The "Wood Drenching" Trend Layers Millwork and Wooden Furniture for a Sophisticated Feel
Brown tones always feel elegantly timeless, and wrapping your space with wooden features is the best way to bring that sophisticated feel into your home
There is something about an interior space drenched in a warm-colored wood that feels so 70s-inspired. Given that the distinctive decade is having its biggest comeback in home design this year, I'm not surprised that this chic take on the drenching technique is coming out of the woodwork.
Wood drenching is the latest interior design trend that takes wood paneling to another level. The concept has been born out of the famous "color drenching" technique where you douse an entire room — walls, ceilings, and woodwork — in a color of your choosing. In 2025, however, designers are swapping in floor-to-ceiling wood for paint to stunning effect.
What is Wood Drenching?
The basis of color drenching in your home is to find a color you want to coat your walls in and then style the rest of your decor with textures and hues that will work in harmony with your base. Wood drenching acts in the same way by layering the likes of millwork, furniture, and wooden flooring to create warmth and depth.
From furniture to flooring to wood-paneled walls, there are many ways to carry the instant warming quality of wood throughout a space. But channeling the aesthetic you get from, say, Scandinavian-style cabins or cozy ski retreats, versus the less elevated look of a two-by-four shed can be tricky.
How do you decorate with the Wood Drenching technique?
Adding texture to walls with a form of wood paneling can offer a great foundation for wood drenching. Austin Carrier, Interior Designer and Founder of Hommeboys, says that an interior clad with wood creates a unique atmosphere and mood within a home. "Wood brings an organic texture to a space," says Austin. "It offers so much diversity in terms of the different species, stains, and treatments." It's easy to paint our walls a specific color and call it a day, but this technique pushes us to think outside the box and create a space that feels warm and cozy while also catering to variations in style.
But to style something as bold as an all-wood look, the key is balance. While encasing rooms in plenty of wooden materials will make for a sophisticated space, you also need to offset the brown with other accents. "To do this, incorporate rich, textural upholstery, natural stones, and metals," says Austin. "The balance of these materials is really important to get the look right."
Wooden Furniture Buys
You should also avoid relying on one single wood tone. Combine the likes of mahogany, ash, and oak for a varied look, with one on the walls, another on the floors, and the other as an accent through furniture. A darker wood drench will play on that cool-chic vibe of the 70s and give your home a groovy, stylish look, while a light wood will cater to a more minimalist or Scandinavian design.
Be The First To Know
The Livingetc newsletter is your shortcut to the now and the next in home design. Subscribe today to receive a stunning free 200-page book of the best homes from around the world.
Austin says to not be scared of going all in with this look. Adding wood to your walls and throughout your space "is a great way to add architecture to a space that is lacking in detail; as well as elevate the space with a more handmade, custom quality," he adds.
Installing wood paneling on walls or hardwood floors is no mean feat, but you can wood drench in other ways that are easier to accomplish in any home. (Think faux bois DIYs or built-ins.) Furniture items like wooden accent chairs or lamps with heavy wooden bases are lovely touches to start drenching your home in this warm, rich way.
Will you embrace the wood-drenching trend? If you're looking to make your home feel cozier, warmer, and more welcoming, it's the place to start.
Olivia Wolfe is a News Writer at Livingetc. She recently graduated from University of the Arts London, London College of Communication with a Masters Degree in Arts and Lifestyle Journalism. In her previous experience, she has worked with multiple multimedia publications in both London and the United States covering a range of culture-related topics, with an expertise in art and design. At the weekends she can be found working on her oil paintings, reading, or antique shopping at one of London's many vintage markets.
-
Buying Too Many Clothes Is My One Weakness, so I've Had to Learn How to Store Them All in My Small Bedroom
Piles of clothes creating an eyesore in a bedroom too tiny to accommodate them? Here's what I've learned from professional organizers
By Ciéra Cree Published
-
9 Butcher Block Countertop Ideas That Making Working in the Kitchen Easy (and are Easy on the Eye)
Add depth, design, and more practicality to your space with these statement-making countertop ideas, stolen from designers
By Oonagh Turner Published
-
Style Pulse SS25 — Livingetc’s Trend Report for the Year to Come
By Hugh Metcalf Published
-
Of All the Predictions for 2025, This "Sexy" Shade of Red Is the Color Interiors People Will Actually Use
Oxblood is set to be 2025's big decorating trend — a warmer version of burgundy and a more grown up take on red. Designer Anne McDonald explains her love for the shade to our executive editor Pip Rich
By Pip Rich Published
-
The Future "It" Furniture Designs for 2025 All Share This 80s-Inspired Detail That Feels so Fresh
When it comes to dining tables, coffee tables, benches and more, designers are playing a balancing act with unusual forms and materials
By Luke Arthur Wells Published
-
Less Stuffy, Less Formal — How the Big Seating Trends for 2025 All Point in This Uber-Comfortable Direction
Put your feet up, as homes go all in on deep, communal couches, window seats and nooks that make for the dream hang-out spaces
By Luke Arthur Wells Published
-
Textured Walls Are Still Trending (And Just Got a Whole Lot More Chic Thanks to This Jeremiah Brent Collaboration)
'Nostalgia' is the name, and texture is the game; this moody new peel-and-stick wallpaper collection is bringing all the fall vibes to interior design
By Olivia Wolfe Published
-
Is Copper Back for 2025? Here's All the Ways We’re Falling Back in Love with the Fall-Coded Metallic Finish
One day it's cancelled, the next it's cool again. This cozy season has us swooning over a surprising new finish — and it doesn't have to be a big deal
By Olivia Wolfe Published
-
"Tufted Trims" Is the Latest Decor Trend Living Rent-Free in Our Heads — And It's Perfect for Fall
What better way to snuggle into your space for the cozy season than by softening hard edges with a fuzzy faux-fur trim?
By Olivia Wolfe Published
-
Are We Falling Out of Love With Waterfall Edges? Design Experts Suggest They're "Overused" and Going Out of Style — Here's Why
For many, waterfall countertops are a 'go-to' design choice in the kitchen, but perhaps that's exactly why they're falling out of favor?
By Olivia Wolfe Published