Color Drenching Mistakes That Make A Small Room Feel Cramped

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You've probably heard about color drenching by now. A popular painting trend that can boost the tranquility of your room, color drenching involves painting every surface in your room, including the ceiling, walls, and trim, the same unifying hue. The technique provides a modern and contemporary feeling compared to millennial gray or beige walls paired with boring white trim. A new coat of paint is one of the least expensive ways to update a space, and color drenching can be extremely cost effective in small spaces since you'll only need to buy one color in order to nail the look. But according to Erika Dale, House Digest's interior design expert, and Founder of Erika Dale Interior Design, picking the wrong shade, and not committing fully to the technique, are color drenching mistakes that can make a room feel cramped instead of cool.

"Color drenching is an amazing design technique to use for a small space because painting the walls, trim, and ceiling all the same color helps to blur the boundaries of a room, tricking the eye into reading it all as one uninterrupted surround of color," Dale told House Digest during an exclusive interview. "Without the distinct breaks that usually define the stopping points of a room, enveloping a room in a single color has the incredible ability to make a small space feel simultaneously more expansive yet endlessly cozy," she explained.

Even if your room is tiny, there are many good reasons to consider color drenching. This approach simplifies any space, and can highlight architectural detailing while creating a greater sense of depth thanks to the play of light and shadow. But according to Erika Dale, you've got to fully commit to the aesthetic. "A half-measure, such as not painting the ceiling or trim in the same shade, does not have the same immersive color-cocoon effect," she said during her exclusive interview with House Digest, before adding, "If you're going to do it, do it."

Picking the wrong color is another color drenching mistake that's easy to make. "Be careful to avoid shades that are overly saturated, as the effect could be overwhelming and overpowering," Dale recommended. "By choosing a muted shade to color drench, the result is calming and magical, even if the hue is dramatic or moody." Whether you decide to go light or dark, using a glossy or lacquer finish, and adding contrast through furnishings and accessories are among the many small-space color drenching tricks that can make any shade work. 

Since coating the ceiling and painting the trim are such critical components of the color drenching trend, make sure you have the right equipment on hand before getting started. A roller brush kit with an extension pole, like the highly rated CORAL 10 Piece Set for House & Wall Painting from Amazon, can help you get the job done without having to lug a ladder around.

According to Erika Dale, small rooms are particularly ideal for this trendy painting technique. "I have yet to meet a small space that wouldn't be a great candidate for color drenching," she told House Digest during her exclusive interview. "In fact, large, sprawling rooms and open concept spaces are less effective at making the color drenching effect come to life," she added. However, using the technique in the wrong room isn't the only color drenching mistake that designers recommend you avoid. No matter how big or small a room you're painting, think twice before painting permanent fixtures, wooden trim, or stone fireplaces the same color as the surrounding walls and ceiling.

Although dark and moody color drenched rooms may be all the rage on Instagram and TikTok, Dale recommends sticking with more subtle colors. "The beauty of color drenching with [a] muted hue is that it will never make a small space feel cramped," the interior designer explained. "In fact, removing all of the optical barriers of color changes at trim and ceiling lines help make a room feel more seamless, uniform, and free of visual clutter." This makes easily cluttered spaces like entryways, hallways, powder rooms, pantries, and small bedrooms among the best areas in your house to try the color drench trend.