Best Paint Color Choices for Small Bathroom Remodels
Can the right paint color make a small bathroom feel a bit roomier, less cramped and more inviting? Yes, it can!
In this Complete Home Remodeling Guide we give you some suggestions for the best paint color choices when remodeling a small bathroom.
Choosing a color for the walls is a good place to start your bathroom remodel design. Your bathroom flooring selection might be next.
Then move on to pick a vanity or countertop, the large fixtures such as the shower enclosure or tub, toilet, etc. Complete the look by selecting your bathroom faucet, handles and other accents and accessories. Once you’ve got everything picked out, go back to the color choice and make sure it works well in tying all the components together.
Whites for a Small Bathroom
Lighter tones give any room a more spacious and open feel. For a very classic look, choose white or antique white. A bright, gloss white isn’t a good choice however because it might reflect light and cause glare. Choose an eggshell or satin for your white or off-white walls with semi-gloss trim.
Light Colors that Relax are Great Choices
If you want some color on the walls, pick a light, soft color. A soothing blue, calm yellow, pleasant plum that isn’t too deep, rosy pink or even a creamy gray are excellent choices. Of course, the right selection depends on what else you’re planning for the bathroom. Blues and greens often look better with wood, for example, than yellows, pinks or grays. If you plan a lot of chrome, gray may not be the best choice, but it goes very well with white fixtures in a contemporary bathroom design.
Colors to Avoid in a Small Bathroom
Choosing bold, bright colors might overwhelm the eye in a small bathroom. Intense tones tend to bring the walls closer to you visually. In a confined space, these bold tones might make you feel like the walls are closing in on you, and that will keep the bathroom from being a very inviting place for a long soak in the tub.
Dark colors will make a small bathroom feel, well, dark and therefore gloomy or depressing. They produce a feeling of claustrophobia in some people when space is tight. Avoid any shade that could rightly be called deeper than “medium.”
As noted above, finish is important too. You want something that is washable and that will handle moisture well, but a gloss finish in a bathroom will reflect light too directly rather than absorbing and diffusing it. A satin or eggshell is a better choice no matter what color you select.
For guides on bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, basement remodeling, and outdoor remodeling projects, visit our helpful learning articles for tips and tricks!
