More homeowners are ‘color drenching’ their rooms. Here’s how three Philly-area homes have it.

When Lindsay and Matt McGowen built a pool house behind their Newtown home this past spring, they wanted it to match the style of the main house, which was built in the 1700s. Taking inspiration from similar homes from that time, they painted the first floor living area entirely in green and the upstairs art studio in white.

“When the majority of the space is all one color, it brings a peacefulness and draws attention to the people you are spending time with, the architecture, and the choices you’ve made design-wise,” said Lindsay, a painter and illustrator who features her work on Instagram.

The technique, called color drenching, is the use of a single hue throughout a space — on the walls, trim, ceiling, and even furniture or built-ins.

More homeowners are embracing the trend. U.S.-based searches for the term color drenching rose by 325% in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to the 2025 Houzz U.S. Emerging Summer Trends Report.

“It’s a fresh way to energize or modernize spaces, resulting in a bold yet cohesive look that envelops the room in color,” said Mitchell Parker, senior editor at Houzz, a home remodeling and design platform. “Without sharp visual contrasts between walls and trim, the eye flows more easily across the room, making it feel larger and more unified.”

With the help of interior designer Cheri Privor from Archer & Buchanan Architecture in West Chester, the McGowens opted for a light, airy feel for the second-floor art studio, keeping the focus on Lindsay’s artwork and the architecture of the pool house.

They chose Benjamin Moore paints — flat White Dove on the walls and ceiling, satin White Dove on the trim, and created a checkerboard pattern on the floor with Featherdown and Grant Beige. Most of the furniture is also in shades of white and cream. The living area is painted in Farrow and Ball Green Smoke to make the space feel cozy and grounded year-round.

“There is a historic nature to having those strong paint tones,” said Lindsay, who researched houses from the 1700s when designing the pool house. “This style fit well in this space in helping the new structure feel old.”

This approach can involve a wide range of shades, from soft neutrals to deep, moody tones. Consider the room’s size, the amount of natural light it gets, and the ambience you want to create. Pick a color you love and test a sample on all four walls and the ceiling, paying attention to how the color looks in different lighting conditions throughout the day.

In most cases, using the same color throughout a room will make it look larger because you won’t have any visual stops. But if your goal is to create a smaller, cozier space, and your room has limited natural light, choose a dark color.

“You may want to bring down a ceiling that’s very high or intentionally invoke a certain mood,” said Privor.

Kyle Taveira has an unusual layout in his two-story Pennsport rowhouse, built in 1895. His office sits between two bedrooms, and getting to one of those bedrooms requires walking through the office.

“My house is decorated in neutral tones with random green accents so I wanted something to surprise you when you opened the door,” he said.

He installed architectural details, including box moldings, crown moldings, chair rails, and higher baseboards, built two sets of lighted glass shelves, and painted the entire room in charcoal.

“At first the color hits you, but then when you start to experience the space, you see those different textures and architectural details pop,” he said.

Color drenching doesn’t require using the exact same paint for the entire room. You can choose a few different saturations of the color, perhaps a shade lighter or darker for dimension. Or you can use wallpaper in a similar hue on an accent wall to add texture.

When Eileen Mielcarek recently updated her Glen Mills bedroom, she wanted it to be elegant, serene, and cozy, with a sense of peacefulness. With the help of designer Sarah Hermans, she chose Benjamin Moore Baby Fawn, a muted beige paint for three walls, the ceiling, and trim.

“When you have the shades open, it looks terrific, and when it’s very dark, the lights from the chandelier make it calm,” said Mielcarek.

Behind her bed she hung wallpaper called Beach Day from the Phillip Jeffries Velvet Vibes collection.

“It’s very neutral but adds a texture instead of putting art behind the bed,” said Hermans, owner of Sarah Hermans Interiors based in Malvern. “It’s super soft and cozy.”

Think practically. A room where everything is white may be beautiful but may not be the right choice for a family with children and pets.

Be sure to prepare the walls by addressing nail pops and spackling and sanding holes and imperfections. If there is wallpaper, remove it; don’t paint over it. When everything is one color, those imperfections may stand out even more.

Consider the textures and finishes of the surfaces you are going to paint. A matte or eggshell finish is often used for walls, a satin or semigloss finish for trim, and a flat finish for the ceiling. But you don’t have to follow those recommendations. A high-gloss finish on trim or even walls can add a dramatic effect.

“For example, you can lacquer a ceiling and use more subdued finishes on the millwork or walls,” Privor said. “The ceiling becomes a statement.”

For those seeking an even bolder choice, pattern drenching invokes a similar feel to color drenching, but with patterns.

“You cover the room in one or a mix of patterns — no blank walls or ceilings to be seen,” said Michelle Gage, creative director of Michelle Gage Interiors in Chestnut Hill. “The goal is to make an over-the-top, funky room that draws you in.”

But it’s important to consider the proper scales of your patterns to be sure they don’t conflict with one another.

“Also, to keep it less crazy, stick to just a few colors as opposed to many,” Gage said.