Bathroom Paint Colors: How to Choose Your Bathroom Color Scheme

If your bathroom feels dull, depressing, boring or just blah, a new paint job is one of the best and cheapest ways to give it a fresh feeling.However, a lot of people have a hard time picking out paint colors to use, especially if they have odd-colored fixtures. Just how do you deal with a pink bathtub, anyway?!?

In this hub I'll help you choose the bathroom paint colors which will fit with your existing fixtures or any new ones you plan to install.

The first task is to decide what's wrong with your existing bathroom color scheme. Is it simply a color you dislike or are tired of? Does it make the room feel closed in or depressing? Or do you quite like the colors, but the paint itself is old and needs re-coating?

One of the common bathroom color scheme problems is having to work with existing colored fixtures. Whether you like the fixture colors, or they are a holdover from a previous owner, your paint colors need to relate to them in some way.

Important decision: do you want your bathroom paint colors to blend with the fixtures so they recede into the background, or contrast with them so the fixtures pop out?

To blend fixture and wall colors, if the fixtures are not too objectionable in color you could try matching the fixture color exactly. If you bring in a color sample to a good paint store, they can computer match colors and create paint the exact color you need. It wouldn't be very practical to take the bathtub to the paint store, but you might be able to take a toilet tank lid in. Bright, contrasting towels and accessories can draw attention away from the fixtures. Another color blending possibility would be to use a complementary or toning wall color of the same strength (lightness, darkness or brightness) to blend with the fixture color but not match it exactly. Again, contrasting accessories can divert attention away from the fixtures.

If you decide to choose wall colors which contrast with the fixtures, you can go with light walls against dark fixtures, white walls, or dark walls against light fixtures. The wall color can be a lighter or darker shade of the fixture color, or one which contrasts with or complements it.

White fixtures with dark walls can look cozy, comforting, smart or dramatic.

If you're concerned about using dark colors in a small room, consider that If the room really is small, it won't ever look big no matter how pale your wall colors, so why not capitalize on and emphasize the smallness? You might aim for a feeling like a cozy den or cocoon. This can work especially well in bathrooms which don't get a lot of use, like powder rooms or guest baths. Including a lot of white trim will break up dark walls and reduce the "cocoon" effect.

In a larger room, dark walls make a dramatic background for white or light colored fixtures, and white, light or bright accessories.

Dark colors which work wonderfully well with white fixtures include dark blue, chocolate, black, burgundy, purple, crimson, hunter green, and deep terracotta. White or light colored towels and accessories stand out brilliantly against the dark walls, or use dark colors in contrasting or toning shades for a subtler, more calming effect.

Bathrooms are often small, and many people automatically paint them a light color to make them seem bigger. With white as the most common fixture color, white fixtures with light walls can seem boring and stereotyped unless you prevent that by using your imagination.

Many pastel or light wall colors have been used so much, no-one wants to see them again. Beige is a good example. However, there are always alternative shades of a color which can look fresh and new. Instead of boring beige, a sandy or putty color can make a nice change while not looking like last decade's leftovers. Any paint store has hundreds of paint shades available: try picking a basic color you like (such as "light green") and then looking at all the variations on that color: mint green, sage green, apple green, spring green, pea green spring to mind.

White trim always looks smart against either light or dark walls, but there are some gotchas to look out for when you choose your white. First, take a look at the white of your fixtures: does it have a color tinge? Bluish white fixtures call for a bluish white trim paint - a yellowish white would look all wrong. In older homes, you may also need to avoid the modern "brilliant white" which can look too stark. Try a subtle off white which tones with your wall color.

A further color as an accent can give depth and richness to your color scheme. If your bathroom is small, the accent may look better as another tone of the wall color rather than a big contrast. Always use substantially less of an accent color than you do of your main color.

One super easy and convenient way to add accent colors is with fabrics - towels, window curtains and shower curtains - if you have several sets in different colors which work with your wall color, then you can have a different feel every time you change the towels!

Other color ranges for walls can include:

• Peachy or pinky shades are not very fashionable as pale colors, but if you like them, go ahead - they can feel very warm and comforting. Super with reds, greens, purples, and browns in accent colors.
• Cream, beige, taupe shades: Work nicely with pastel or deep accessory colors
• Whites: you can go monochromatic with white accessories as well as white walls, a very peaceful and minimalist look, or use accessories to inject bright or subtle color
• Blues like ice blue, light sky blue, grey-blue, robin's egg blue, or pale turquoise: try using white, green, yellow or lavender/purple accessories
• Sandy or yellowy colors: green and blue accessories go very well with these, as well as terracotta