Color Drenching 101: How to Pair Bold Paint Colors with the Perfect Home Decor

Are you longing for a room with a bold personality? Pick a color you love and use it everywhere.

Color drenching uses a single paint color throughout a room to create a statement.

To color drench a room, paint the walls, trim, doors and even the ceiling a single color. Alternatively, use similar shades within the same color family to create subtle contrast.

Typically, the paint color is chosen for dramatic effect. That means going beyond all-white or neutral shades. Be brazen with color. The bolder the better! 

Search “color drenching” online and you’ll understand why the trend is so striking. You can browse countless photos of rooms where walls, skirting and wainscoting are all painted the same color. Whether it’s a large living room or a diminutive bathroom, a room saturated with color is undoubtedly eye-catching.

Using rich paint shades infuses a color drenched room with drama and energy. It can appear moody or cozy or glamorous. Alternatively, soft tones achieve a calm, serene atmosphere.

A color drenched room also has a practical appeal, since a monochromatic color scheme can unify a space. Painting a room all the same shade de-emphasizes corners, eliminates strong contrasts and harsh lines. It can create intimacy in a large room and make bulky or less attractive features, like radiators, visually fade into the background.

The color drenching trend follows many years of farmhouse black and white, modern gray and curated neutrals in home decor. 

Monochromatic interior design may seem a bit much, but that’s the idea.

It’s a classic, anti-neutral and anti-minimalist approach to decorating that has designers embracing color again.

Color drenching can achieve monochromatic magic. However, decorators warn that it can also fail spectacularly. In order to get it right, professionals share these tips:

• When color drenching a room, picking the right paint color is essential. Make sure you love the shade, but also consider the room’s lighting and function.

• Start with a large paint sample to test how the color looks on different surfaces, in different light situations, at different times.

• What effect do you want to achieve? The wrong tone or poor lighting may bypass drama and instead create an atmosphere that’s gloomy or oppressive.

• Also consider the room’s scale. Rich shades draw a room in, but the same bold color could make a small powder room feel cramped and claustrophobic.

• Consider varying your finishes for additional interest — matte for the walls, and a satin finish for woodwork, for example. Glossy paint on the ceiling provides dramatic plays of light, especially with dark colors.

• Color drenching is particularly effective using rich, bold colors, and in rooms with rich architectural detail, such as built-in shelving, an interestingly angled or coffered ceiling, beadboard paneling, picture frame molding or wainscoting.

• It is not recommended for open floor plans where one room flows into the next.

• Add texture - limewashing, plastering, shiplap paneling, etc. – for additional interest.

A dramatic paint scheme calls for dramatic decorating choices. Plan your furnishings and artwork as carefully as you selected your color. This is especially important if you want major decor pieces to closely match your paint color.

Imagine your frustration if you commit to a monochromatic color scheme and then aren’t able to find accessories that complement it. Choosing your color and decor together is the secret to pulling together a cohesive look.

There are two ways to play up that beautiful color with your decor: Match the shade or choose something with eye-catching contrast. For instance, you could furnish a deep navy room with a sofa in navy velvet and navy ceramic table lamp. On the other hand, in the same navy color drenched room, an emerald green couch, gold velvet throw pillow or brass pendant light would be visually arresting.

Here are some additional suggestions from professional decorators:

• Shop for decor while you shop for your paint, so you know that the accessories and color are compatible.

• Add visual interest by carefully curating wall art and the decor you place on mantels, tables and shelves. Consider textures and sheens that add interest, such as velvets, satins and wood grains.

• Choose furniture, rugs and curtains that stand out against the background. Mix in bold shapes and cohesive pops of color.

• Pay careful attention to lighting - natural light, ambient and accent lights. Consider sheer drapes or leave windows uncovered.

• Metallic accents add a touch of glamour.

• Introduce plants and greenery. Natural elements bring life and contrast to your bold color scheme. Even artificial plants can provide an effective counterpoint, especially when paired with deep green shades.

Admittedly, color drenching is not for everyone. Fans of the trend are happy to transform their drab gray and bland white spaces with rich and saturated tones. However it requires a smidgen of moxie – not to mention a color you absolutely adore.

Even so, as decorators frequently point out, paint is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to update a room – and one of the simplest things to change if you don’t like the result.

Color drenching is a paint technique that not only opens up a world of color for your rooms, but new possibilities for your home furnishings and decor, too.

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