THE ART OF COLOUR DRENCHING WITH PLANT-BASED PAINTS
If you want to make a visual impact, to create a strong interior design statement then colour drenching may be the style for you. It can have a transformative effect, reducing the visual noise in a room, and making small spaces appear bigger. Colour drenching involves fully committing to a paint colour and applying it all over your entire room - from top to bottom; ceilings, woodwork, skirting boards and even radiators and furniture too. It provides a powerful monochromatic impact, evoking different moods depending on your colour choice.
Could colour drenching work for you? Here, we shall share some advice on paint, finish and inspiration to help you decide.
Walls and Ceilings in Myrtle Green™ No.168 - @the.south.wing - Laura Sawyer
ABOUT COLOUR DRENCHING
When you are selecting a single colour for your entire room, it is important that you adore that hue. Once you find your ideal shade, embrace it and drench your entire room in it. It shows confidence in your colour scheme and interior styling.
Embraced by interior designers and homeowners alike, colour drenching is no fleeting fad.
This is a transformative design choice.
Conventionally in home decor, the woodwork, ceilings, door frames and skirting boards would be painted white or left as natural wood. This interior trend defies that convention for a bolder, all-encompassing approach to colour. It means banishing white ceilings and window frames in favour of a uniform paint colour throughout the room. It is a bold, brave design trend that creates a visual sensation.
Ceiling in Pale Lilac™ No.246, Ceiling Rose in Bespoke Colour
USING OUR PLANT-BASED PAINTS
At Mylands, we also believe great paint should not only perform beautifully, but it should also be sustainable. That belief has guided us since 1884, and it’s the driving force behind our Plant Based Multi-Surface Paint range.
These innovative formulations use natural fillers and high bio-carbon content, offering a refined alternative to traditional, petroleum-based acrylics, and are perfect for the art of colour drenching. Scrubbable, durable, and low in VOCs, these paints provide exceptional performace for your interiors.
Our Plant-Based Multi-Surface is the ideal finish for colour drenching, as it can be applied on wood surfaces as well as walls. True to its name, our Plant-Based Multi-Surface Paint is exceptionally versatile. It is suitable for interior and exterior applications and is designed for a wide range of surfaces.
Walls and Ceilings in Egerton Place™ No.297
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF COLOUR DRENCHING?
When you use one colour on the walls and a contrasting one on another wall, the ceiling or woodwork, the eye is drawn to the focal point of the join. But in a colour-drenched room, you use the same colour throughout which means you blur the boundaries and blend one into the other seamlessly.
How does that make a room feel? Using a dark colour all over a room feels cocooning and enveloping. In a living room, that creates a cosy ambience and invites you to snuggle up and get comfortable. In a bedroom, that enveloping feeling encourages you to relax and unwind. It can feel more intimate.
Another benefit of colour drenching is that it can make a small space feel more generous. Using a single colour creates the illusion of height and expands the space visually. This is advantageous for small rooms as it opens up the whole space.
There may be some less attractive features in your room - radiators, for example, are functional necessities but are not always visually appealing. By painting them in the same colour as the walls, they fade into the background more.
BE BRIGHT AND GOLD
Colour drenching does work well with a bold colour scheme. Dress your dining room in a deep red, earthy terracotta or strong teal from top to toe for an opulent, yet inviting, entertaining space. Or you could create a bright, dramatic atmosphere with a rich hue of FTT-001™ Rich Gold.
If you do not feel brave enough to envelop a primary space like your living room in a bold colour, start with a downstairs bathroom or utility room. You could transform a less prominent room with a strong or vibrant colour to add personality, interest and warmth.
Walls and Ceilings in FTT-001 ™ Rich Gold
Walls, woodwork and ceilings in Burlington Arcade™ No.216 - from The Country House Diaries
GO DARK AND GREEN
Dark blue, deep forest green and even black are popular choices for colour drenching your living space. You will transform your living room into an inviting, sophisticated snug.Using a darker shade on the walls works exceptionally well in rooms that you use most in the evenings, such as your living room or bedroom. The deep blue-green colour of Mylands Burlington Arcade™ No.216 adds opulence to this grand Georgian style bedroom, whilst keeping it intimate and comforting.
To make dark colours look even richer and more sumptuous, choose a velvety eggshell or matt finish. However, if you want to add textural interest, using gloss paint to highlight and matt finish to contrast is highly effective.
