How to Transform Any Space With Color Drenching

If you’ve got a space that’s ready for a refresh, we’ve got the perfect paint plan. Color drenching — when a single shade of paint envelops all of a room's built-in surfaces to create a major moment — is the design world’s new favorite way to make timeworn tableaux feel dynamic and welcoming all at once. Color drenching updates intricate, outdated trim without renovation or refinishing, creates subtle variation with changes in finish rather than color (such as satin or eggshell walls + a flat-finish or high-gloss ceiling in the same shade) and rings in at far less than new wallpaper or furniture. Consider this contemporary farmhouse sitting where the elegant navy walls and ceiling glow in sunlight from the windows and French doors, and those fixtures themselves are sleek and subdued in the same hue. Prefer a pastel? Color drenching with a lighter tone can infuse your rooms with subtle ambiance. There’s a take on this trend to complement every interior style and agenda, and we’d be delighted to prove the point with a hit parade of our favorite riffs (and liner notes on why they work so beautifully).

For a transitional version of a sitting room that’s got the (glorious) blues, consider how a much paler hue transforms everything from the bay window to the built-in bookcases and cabinets in this serene space. Color frames the delicate fabric Washington, D.C. designer Zoe Feldman chose for the Roman shades. Those same blue tones would have disappeared against white walls. Ridges in the room’s crown molding form striations of light and shadow like lace agate, and brass panels in the lower cabinets glow in their cool blue frames. Warm, earthy tones on the space’s sectional, occasional chair and area rug, in turn, balance out its blue base.

Egypt Sherrod’s winning Rock the Block home boasts a movie-night destination that’s snug as can be, thanks to color drenching in Sherwin-Williams’ dimensional Cyberspace. “[It] has a blue undertone [so] it’s not gray, which is typical and boring, and it’s not black so you don’t feel shut in; it has some color,” Egypt said. Deep blue curtains guide the eye into those undertones, and warm hardwood flooring and a caramel leather sofa create contrast. If you find yourself favoring ultra-pale textiles and finishes, a deep tone like Egypt’s will make those elements feel rich and satisfying.

Houston designer Mary Patton gave her own bath suite a blissful, botanical feel with Valspar’s Fancy Pansy, a pale purple that helps her floral brass light fixtures and cabinet hardware shine. “I always say ‘Pick a color and commit,’ so I went for it in this bathroom in my house,” she told HGTV Magazine. “The light purple is both calming and sophisticated. I paired it with blush window treatments, but it would also look great with dark purple or navy.”

This Nashville home’s traditional, formal study was pleasant enough before designer Connie Vernich arrived, but it wasn’t a showstopper. Reimagined in a shade of forest evergreen so fresh you can practically smell it, the room is now full of focal points: The emerald green latticework on the upper windows! The diamonds on the fireplace and its silhouette on the ceiling! The tufted leather ottoman that might feel forgettable in a more neutral space, in turn, is now another sophisticated dimension of the room’s primary palette, and the unassuming white armchairs that flank it are recast as statement pieces. The takeaway here? A seldom-used space with accents that aren’t (yet) popping is an ideal candidate for color drenching.

Crisp white upholstery takes an equally dramatic turn in this chic, contemporary bedroom, where velvety black paint makes the narrow space appear positively limitless (so much for the theory that dark colors make rooms look smaller!). Barely-there black hardware gives the windows the look of the large, unframed canvases on the opposite wall, and the ceiling paint’s glossy finish lets its flush-mount fixtures twinkle like stars. Keep a space like this one from feeling gloomy during the day with generous floor mirrors, a pale area rug and container plants, then congratulate yourself after dark when your bedroom becomes the ultimate urban retreat.

Across the continent in Los Angeles, designer Orlando Soria created a masculine retreat in this principal bedroom with just-perceptible variations in texture. He gave the black walls a dimensional, concrete-like finish, then transitioned to a satin finish for the black paint on the ceiling and paneling on the lower half of the room. Art perched on the nearly-invisible chair rail above the headboard is an unfussy alternative to a gallery-style arrangement. We’d say Orlando nailed his client’s request for a dark and sexy aesthetic.

Texan designer Amy Lutz chose a moody medium gray to play up this space’s spectacular geometry and marble-framed hearth. In the mostly-desaturated room, one’s eye goes directly to the fireplace’s warm glow — then follows an elegant Art Deco mirror and sconces up to the fabulous angles overhead. Paint on everything from the interior and exterior doors to the ceiling vent makes the relatively narrow space feel much more expansive.

