Forget the usual spa outing! There’s really no better way to treat yourself than by giving your far-more-frequented home bathroom a well-deserved face-lift. Naturally, a backsplash can definitely be fun.
Moreover, a couple of trendy touches or even a luxurious tub can easily take the space to a whole new level. However, the real showstopper of any well-designed bathroom is a bolt and brilliant paint shade. In fact, a heavy-toned teal can easily set the stage for a moody space, as designer Pierre Gonalons explained he did in his eclectic Paris apartment.
A preppy pop of high-gloss aubergine acts as the perfect backdrop for ELLE DECOR A-list designer Katie Ridder’s client’s black-and-white photography collection. Even the most neutral (but good) see Marc Valeanu’s layered bathroom, awash in Farrow & Ball’s lilac-undertoned Dove Tale, can sometimes be the furthest touch from the default flat white paint job in the wide majority of bathrooms.
The object of any bathroom is to feel fully nurtured and pampered. Naturally, this can differ, depending on the case, especially when it comes to colors. Different colors for different people. You’d be surprised to find out just how many people prefer the idea of their primary bathroom feeling just like a room: with its own rug, ottoman, decorative cabinets as well and antique lighting, while others would rather go for a more neutral-toned spa look.
However, before you start digging up into the full spectrum options at your local paint store, it’s really worth considering a couple of key factors. North-facing rooms sometimes get a softer, warmer light, whereas southern exposure brings in a brighter, cooler tone.
Paint finishes also have a great impact on how a color reads in any space. For instance, glossy finishes somehow deepen the colors by reflecting and absorbing light, whereas eggshell or even matte finishes keep the color true to the swatch.
There’s one thing you should be mindful about: try to steer clear of the colors yellow and green with a lot of yellow. Such colors aren’t really ideal for making us look our best and brightest, especially when looking in the mirror.
If you’re feeling paralyzed by choice, we’ve enlisted some of our favorite colorful bathrooms inspired by ELLE DECOR. Rean on these bathroom paint ideas to kickstart your next renovation. It will definitely be a splash of color!
Lulworth Blue by Farrow & Ball
Belgian designers prefer it their own way. If Jean-Philippe Demeyer desires a specific bathroom in his East Flanders manor to have an especially designed tub painted a shade of blue that clashes a bit with the Lulworth Blue painted over the brick wall beside it, then that’s what’s going to happen.
Razzle Dazzle by Benjamin Moore
Don’t adjust the brightness on your own computer. You only have to let your eyes adjust slowly and naturally to the loudness of this wall. William Cullum decided to pay homage to Elsa Schiaparelli’s trademark Shocking Pink in his Greenwich Village studio bathroom.
Angel’s Landing by Portola Paints
Sophia Bush is a gigantic fan of terracotta. In fact, the One Tree Hill star had decorator Jake Arnold paint the walls of more spaces of her midcentury modern home in Hollywood Hills, not only the bathroom.
Setting plaster by Farrow & Ball
Nude is a fitting hue for a bathroom. In the primary bathroom of a beautiful 1880s Victorian row house in Toronto, decorator Tommy Smythe decided to go for dusty pink to beautifully cover the walls above the Acritec soaking tub. Well, long live the salmon!
Oriental blue by Asian paints
Well, believe it or not, this is definitely one of the more subdued color schemes in the Mumbai apartment of Srila Chatterjee and Mahesh Mathai. This super regal shade of blue definitely makes room for a perfect contrast with Indian brass wok and custom wall tiles from Jaipur.
Tea by Benjamin Moore
Well, whether you’ve heard about it or not, rich browns and reds have quite the moment now. A warm terra-cotta hue, however, melds very well with both worlds. For this particular Manhattan home, designer Bachman Clem decided to use the water closet as the ideal opportunity to “break out of the shell” so he painted the walls and ceiling in a beautiful, sultry brick red.
Calamine by Farrow & Ball
If you need a pink me-up to lighten up the mood and you want to live la vie en rose on a daily basis, you should consider this flattering hue. It adds quite a whimsy and soft touch to Michael C. Hall’s new NYC apartment.
Pale pink wall paint in a timeless color goes way beyond the bold bubblegum pink that emerged from the Barbiecore craze. This especially blushing hue pairs very well with dark-toned accessories such as an assortment of John Derian decoupage plates and trays.
Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball
For a more subtle take on a classic color, we’d advise you to opt for Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue, which is also featured in the powder room of this homespun, old-world Lake Tahoe Retreat. In this beautiful and jewel-like box of space, designer Palmer Weiss added that she “took the governor off the design engine and let it rip.”
This entailed pairing the trimmed walls with some poppy wallcoverings (which is a beautiful reproduction of a 19th-century C.F.A. Voysey Arts and Crafts design by Trustworth Studios) for more contrast.
Chantilly lace by Benjamin Moore
This nice and soft hue is, well, just as elegant as you’d expect. Described by Benjamin Moore as “a classic go-to white that brings up images of fresh cotton and pure silk” this adorable hue is quite a complement to a white-on-white scheme, or, as seen in a rustic bathroom, a fitting counterpoint to anchoring the intricate Moroccan tiles.
Pelt by Farrow & Ball
If you’re even slightly hesitant to take the color plunge, a diminutive powder room is the perfect place to experiment with bold colors. Moreover, for an extra dose of glam energy, you should give your bathroom a high-gloss finish.
In this particular luxe retreat, designer Katie Ridder started to consider the wall art first. As she explained to ELLE DECOR, “Our client wanted to start with a collection of black-and-white photography series. So we decided to paint the walls high-gloss deep aubergine as a backdrop for the artwork.”
Chappel Green by Farrow & Ball
Green, no matter its variations, has taken over virtually every single room in the house, most particularly kitchens. However, we are equally obsessed with it in a bathroom.
Here, ELLE DECOR A-List designer Ken Fulk decided to coat the walls in his Cape Cod cottage with Farrow & Ball’s Chappell Green, quite a versatile sage tint that, as per the paint company, “has a specific hue that turns blue in contrast with warmer tones and green when paired with cooler shades.”
Skylight by Farrow & Ball
Homeowners could naturally gravitate toward blue in bathrooms. However, this beautiful hue of blue from Farrow & Ball will add a much-needed touch of gray, too. The company notes that, initially, the color notes as pale blue, but in larger rooms it brings out cooler undertones. For instance, you can check Elad Yifrach’s home in Portugal. There, he used the shade in this airy primary bath.
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