6 ways to achieve the dopamine décor aesthetic

If you have been getting ready for a property move, you may have followed the time-honoured advice of redecorating so your home is a haven of neutral colours. While this does appeal to the masses, we know some of you are suppressing your desire for dazzling colour and interior interest.  

Once you’ve settled in your new home, however, you can start planning how to inject some personality into every room and there’s one styling fashion that is brilliant for those who don’t want to be boring.  

Dopamine décor is a riot of colour, pattern and texture. Out are strict mood boards, ‘matchy matchy’ schemes and complimentary colours. Instead, choosing elements purely because they make you smile and bring joy is very much in. It’s literally interior design that floods your body with a hit of dopamine!  

Here are 6 ways to embrace dopamine décor in your new home   

1. Clash patterns: if you can’t decide between spots and stripes, have them both! Dopamine décor gives permission to include and indulge. It’s fine to have chintzy curtains in the Laura Ashley style and an ikat fabric rug. And geometrical motif wallpaper can also work with candy-stripe cushions. If you’re worried about a scheme looking too disjointed, pick patterns that are in the same colour family.  

2. Colour against a neutral: if you’re drawn to bold primary colours or neon brights, you can play it safe by using a pale colour on the walls, floors and ceilings. If your base is neutral you can have fun in more unusual ways: paint the skirting board and coving leaf green, adorn your walls with oversized Pop Art posters or have different coloured chairs around a dining table.   

3. Feature walls: break free from the notion that only one wall can be a ‘feature’. If you have four walls, paint each one a different colour, or use a combination of paint and wallpaper. If you still can’t narrow down your choice, use a dado or picture rail to segment each wall and use a different colour above and below.   

4. Colour drench: using the same colour on every surface – walls, floors, ceiling, woodwork, plasterwork and metal - is a great way to infuse personality into a room. Bold contrasts can come from furniture and accessories in contrasting colours.  

5. Find fun in fabrics: fabric brings texture and warmth as well as colour. Be as eclectic as you like – you’ll be surprised how good mismatched soft furnishings feel. Add tactile fabrics, such as velvet, chenille, cable knit and boucle, while pattern can come from crewel embroidered cushions, a Missoni-style zig zag rug or a tartan upholstered armchair.  

6. Create a poster wall: some of the best art around is very affordable and comes in the shape of posters. From copies of masterpieces and retro magazine adverts to printed slogans and abstract designs, it’s relatively cheap and easy to create a poster wall. Impact can be amplified if you paint the wall where the posters will be displayed a contrasting colour and  paint all the frames black.  

There’s a home available for sale or to rent where you can experiment with dopamine décor. Contact us and we can match you with your dream property.