Embracing a fresh approach in interior design, 'Color Capping' is replacing 'Color Drenching' as the preferred method for decorating spaces. This innovative strategy introduces depth to a room and gives the illusion of increased size.
Color capping is a contemporary painting technique that adds depth and sophistication to your living spaces. This trend, introduced by Benjamin Moore as part of its AW2025 lookbook, involves enveloping a room in a tonal wash that gradually deepens from the floor to the ceiling, creating a seamless and cocooning effect.
How to Achieve Color Capping
To effectively execute color capping in a room, follow these steps:
- Choose a tonal color palette: Select a color that gradually deepens as it moves upward, ending at the ceiling with a slightly darker shade of the same hue. This involves enveloping walls and extending paint onto the ceiling (the "fifth wall") in a deeper tone to create a seamless, cocooning effect.
- Prepare the surfaces: Clean and prime the walls and ceiling properly to ensure paint adhesion and an even finish.
- Apply the paint: Start from the base wall color, then blend upwards into a deeper tone at the top section of the walls and finally onto the ceiling. The transition should feel gradual and intentional rather than abrupt.
- Highlight architectural elements: Paint the areas above picture rails, molding, or cornices in the deeper shade, which draws attention upward and adds depth.
- Coordinate the overall design: Complement the gradient paintwork with matching soft furnishings and window treatments to create a cohesive and well-thought-out aesthetic.
Recommended Shades
Use tonal washes of the same color family with gradually darkening hues moving upward. Rich, pigmented colors work very well, such as enveloping teals, deep olives, warm corals, or sophisticated blues; they add dimension and a sense of luxury without overwhelming the space.
Best Rooms for Color Capping
Color capping is ideal for living rooms and bedrooms, as it enhances a sense of intimacy and comfort, making these spaces feel cocooned and inviting—ideal for relaxation. It works especially well in rooms with high ceilings because the deeper ceiling color visually pulls the eye upward and highlights the height. In period or historical homes, this technique beautifully showcases original architectural details by using color to emphasize intricate moldings instead of a plain white ceiling. In contemporary interiors, color capping adds depth and visual interest, creating a dynamic, modern feel.
By following these steps and selecting harmonious yet deepening shades, color capping delivers a sophisticated, enveloping atmosphere that personalizes and enhances a room’s ambiance.
- Incorporating color capping into your home-and-garden lifestyle can be an effective way to achieve a contemporary and sophisticated look in your living room.
- To achieve this trend in interior-design, choose a tonal color palette that gradually deepens as it moves from the floor to the ceiling, and priming the surfaces before applying the paint is crucial.
- Decorate the room further by emphasizing architectural elements using the deeper shade, and coordinate the overall design with soft furnishings and window treatments to create a cohesive aesthetic.
- Rich, pigmented colors such as teals, deep olives, warm corals, or sophisticated blues are recommended for color capping, as they add dimension and a sense of luxury without overwhelming the space.
