‘Dopamine Décor’ is the Interiors Aesthetic Guaranteed to Boost Your Mood

What exactly is dopamine décor?

“Dopamine décor is a design trend that aims to create joyful, energetic spaces by using vibrant colours, bold patterns, and eclectic design elements that evoke a feel-good response. It’s all about designing a home that brings you happiness, stimulates creativity, and makes everyday life feel a little brighter,” says Viscarde.

Additionally, Turton explains that the concept comes from the neurological effects of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward and pleasure.

“This style of decor focuses on creating environments that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also emotionally uplifting,” she says.

“If you were to type 'dopamine décor' into Pinterest you would see bright colours, rounded, curved shapes and playful patterns – almost a childlike essence. Whilst this aesthetic is the design approach's general direction, dopamine décor's most important characteristic is that these spaces should be highly personalised.”

Both Turton and Viscarde agree that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Each person’s idea of ‘dopamine décor’ will and should look different, as the final aesthetic comes down to what sparks your joy.

2. Cue: Colour

Before thinking about where you’ll put them, start by considering which colours evoke the emotions you want to feel when you’re in the space.

“While there is a playbook of specific colours triggering specific emotions as it pertains to interior design, studies show that personal experience overrides these colour theory rules,” Turton explains.

“For example, the kitchen in my family home was painted yellow, so this colour is deeply meaningful to me and evokes nostalgia, safety and comfort. For someone else, the colour yellow could trigger a different set of not-so-great memories, making it a colour they should probably avoid.”

Know your colours, but not sure how to inject them? Per Viscarde, solid swathes of space like rugs, statement furniture and accent walls are good places to start to create focal points.

“A large, vibrant rug in a bold pattern can completely transform a room. You can even look at layering smaller rugs, perhaps you've found an incredible vintage kilim on your travels or a local vintage store, but it's too small, add a larger rug underneath and layer the two together,” she says.

In the same vein, a bright, saturated accent wall or wallpaper does wonders to revitalise a space. “This works exceptionally well in small spaces like powder rooms or hallways,” she adds.

4. Maximise micro luxuries

As the adage goes, ‘it’s the little things’. And in the realm of dopamine décor, that means micro luxuries: small, daily indulgences that provide a sense of comfort, pleasure, or pampering.

“These items help elevate mundane daily tasks and can make chores that little bit more enjoyable,” Turton says.

“Some thought-starters – and my personal favourite micro luxuries – are luxury matches, cute waste bins (for the bathroom or office), aesthetic salt and pepper shakers, designer hand towels, luxury bathrobes, water glasses and coffee mugs. I am truly obsessed.”