The right shade can completely transform even the tiniest of spaces.
Small bathrooms are often doused in bright white in an attempt to create a feeling of space or glossy lustrousness. But white tile, white grout, a white bath, and white gloss trim can all become a bit blah.
The colors that are more effective at adding both a sense of space and a touch of luxury are usually warmer or considerably deeper than most of us would consider using in a bathroom.
Each of the five bathroom color palettes ahead can help make the architecture feel more coherent, the proportions more generous, and the finishes more considered. And happily, a few coats of paint are considerably more cost-effective than a budget-demolishing renovation.
Chalk Tones
Limewash has a chalky, cloudy finish while being far more affordable than a wall of tiles. The finish is uneven by nature, and variation across a wall is the visual signature of something applied by hand.
The natural off-whites used in this California-cool bungalow in Camber Sands feel fresh and expansive despite this being a tiny bathroom. Sticking to matte finishes makes it all look absorbent and soft—which is no small feat in a bathroom.
Period Pinks
Tongue-and-groove is cheap by the meter and painting it and the wall above in a single soft pink turns it into something reminiscent of period joinery. The shade is sufficiently bright and cheerful to counter the gloomy nature of cramped spaces, turning darkness and shadow a shade of rose. This has a touch of brown in it too, which avoids the connotations of kids' spaces.
Every metal fitting here is brass, which can be inexpensive—head to Victorian Plumbing if you’re in the market for some—while looking utterly luxurious.
Mineral Blue
A dusty blue-green (here Dix Blue by Farrow & Ball) has connotations of heritage and a sense of tradition that is helpful in creating a room that feels expensive. Paired with an antique wood vanity and milky marble, as in this hotel-inspired bathroom renovation in Essex, only adds to the effect.
Cool, grayed shades like this suit a small room better than brights, which can feel oppressive in such close quarters. And committing to a color drench does a great job of blurring the boundaries of a room and making it feel more expansive.
Clay Tones
Clay colors have all the flattery of pink but with more depth and sophistication to them. This is a nice compromise between brightening light and enveloping dark shades, without the drawbacks of either.
Plus, a color like this with so much warmth does a lovely dance across the day, shifting between them along with the light.
Warm Greige
As this fabulous Folkestone bathroom shows, greige needn't be reserved for contemporary or minimal spaces. Combining the cooler and more placid look of true gray with the warming qualities of beige, it sits close enough in tone to the bath and basin that their outlines don’t carve the room into separate blocks—a great trick that makes the room read as more expansive.
The red-and-white checked floor brings in a distinctly heritage note, recalling traditional Victorian and Edwardian tiles. That historical association lends the room a sense of permanence and craftsmanship.
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