Cover The dopamine decor trend brings a playful touch to your interior, while supposedly boosting your dopamine levels (Photo: Instagram / @charminglifebyjess)
The dopamine decor trend brings a playful touch to your interior, while supposedly boosting your dopamine levels (Photo: Instagram / @charminglifebyjess)
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Similar to dopamine dressing, this new interior design trend is characterised by a riot of cheerful colours and adds a playful touch to our homes to boost our ‘happy hormone’
After years of minimalist style, now more than ever seems to be the time to embrace colour. Green, blue, yellow, orange, red, and of course, Viva Magenta, a deep-toned carmine that has been named “colour of the year” in 2023 by the influential Pantone Color Institute. Still, that’s not the only colour on offer to followers of the “dopamine decor” trend. In fact, this trend is characterised by a riot of colour in cheerful tones, in the manner of a Marc Chagall painting.
Although maximalism has been in fashion for some time now, “dopamine decor” brings together a profusion of objects with an abundance of different colours. For example, a sofa in petrol-blue velvet can be paired with bright yellow cushions and a graphic-motif rug in pink and plum shades. And this could be in a room with walls finished in patterned wallpaper, adding a playful touch.
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And that’s the whole point of the “dopamine decor” trend. It’s designed to bring a playful vibe to your apartment or house, while supposedly boosting your dopamine levels. Also known as the happy hormone, this neurotransmitter activates various areas of the brain involved in the reward circuit.
This circuit naturally manages our desires, pleasures and emotions. As such, colourful decor could help lift the spirits of those suffering from the back-to-work blues, just as a multicoloured wardrobe might.
Using colour to influence mood
So, what better way to beat the blues than with colour? But you still need to know how to choose and combine colours wisely. While no scientific study to date has made the link between interior design and mood, an international team of researchers claims that specific hues can elicit specific emotional responses in those who look at them.
Yellow, orange and pink are associated with positive emotions such as joy, pleasure and fun. Red is more polarising: some people associate it with love, others with anger, according to research published in 2019 in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
That’s why interior designers recommend pale or neutral shades (white, beige, etc.) in the bedroom. Brighter, warmer colours can have a stimulating effect on the body, which can have a detrimental effect on sleep quality.
But, ultimately, tastes and colours are highly personal. If you’d like your bedroom to be brighter, you can liven up a section of wall with a more vibrant hue, or opt for more flamboyant accessories.
According to fans of the “dopamine decor” trend, this can help bring a feel-good vibe to your home. TikTok users think so anyway, and the #dopaminedecor hashtag has racked up more than 70 million views on the social network, reflecting keen interest in this vibrant colour boost.
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