Color drenching: How to do this bold paint trend right | Home & Garden

Like many do-it-yourself home projects, Alex Preston’s quest to transform her kitchen began on Pinterest.

The room located at the back of her 1920s home in downtown Lancaster was small and cramped — Preston wanted a project that would bring more life into the space.

On Pinterest, photos of immersive, monochromatic rooms caught her eye. The rooms were “color drenched,” an interior design style where all of a room’s architectural features — baseboards and built-ins, doors and ceilings — are painted the same color. The trend has been particularly popular since 2024, with over 5,000 posts on Instagram featuring the hashtag #colordrenching.

So, Preston drenched her kitchen in deep forest-green paint.

“It made it really dramatic and moody,” Preston says. “The light hits it really well in the evenings and it’s just like this golden light in this dark, moody room, and because it’s such a dark color, the ceiling almost feels like it’s not there. Like it’s a void.”

Since then, Preston has also color drenched her bathroom in light pink and envisions more color drenched rooms in her home’s future. To some, though, the ambitious style can seem like a demanding process with overwhelming results.

So, what’s the trick to making color drenching a success? If you’re looking for a project to spice up your home’s interior, here’s what you need to know about color drenching before picking up the paintbrush.

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What paint color should I choose?

Upon starting her color drenching project, Preston was torn between two colors: a brighter green and a darker, forest green. Ultimately she opted for the latter, a shade which gave her kitchen a moody yet classy energy — exactly what she was aiming for.

Jim Doran, owner of Phillips Paint and Decorating Center in Lancaster, says homeowners should start by considering the feeling they want their drenched room to evoke. If you’re looking to turn your bedroom into a tranquil space to unwind, for example, an energizing red is not ideal — instead, a gray or cool-toned hue may work better.

In general, Doran suggests avoiding bright colors and opting for cooler or darker tones, especially in shades of blue or green.

Neutrals are also a good option. Shades of white, brown or gray are more likely to coordinate with your preexisting decor, making for a smoother transition into a color drenched space.

If you’re feeling indecisive, Preston recommends creating mockups to better visualize your options. Use a photo editing tool on applications such as Photoshop or Canva to digitally change the paint color in a photo of your room, or try out Valspar’s digital Paint Color Visualizer at valspar.com/en/colors/color-visualizer.

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What about the size of my room?

Colors are powerful — not only can they cultivate a specific mood, but in some cases, they can affect how big a room feels, too.

According to color theory, colors can be “advancing” or “receding.” Warm hues, such as reds, oranges and yellows, are considered “advancing” colors, meaning they often appear closer to you. Cooler hues, such as greens, blues and purples, are considered “receding” colors and can appear farther away from you.

Doran says this science can be used to an advantage, no matter the size of your room. Low ceilings? Try out a receding color. Aiming for your room to feel cozy and intimate? Perhaps choose an advancing color.

Sure enough, after finishing her project, Preston felt as though the new, “receding” color made her small kitchen feel more spacious than before.

When it comes to the true size of your room, Doran says color drenching is not necessarily more suited for small or large rooms. If you’re new to the style, though, starting with a smaller space may be less intimidating and make for an easier transition.

If your house features open-concept living, however, consider steering clear of this trend. Without well-established rooms, transitions between paint colors and design choices of the living, dining and kitchen areas may end up looking awkward and confused.

What type of paint should I use?

Achieving the full color drenching effect in a room often requires painting more than just drywall — depending on the house, painting metal radiators, wooden doors or even popcorn ceilings may be necessary.

“I would be mindful of the fact that your different surfaces may require different products,” Doran says. “And you can get a lot of different products in the same color.”

Some surfaces have different needs; first off, keep in mind that for paint to have longevity, it needs texture to latch on to — otherwise it will peel off later on. Hard, smooth surfaces, such as a polyurethane finish, should be sanded down or receive a paint primer first to avoid this.

If you’re planning to paint radiators or other heat-conductive surfaces, seek out a heat-resistant paint in your desired color to avoid chipping paint, too. If these surfaces have any rusty regions, consider using a rust-inhibited primer to further protect your work.

One rule goes for all surfaces, though: Remember to give them a good dusting before painting to ensure a clean surface.

And, when in doubt, ask staff at your local paint store for advice on what products are best for your project’s needs.

How can I make my color-drenched room cohesive?

A benefit of color drenching is that it can help enhance a room’s aesthetic by tying other similarly themed elements together. But for that magic to happen, there has to be decor items that coincide to begin with.

When considering this factor, refrain from completely reimagining your room’s furniture and wall hangings — little changes can go a long way.

Since color drenching, Preston has completed various smaller projects to wrap her kitchen up in a mid-century modern blanket: She applied peel-and-stick tiles to her floor to achieve a black-and-white checkerboard look. She replaced her original hardware with gold versions. Before color drenching, she re-did her backsplash and one day, she’s hoping to paint a celestial design in gold on her green ceiling.

When identifying decor opportunities to enhance your room’s energy, remember that you are not bound to just one color. Neutrals and lighter or darker shades of the wall’s color are ideal. Or, if you’re seeking something even more bold, use complementary colors to your advantage. Colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel — such as blue and orange — have high contrast, yet benefit one other by making the other look more vibrant.

What other projects could I do?

You’ve seen the pictures on Instagram. You’ve nearly finished reading this guide. You want to experiment with your home’s interior, but you’re not ready to take the leap and color drench. Are there other ways to bring color and energy into your home’s walls?

Accent walls — a single wall painted a different color from the rest in a room — are popular among Doran’s Lancaster County customers. A pop of plum or seafoam on one wall, for example, while the other walls remain beige or gray, easily adds whimsy to a room and ties similarly-colored decor together.

Plus, Doran considers accent walls as the “more doable and undoable” alternative to color drenching — re-painting just one wall is far less work than a whole room if you change your mind down the road.

New to the trend world as of this year, “color capping” also offers a fresh yet color-driven alternative. This style resembles a gradient, using two different shades of the same hue — for example, beige and chocolate brown. The lighter color is painted on most of the wall, while the darker color “caps” it off with a small rim around the top of the walls, and is also painted on the ceiling.

That said, Preston says color drenching is an accessible project for homeowners of all DIY skill levels. Painting her kitchen cost Preston between $50-$80 for paint, rollers and paint brushes, and took her around three days to complete.

“I think if you’re thinking about doing something kind of bold and fun, I say go for it,” Preston says. “What’s the worst that can happen?