Colour Drenching and the Interior Landscape of 2026
Interior design in 2026 continues to move towards homes that feel calm, grounded and emotionally connected.
I feel there is a continuing desire for interiors to support everyday living while remaining sophistically well designed and enduring. One approach that responds beautifully to this shift is colour drenching, a technique that allows colour, light and architecture to work together in a more considered way.
Rather than relying on contrast or decorative interruption, colour drenching creates a sense of quiet cohesion. I am enthusiastic about it, actually I love it, as it allows spaces to breathe and gives interiors a feeling of completeness and finishes do not compete for attention.
At my studio, Creighton Designs, I see colour drenching not as a passing trend, but as a design tool one that can be shaped and adapted to suit each home individually. When used thoughtfully, it creates spaces that feel timeless, chic and deeply liveable.
Image Credits Farrow and Ball
What is Colour Drenching
Colour drenching involves using one colour across walls, ceilings and woodwork, allowing the room to be visually wrapped in a single tone. By removing sharp contrasts, the eye moves more gently through the space, and architectural proportions become softer and more refined. Specialist emulsions can be used throughout like Farrow and Ball Dead Flat emulsion on woodwork, walls and ceilings and even radiators, of course prepare the surface with the correct primer. I prefer to use a low sheen eggshell such as Farrow and Ball Estate Eggshell or Little Greene Intelligent Eggshell so you can subtly delineate between the walls, architraves, doors and woodwork.
This approach works equally well in contemporary homes and period properties. In character homes, it can enhance original features, while in modern spaces it brings warmth and depth without clutter. This stunning image from @thecountryhousediaries depicts it beautifully, it is simply stunning.
Image Credits Country House Diaries
Why Colour Drenching Works
In open plan living spaces, where one flows through to the next kitchen, dining and living areas, colour drenching removes visual breaks and allows the space to read as one generous volume. This is particularly effective where natural light changes throughout the day, as the colour responds subtly rather than competing with it. In hallways, stairs and landings which can be areas often overlooked colour drenching brings clarity and calm.
I also love it in quirky cloakrooms and studies, I notice that where multiple sightlines intersect, carrying one tone throughout ensures the flow or transition between spaces feels more intentional and effortless. This is especially welcoming in north facing entrances, where softer continuity is key.
The Emotional Effect of Colour
As we know and experience daily, colour has a powerful impact on how we experience our surroundings. When applied across an entire room, its emotional qualities become immersive rather than decorative. You will see an example from my lovely client’s beautiful drawing room drenched in gorgeous Little Green Sage where you feel mother nature has wrapped her arms around you! The colour and effect of the drenching beautifully set off the client’s artwork, the brief, and highlighted the elegant architectural features, demonstrating how a carefully chosen tone can elevate both the space and its details.
I do feel that colour drenching works so beautifully in children’s rooms, creating spaces that feel cocooning and secure while still allowing furniture, artwork and young personalities to shine through and evolve over time.
Image Credits Creighton Designs
Design Thinking for 2026
Across the UK and Europe, interior design thinking is shifting towards longevity, material honesty and emotional comfort. Trends for me offer guidance, I just don’t believe in following trends for the sake of it. I would rather take inspiration from them and interpret ideas in a way that feels appropriate to the home, to the light and to the people who live there.
Colour drenching supports this philosophy perfectly. It is flexible, enduring and quietly confident, a way of designing that allows a home to evolve naturally rather than feeling fixed to a particular moment in time.
Colour Drenching in Practice
In one of my current projects, colour drenching is being used as a unifying thread throughout an open plan kitchen, dining and living space, as well as the hall, stairs and landing.
Rather than defining these areas through contrast, a softly considered colour has been carried across walls, ceilings and woodwork. This allows the architecture to breathe, enhances the sense of space and provides an elegant backdrop for furniture, texture and artwork and in this instance the staircase.
As daylight shifts, the colour subtly changes feeling crisp and fresh in the morning and warmer and more enveloping in the evening. The result is an interior that feels calm, resolved and welcoming at all times of day. Any doubts of a sense of sameness will not happen as you have the magic of light which changes the hue from the walls to the ceiling and woodwork.
Paint Philosophy
I so enjoy working with both Farrow & Ball and Little Greene paints and others. These brands offer colours with depth, complexity and sensitivity to light qualities that are essential when using colour drenching successfully. The pigments beautifully create that depth and interest.
What matters most to me is not the label, but how a colour behaves within a space and how it shifts throughout the day, how it sits alongside materials, and how it makes a room feel to live in.
To Leave You with my Final Thoughts
Colour drenching is a confident yet understated approach to interior design. It creates homes that feel calm, cohesive and enduring developing spaces that support daily life while remaining beautifully considered.
As we move further into 2026, it remains one of the simplest yet sophisticated ways to design homes that are both beautiful and deeply liveable supporting the character of a property while allowing it to evolve naturally over time.
Susie
We would love to hear from you!
Here at Creighton Designs, the choice of how we work together is entirely yours.
Let’s collaborate to transform your space into the home you have always imagined.
Based in Tunbridge Wells and working across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and London.
Email us at susie@creightondesigns.com