Light or medium tones create a feeling of open space. Boundaries between walls, ceiling and skirting boards disappear, making the room appear larger. Perfect for corridors or small rooms that could do with a little lightness.
Okay, tone on tone — doesn't sound entirely new. But that's not necessarily the point: What we love a lot is to create a deep sense of calm in interiors using softly tinted shades of one colour family. So: is this just old wine in new bottles? Or something else?
Find out how the trend really works and what we think of it here.
Colour drenching is a new interior trend capable of completely transforming rooms — with just one colour! From the floorboards to the ceiling: everything is painted in one colour, thus creating an impressive visual unity.
The result? More space, fewer visual distractions and a calm, balanced atmosphere. Choosing the perfect colours makes this look easy to achieve.
The right choice of colour
A tricky decision: If you want to work with just one colour, you better think twice. The impact of colours.
Bright & breezy
A sense of space
Dark & dramatic
In search of comfort and security
Rich colours such as deep blue or dark green create a dramatic effect.
They evoke a warm and inviting ambience. Which is what designers want to achieve very often, especially in living rooms and bedrooms. The trick is to use matt finishes to add depth and give the room a luxurious yet cosy atmosphere.
Calm & focussed
Reduce to the Max
Colour drenching is great for rooms where a calm atmosphere enhances focussed concentration, such as home offices or children's rooms. By using a single colour, visual tranquillity lets distractions disappear.
A homogeneous colour scheme supports a relaxed, harmonious atmosphere.
How to use colour drenching
Often, designers walks a fine line. After all, you can tell: is it all pure chance, or has someone really put a lot of thought into a concept?
Architectural elements
and seamless design
Instead of highlighting or hiding architectural elements such as doors, window frames or radiators, integrate them into the overall ambience.
Use the same colour as for the walls to create a seamless look, making the room appear as a unit and visually larger at the same time.
Use multiple finishes
Matt, shiny, textured
Various materials — wood, metal, plaster — in similar colour tones provide depth and vitality.
As a result, the Colour Drenching technique gains flexibility and becomes suitable for different styles and architectural concepts.
Colourful accents
in small rooms
Colour drenching is particularly suitable for small rooms. A single shade of colour distracts the eye from the limited space and lifts the room. Even a small bathroom can become an eye-catcher with coloured plaster or tone-on-tone tiling.
Examples and inspiration
Basically, all rooms in a house do well with colour drenching. Some more and some less. What we recommend you to do.
Living rooms
& colourful design
Colour drenching is perfect for creating a pleasant atmosphere in your living room.
Soft pastel shades make for a cosy atmosphere, while deep colours such as forest green or navy blue create a luxurious look. Walls, ceilings, doors and even furniture in one and the same colour - this results in a coherent look.
Bedrooms
and atmosphere
Colour drenching creates a calm, relaxed ambience in bedrooms.
Dark colours like Bordeaux red or pine green create a cosy atmosphere, while pale tones like misty grey or soft blue provide a sense of tranquillity. The bed frame or wardrobe doors can also be part of the colour scheme.
Kitchen & Bathroom
You wouldn't dare to do that anyway ...
Colour drenching in kitchens and bathrooms creates visual harmony, as in all other rooms.
When cabinets, walls, and ceiling are painted in the same colour, you create a seamless and smooth look. Strong tones such as mustard yellow or deep blue are possible, but neutral colours such as cream or greige also work perfectly well. The bold can go for colours like pink, red, or yellow. In the bathroom, all of this is applied to tiles.
PRACTICAL TIPS
On how to use Colour Drenching
Good to know
- Consider the lighting in the room: The choice of colour should correspond to the available light. Dark colours enhance the cosiness in rooms with little light, while light colours reflect the light and make the room appear larger.
- Use bold colours: Strong colours such as mustard yellow, emerald green or royal blue look particularly impressive when colour drenching.
- Work with different surfaces: Subtle contrasts are created by experimenting with different surfaces — matt and shiny materials create layers of depth.
- Integrate architectural details: Radiators, skirtings and doors ought to be part of the colour concept in order to intensify the cocooning effect.