After months of hunkering down through winter, it’s no surprise we’re craving colour, warmth and vibrancy. Enter the season’s most joyful interior trend: colour drenching.
Forget the all-white minimalism of yesteryear – this summer is about bold, beautiful harmony. Colour drenching is all about painting everything, walls, ceilings, trims and doors, in the same hue for a look that’s cocooning, confident, and surprisingly calming.
Dulux NZ Colour Specialist, Davina Harper, says it’s a way to “uplift a space and make it feel both interesting and unified.” In other words, it’s mood magic, all achievable with a tin of paint.
The Dulux Ethereal Palette: Dreamy Pastels for Feel-Good Spaces
Dulux is leading the colour conversation with its 2026 Colour Forecast palettes designed to restore joy and lightness to our homes. Think sun-faded pinks, delicate seafoam greens, soft blues and buttery creams that feel like summer bottled up.
“These colours are subtle, versatile and easy to work with in any style of home,” says Davina. “They allow us to create calm and nurture emotional wellbeing – something we’re all craving more of.”
Stylist Bree Banfield, who helped bring the palette to life, took a neutral, mostly white home and transformed it into a pastel-filled sanctuary. “We wrapped the curved walls in Dulux Lake Camp and painted the ceiling in Dulux Waitiki Landing,” she says. “That simple change instantly opened up the space, making it feel cooler, calmer and so much more inviting.”
How to Try Colour Drenching at Home
The beauty of this trend is that it’s accessible to everyone, whether you’re a seasoned renovator or a weekend DIYer.
Here are Dulux’s expert tips for getting started:
Start small Not ready to go all in? The bedroom is a great place to experiment. Try Dulux Mask, a moody, romantic pink, on walls and ceilings for a cocooning, dreamlike feel.
Extend your colour To make a room feel larger and more open, take your wall colour right up onto the ceiling and trims. Pastel greens and blues like Lake Camp or Waitiki Landing are ideal for this seamless look or for a touch of romance try Mask.
Layer your tones Mix soft neutrals like Silver Thaw with gentle pinks and greens or harmonious hues such as Clarks Beach for a tonal scheme. Add texture through boucle cushions, curved mirrors, or sculptural vases to further elevate the look.
Work with what you’ve got You don’t need to overhaul your home. Dulux Stylist Bree Banfield recommends looking at your existing cabinetry, flooring and furnishings, then choosing two or three colours that complement them.
Test before you commit Paint colours can shift dramatically with light. Try Dulux’s free A4 Colour Swatches or Sample Pots and live with them for a few days to see how the shade feels throughout the day.
Colour drenching is a fun, nostalgic interiors trend that harks back to the expressive interiors of the ’70s and ’80s, yet feels fresh, modern and entirely personal. It’s the kind of trend that invites playfulness without the pressure of perfection.
As Davina puts it, “It doesn’t take a full renovation to transform a room. Small updates in colour and texture can completely reset the mood for the season.”
