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The right shade can completely transform even the tiniest of spaces
Small bathrooms are often doused in brightening white in an attempt to create a feeling or space or glossy lustrousness. But white tile, white grout, a white bath and white gloss trim can all become a bit institutional.
The colours 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 seven bathroom colour 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 is considerably more cost-effective than a budget-demolishing renovation.
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 box bathroom. Sticking to matt finishes makes it all look absorbent and soft – which is no mean feat in a bathroom.
Tongue-and-groove is cheap by the metre 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.
A dusty blue-green (here Dix Blue by Farrow & Ball) has connotations of heritage and a sense of tradition which 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, greyed shades like this suit a small room better than brights, which can feel oppressive in such close quarters. And committing to a colour drench does that great job of blurring the boundaries of a room and making it feel more expansive.
Using yellow in a small room has as much of a psychological impact as a visual one. A buttercup shade is so cheerful and uplifting that it can soften the imposing or claustrophobic nature of small rooms.
What feels especially considered and elevated in this Cornish barn renovation is the mix of old and new. The modern features and slick brass details are sharpened by their contrast against the lovely weathered beams and panelling.
Clay colours 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 colour like this with so much warmth does a lovely dance across the day, shifting between them along with the light.
Pictured: Soot Cozar Tile at Bert & May
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 grey 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.
Purples carry considerable historical weight as the colour of cardinal robes and royal chambers, and this plum-infused shade (Brinjal by Farrow & Ball,) feels especially opulent. In a windowless bathroom where a bright shade might become disappointingly dull, and a matt would have no ability to reflect even modest amounts of light, something rich and glossy ticks several boxes.
And if dark, saturated colour feels like a counterintuitive choice in small spaces, it can actually feel enveloping and a little decadent rather than inherently cave-like.
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