching, we’ve put some tips together to help you master the art.
Test Your Color
Color drenching is a commitment, and once it’s done, it takes a lot of work to undo. That’s why we recommend testing your idea pretty thoroughly before getting out your paint brushes.
There are a few ways to do this. The first is by using paint samples on your walls, ceiling, and furnishings to start getting an idea of how the color works in your home. You could even paint your baseboards or a shelf to gauge how the tone shifts as the light in the room does, and how you feel about the color after a few days.
You can also create digital mockups of your space. 3D rendering, for instance, works as an interior design tool to create photorealistic digital twins of your space. Use yours to play with different colors, see how light affects tones, and work out exactly where you want your paint.
Start Layering
On its own, color drenching will look flat. The trick is to bring your new look to life by layering textures, patterns, and colors within your home.
If you’re color drenching in green, for instance, you could choose a neutral-toned sofa and accessorise with green throw pillows. The neutral sofa brings depth to the room, while the pillows pull out the tones in your walls to create cohesion. Try to incorporate varying textures and patterns, too, through handwoven throws and statement curtains. A wicker basket never goes amiss in a cosy interior, either!
Play With Tonal Variations
Color drenching doesn’t have to mean sticking to the exact same shade in your interiors. Play around with lighter and darker tones to bring more dimension and visual interest. This is especially useful in larger spaces, making it easier to create zones in big rooms.
Incorporating patterns into your color drenching can add excitement to the look, too. It creates a bolder, more playful vibe, and can help you hone in on more specific aesthetics, like bohemian or period styles. Whether using wallpaper or stencilling furniture, the secret is to keep the main color the same as the rest of your space.
Consider Different Paint Finishes
An important consideration when color drenching is your paint finish. You can choose from:
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Gloss: Reflective and eye-catching, gloss paint bounces light around the room and is perfect for highlighting architectural details like trim, doors, or shelving.
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Satin: Sitting between gloss and matte, satin offers a soft sheen that brings together the best of both worlds. It’s a versatile choice for walls and ceilings.
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Matte: This lends a smooth finish to your paint that doesn’t reflect light and is often the go-to option for walls, especially as it creates a cosier aesthetic for welcoming interiors.
Just as with tones, you can use finishes to add a little contrast to your color drenching. Pair a matte wall with gloss baseboards, for instance, or satin walls and ceilings with gloss shelving.
Final Thoughts
For an instant room refresh, color drenching is one of our favourite interior decorating strategies. Bold and full of life, it elevates spaces while lending homes an upscale aesthetic that’ll turn heads.
Looking for more home inspiration? Dive into the world of interior design on our blog.