St. Louis designer Jessie D. Miller fell hard for Sherwin-Williams’ Blue Peacock, and she knew more would be more when it came to deploying it. “When I find a rich color I love, I use it everywhere to maximize the impact, she told HGTV Magazine. “Pairing this blue-green paint with furniture in the same hue makes the room even more interesting.” She accented the opulent color with decadent metallic accessories like an oversized pendant, a gallery lamp perched above a gilt-framed painting and a pair of shapely occasional tables.

Zoe Feldman, in turn, reached for peacock blue to make this dormer sitting room feel even more intimate. In a diminutive space like this one, accessories behind the sofa could feel oppressive; by keeping the walls bare and making them the stars of the show, she maximized maneuverability without sacrificing style.

This North Carolina entryway nook could have felt like a stop-and-drop afterthought, but designer MA Allen had other ideas. “A vivid color gives this entry its own voice, making it more than just a pass-through area,” she explained. She transformed the window, walls, trim and built-in desk with Benjamin Moore’s Buckingham Gardens, a classic vernal hue that carries the sunlit foliage on the other side of the glass right on in. She chose a satin finish that has just enough sheen to pick up those golden rays of light and the durability the high-traffic pass-through surrounding it requires.

Want the immersive feel of a wood-paneled home office without the stuffy, old-school associations? Consider how Mary Patton set the mood with what she calls “dark orchid,” Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal. Its warm, red undertones are an apt background for the room’s orange velvet sofa and tiger rug, and the practically-bare-but-for-paint walls let the Roman shade’s splashy tropical fabric function as large-scale art. This space is serious fun.

This Brooklyn townhome’s entry hall gained eclectic, contemporary character when designer Crystal Sinclair reimagined it in ultra-confident blue-black. The doorway’s stained-glass panels are now an installation to match the dimensional art presiding over a midcentury bench; the panel molding, in turn, feels sleek rather than stodgy.

Austin designer Christen Ales lent seaside glamour to this vacation home's bath suite by color-drenching it with a hue that has just a hint of coastal haze (for a similar feel, try Benjamin Moore’s Santorini Blue). The color’s grey undertone complements the magnificent stone slab and tiles she chose for the countertop and floor.Iit also serves as a handsome setting for the playfully striped shower beyond the blue doorframe.

Did we mention that color drenching can also carry into freestanding furniture? Give a space like this one the cohesive feel of an installation without investing in custom cabinetry by floating shelves above a vintage piece with a less-than-desirable finish, then painting ‘til there’s nothing left to paint. As Nashville designer Theresa Butler demonstrates here, the cumulative effect is marvelous.

This handsome Austin living room is all about equilibrium. Designer Heather Scott balanced the toasty tones of clubby leather armchairs and old-school brass hardware with a deep blue backdrop that cools the room down like a lakeshore breeze. Those blue shelves are an apt extension of the visual symmetry she established with the furniture, as thoughtful arrangements of books, art and curios have plenty of room to stand out in spaces that function like shadow boxes. Choose a versatile color like this one if you fancy less-is-more styling: you see a lot of these shelves in both light and shadow, so it’s worth your while to settle on a tone that dazzles in the spotlight and the dark.

Have we mentioned that color drenching is a no-fail way to rescue ill-used woodwork? This room’s built-in cabinets and trim were stained-then-stripped wood in dire need of TLC. Houston designer Ashley Goforth came to the rescue with liberal use of Valspar’s Water Fountain, a bold blue that evokes a cloudless summer morning. With that opening statement in place, pale textiles and a white oak table-as-desk were all she needed to bring this now-creative space to life.

DIY phenom Cass Smith scooped up Farrow & Ball’s Breakfast Room Green to give her cottage-style guest bedroom a taste of summer. “What’s not to love about this midtone green? It’s fun yet cozy and looks just like the color of pistachio ice cream,” she told HGTV Magazine. The amber and pink bedding and area rug she brought in to enhance the color add up to a playfully fresh take on the classic preppy pairing of pale pink and green.

No Demo Reno’s Jenn Todryk demonstrated the power of paint in her dear friend’s once-bland bonus room, where tired florals gave the space a totally ‘80s vibe (and not in the now-trendy, Memphis design way). She removed that wilting wallpaper and turned the space into a reader’s paradise, complete with a stunning outdoor view that seems to surge inside and across every surface. The key to creating atmosphere that doesn’t tip over into gloom? Jenn chose a satin finish to reflect the windows’ ample natural light, then faced the books’ fore-edges outward and filled the room with creamy textiles that would balance the moody greens.