CREATE A BACKDROP
Think about which elements of your room you want to stand out. It could be your artwork, some striking furniture, exotic soft furnishings or maybe a dramatic headboard in a bedroom.
If that is the feature that you want to draw the eye towards, make sure the walls and ceilings are the backdrop rather than the talking point. A more neutral colour scheme will allow your focal point to shine.
Walls in London Plane™ No.200
LIVEN UP A DARK ROOM
A narrow hallway or a windowless bathroom or utility space can be made more interesting by colour drenching it. Your use of colour can create real impact and distract from the limited space or natural light.
Walls and ceilings in Pediment™ No.73
SOFTEN UP A SPACE
In stark contrast to dramatic dark home decor, is colour drenched walls in softer pastel shades. Warm pastel tones promote natural light and can make a room feel bigger and airier.
This is amplified by blending walls into ceilings and skirting boards by painting them all in the same pastel colour.
Pink - in all its forms - is a popular colour, adding a friendly atmosphere to any room. Here, Pediment™ No.73, blends across the room.
But there are many different shades of pastel to choose from - spanning blue to yellow, mauve to green. They add a soft freshness and lightness to a room. It is a reassuring and calming colour choice.
BLEND IN STORAGE
We all need shelving and cabinetry to house belongings, but it does not need to be a focal point. Colour drenching helps it to fade functional elements into the background and appear integrated with the wall.
It looks sleek and sophisticated. It can also help your ornaments and decorative accessories to stand out rather than the shelves that they stand upon.
BE INSPIRED BY THE COUNTRY HOUSE DIARIES
Ben and Paul of The Country House Diaries (@thecountryhousediaries on social media) chose Mylands paint to transform their Georgian property in the Cumbrian countryside. Their choice of rich colours have accentuated the incredible 19th century architecture whilst giving the house a new lease of life. They chose an array of stylish colours that exude that heritage feel such as, Egerton Place™ No.297., London Plane™ No.200, Burlington Arcade™ No 216 and Long Acre™ No.102.
Walls and ceilings in Long Acre™ No.102
The games room has been enveloped by Bond Street™ No. 219, (even the period panelling, ceiling and window frames), adding drama and sophisticated impact.
In contrast, the living area is drenched in a light, warm neutral shade, Egyptian Grey™ No.154 which creates a calming, balanced atmosphere. Its green and umber undertones make it feel more earthy and grounded.
Walls and ceilings in Bond Street™ No.219
Walls and ceilings in Egyptian Grey™ No.154
TRENDS IN COLOUR DRENCHING
DOUBLE DRENCHING: A BAD EVOLUTION IN SOPHISTICATED COLOUR DESIGN
Double Drenching is a refined, modern approach to immersive colour styling - an evolution of the classic Colour Drenching technique. Where traditional drenching envelops a space in a single, tonal hue across walls, ceilings, woodwork, and trim, Double Drenching invites a more artful dialogue between two or more harmoniously related shades.
This elevated method allows for a rich interplay of colour while maintaining a seamless, cohesive feel. By layering complementary tones across every surface, Double Drenching transforms a room into a statement of confident, curated elegance. It’s a striking way to explore unexpected pairings - whether subtle or dramatic - without sacrificing unity or sophistication.
For those ready to move beyond monochrome, Double Drenching offers a luxurious opportunity to redefine how colour lives in a space.
Beyond Matt: Add Depth Through Finish in Colour Drenched Spaces
Elevate the art of colour drenching by introducing a play of sheen. By layering the same hue in varying finishes - matt on walls, satin on woodwork, gloss on architectural accents - you create a subtle yet sophisticated contrast that brings depth, movement, and texture to a monochromatic space. This nuanced approach allows light to interact with each surface uniquely, enriching the room with quiet dimension and refined complexity. It’s a masterclass in tonal layering - elegant, immersive, and effortlessly polished.
Tonal Drenching: Creating Impact Through Subtle Tone Variation
Tonal drenching is a sophisticated take on colour immersion—layering multiple shades from the same colour family to create a richly nuanced, tonally unified space. Rather than relying on a single hue, this approach blends subtle variations in depth and warmth, allowing each surface to complement the next in a gentle, seamless gradient. The result is a space that feels both cohesive and dimensional - elegant, immersive, and effortlessly elevated.
