What Is Colour Drenching and How Do Curtains Fit In?
With Lauren Egan
Colour drenching is one of those interior trends that sounds intimidating until someone explains it properly. Melbourne-based interior decorator and colour expert Lauren Egan does exactly that, and makes a strong case for why your curtains and blinds are more central to the look than most people realise.
What Colour Drenching Actually Means
"Colour drenching is when you apply the same colour on the ceiling and the walls and the trims and maybe even in the finishings like carpet, and you get a real sense of colour and envelopment in the space."
It's a committed approach, but not as overwhelming as it sounds. The key is choosing the right room and the right tone, and layering in fabric to stop the look from feeling flat or heavy.
Not Every Room Is Right for It
Before committing to a full colour drench, Lauren says it's worth considering how the room actually gets used day-to-day.
"To stop a colour drench feeling heavy, you've got to think about what kind of space it is and how it's used."
A room that needs to feel light and energising calls for a different approach than one designed for winding down. The tone of the colour and the way natural light moves through the space both play a big role in whether a drench feels cosy or claustrophobic.
Why Curtains Are Essential in a Colour-Drenched Room
This is where window furnishings become more than a finishing touch.
"Bringing curtains and fabric into a space, especially when it's colour-drenched, really helps to add a textural layer to that kind of deep colour moment, and it's a really important element in a room."
Without that textural layer, a colour drench can look one-dimensional. Curtains introduce movement, softness and depth that paint alone can't achieve. Sheer or lightly textured fabrics can lift a deeper tone and keep the room feeling breathable. Heavier fabrics, like a dimout, lean into the warmth and envelopment that make colour drenching so appealing in the first place.
How to Choose the Right Curtain Fabric
Lauren's method for narrowing down fabric choices is practical and visual rather than theoretical.
"When I'm choosing a curtain fabric to complement the materials in a space, I'll often pop the sample right up close to the materials and step back."
Rather than searching for a perfect answer immediately, she narrows the field first.
"I will choose from three more neutral colours and then take away the ones that I don't like as much. And then even if I'm left with two options, that's a really great starting point."
It's a useful reminder that choosing window furnishings is an editing process, not a single decision. Ordering samples and viewing them in the room, against your actual floors, walls and finishes, is far more reliable than choosing from a screen.
Don't Forget the Ceiling
Ceilings have more influence on how a colour drench feels than most people expect.
"To choose the colour for a ceiling, it's really important to consider the materials in the space and what colours the walls are in the various rooms, and making sure it's a cohesive kind of feeling through the space."
Curtains that run from ceiling to floor reinforce that sense of cohesion, drawing the eye upward and making the whole room feel intentional rather than painted by accident.
Layer in Order, Not All at Once
Lauren's final piece of advice is about sequence and patience.
"Once I've selected all of the hard materials, then I'm starting to pull together a palette of colours, and don't get too hung up over whether or not you've chosen the perfect colour halfway through."
Paint and fabric come last, which means your curtains and blinds are one of the final decisions you make and one of the most powerful. Getting them right pulls everything together.
"A small change for a big impact is to introduce some fabrics into the space."
If a full colour drench feels like too big a commitment right now, starting with new curtains or blinds in a richer, more considered tone is a lower-risk way to move in that direction.
Order free samples from DIYblinds™ and see how our new season colours and fabrics work in your space before you commit.