Why Color Drenching Feels So Right: A Connection to Our Ancestors
One design trend that has taken the home by storm is color drenching—walls bathed in deep, rich, cocooning colors like burgundy, navy and forest green dominate Pinterest boards and interior design studios. Although color drenching has seen its resurgence in the past year, it actually started in the early 20th century and held prominence through the 60s to the 90s in the modern art movement, complementing midcentury modern and minimalist designs well. It has for decades been a way for those living in metropolises to bring a sense of nature to their space. A Londoner myself, I see color-drenching in smaller apartments, where the goal is to make the space feel cozy and intimate.
A great contrast to the brilliant white homes we’re used to, it may also reflect a bigger problem in our society: we are overstimulated by our technology and this is one of the many efforts to combat sensory overload. Whether you live in a city or more rurally, we all live a second life online—more so than generations past. But can this aesthetic mode solve the problem or are we promoting the new snake oil?
Color Drenching May Help with Downtime
image by Trulery via Midjourney
Looking at this trend from a psychological perspective, color-drenching may improve your overall quality of life by helping you to better meet your needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs insists that your physiological needs must be met before you can meet your needs for love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization. Sleep is one of these core physiological needs so if you don’t get enough of it, color-drenching in dark colors may be for you. Sleeping in a darker room can help regulate your melatonin levels and promote better quality sleep. I tested this out in my own bedroom, installing a dimmer switch and painting the room a deep, earthy brown from ceiling to skirting boards to create a cave-like atmosphere. My light-sleeper-of-a-husband noticed a huge difference on the first night.
The desire to snuggle up in a dark cave is not exclusive to the age of information. Some people during the paleolithic period slept on cave floors, huddled around a fire. When life expectancies were much shorter, caves offered a lodging place safe from the elements and predators that people could stay in and rest. What’s interesting about this is the fire, which not only provided the cave with warmth but light. Many who adopt color drenching add some ambient light with deep warm white lamps (usually less than 2700K) to make the room feel more cozy, and perhaps this could tap into our desire for warmth, safety and a place we feel we can let down our guard. Warm light is such a contrast to the blue light we get on phone and computer screens daily which actually disrupts our sleep patterns.
Although the threats to our survival have almost disappeared, our longing for sanctuary remains the same. In the ancient world, caves were ways for people to flee captivity, oppression or death from occupying forces. The Katapatuka Spa Thermal Hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey has been developed by GAD Architecture to be a luxury stay but it once was a network of sanctuaries carved and used by Christians to avoid religious persecution from the Romans. The hotel is now one of many examples of the network being repurposed to help the modern traveller escape the stress of their everyday lives. Because although we don’t hide from bears or soldiers, we do hide from out-of-hours emails.
More Downtime Isn’t Good For Everyone
image by Trulery via Midjourney
On the other hand, color drenching when done wrong may also hurt us. If you live with depression, painting your entire study or bedroom dark and moody may actually exacerbate your depression and lower your productivity. Studies focusing on dark rooms, light exposure and depression show that long hours in dark rooms can increase depressive behaviors—the effects if paired with a lack of natural light can be worse.
A recent phenomenon observed in Gen Z is bed-rotting, a term popularized by TikTok to describe the behavior of lying in bed for long hours as a means to recover from external stimuli such as work, school, commitments and engagements. Courtney DeAngelis PsyD in an interview with Health said it can be positive for someone to do this short-term when processing demanding lifestyles or jobs. However, it can be more concerning and an indicator of depression on a long-term basis. If you are experiencing this long-term, you may want to avoid this trend or opt for lighter colors that evoke joy and productivity in your home in place of rather cold and dark tones. If you or someone you know is affected by depression or any other issues mentioned in this article, below are some resources that you can access to get professional help.
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: Text TALK to 741741
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline: 1-800-662-4357
Overall, colour drenching is a creative and fun way to decorate that could reap some health benefits for those who feel frequently burn out. However, it is important to design the room in a way that brings out your best. Would you try this in your space? Let us know in the comments!
Written by Cheyenne
Cheyenne is a lifestyle writer with a particular interest in fashion, interiors and culture.
