Drenching your bedroom in this color may improve your well-being, according to experts

Color drenching is as fashionable as ever – but the trend has psychological benefits too

Yellow painted bedroom with natural daylight
(Image credit: Future / FRENCHIE CRISTOGATIN)

When color drenching meets psychology, it’s a match made in interiors heaven. Both concepts are setting headlines in the design world, so it is only fitting that paint company Valspar marries them together in their newest color palette.

The Sherwin-Williams-owned label has unveiled The Color Effect – a curation of shades that combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and promote better wellbeing in your bedroom. 

According to the paint powerhouse, these shades are perfect for color drenching – the maximalist paint idea that involves painting one color across multiple surfaces in one room. The only slight variation is in their shade – as the color can vary in slightly different tones around the space.  

While this movement is not for the faint of heart, it may pay to embrace the bold interior design trend. Here’s what you need to know before you get involved. 

Yellow painted bedroom with natural daylight

(Image credit: Future / FRENCHIE CRISTOGATIN)

Which color will combat Seasonal Affective Disorder? 

According to the Senior Product Manager at Valspar, Charlotte Radford, filling a room with shades with a ‘white base, such as orange tones and yellows’ will encourage lots of light into your bedroom. 

‘These brighter tones can help combat Seasonal Affective Disorder by introducing as much natural light into a room as possible,’ Charlotte says. ‘Painting both the ceiling and walls in mood-boosting tones can help create a flood of color in a room, really highlighting a color’s benefits to one’s well-being.’ 

Among the most suitable shades for drenching is Golden Sue – a honey yellow (below) approved by applied color psychology expert Justine Fox. Justine worked alongside Naomi Pollard, Head of Home and Interiors at Trend Bible, to create a palette that brings calmness and restoration to the home. 

Yellow painted bedroom with natural daylight

Golden Sue
by Valspar

(Image credit: Valspar)

Justine explains that these vibrant tones can minimize the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder as they reflect as much natural light as possible, which in turn stimulates serotonin and enhances happiness.

When nights get shorter, and the world outside turns cold, our instinct is to draw in and conserve energy,’ the color psychologist says. 

‘Bringing vibrancy and energy into our spaces using uplifting color goes some way to counteract this feeling. Clean, fresh shades are optically brightening and reflective, enhancing the sense of light in any room.’

Yellow painted bedroom with natural daylight

(Image credit: Future)

Will you go golden for the season ahead? There is no better time to embrace the modern bedroom idea than now.

Megan Slack

Megan is the News and Trends Editor at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes. As the News Editor, she often focuses on emerging microtrends, well-being stories, and celebrity-focused pieces.


Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.