Forget colour drenching, there's a new paint trend for 2026

Yellow living room with contemporary furniture showcasing Farrow & Ball's gradient layering paint trend — (Image credit: Farrow & Ball)

If you're planning on redecorating any time soon, it's worth considering a new, softer approach to colour application – a technique Farrow & Ball are calling the gradient layering paint trend.

In recent years, the world of decorating has been dominated by the colour-drenching trend, in which a single dominant colour is applied to all surfaces to create a cohesive scheme that envelops the whole space. However, for some, myself included, this paint application can feel a tad overwhelming.

That's where this new tonal use of graduating colour can take the lead as a more considered, even bold yet 'safer' approach to decorating...

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Introducing 2026's 'gradient layering' paint trend

Farrow & Ball, the leading colour experts, describe this new paint application as: "A softer way to add colour to your walls. This technique transforms a space by using shades from the same colour family - creating a gentle tonal transition from floor to ceiling."

The brand's Colour Curator, Joa Studholme, goes on to say: "Hot on the heels of the fantastically popular colour drenching trend, we're now embracing whole colour families using a tonal wash to cover all elements of the room – achieving a kind of layered, polished look."

Collage of three rooms painted in tonal colours to support Farrow &amp; Ball's gradient layering trend

So, how do you choose which of the latest interior paint colours to use? "When it comes to choosing your colour palette for a graduating colour scheme, the possibilities are endless. It will always work if you use tones from the same colour family, even when choosing very bold colour choices."

By colour family, Joa is referring to selecting one hue but in several different saturations – so think of picking up a classic colour card in a paint shop and using the darkest shade right through to the lightest. Because they all contain the same base pigment, they automatically blend more harmoniously than accent colours.

Joa concludes by saying: "I'm pretty sure this will be a huge paint trend in 2026." I firmly agree, because as pioneers of colour exploration, curation and creativity, anything Farrow & Ball do, we all want to follow.

yellow living room with contemporary egg armchairs

Too fearful of drenching my living room, I used the 60-10-30 design rule when redecorating because I used a dark shade of green, which I wasn't ready to commit to for my ceilings, as colour-drenching would imply.

The dark Reduced Green, one of the new Farrow & Ball colours, felt far too overpowering to paint on every surface, so I decided to use a soft off-white shade on the ceiling and the remaining 2 walls. If I were decorating now, I would certainly consider this new paint trend to make the colours feel even more harmonious.

Tamara is a highly experienced homes and interiors journalist with a career spanning over 23 years. Now the Lifestyle Editor of womanandhome.com, she previously spent 19 years working with the style teams at Country Homes & Interiors and Ideal Home. With these award-winning interior teams, she gained a wealth of knowledge and honed her skills and passion for styling and writing about every aspect of lifestyle and interiors.

A true homes and interiors expert, Tamara has been an ambassador for leading interior brands on multiple occasions, including appearing on Matalan’s The Show and presenting at top interior trend forecasting events such as the Autumn Fair and Spring Fair.