The Best Colors for Small Bathrooms
Updated: Jan. 04, 2024
These are the top paint color choices for making a small bathroom look bigger.
Paint Colors for Small Bathrooms
You found the perfect house, with one small snag — it’s got a tiny bathroom. Take heart: The right color on those small walls can make that bathroom look more spacious. Keep reading to learn the top color choices for making a small bathroom seem bigger.
First, though, here are Joanna Gaines’ tips for making a small bathroom feel larger.
Bright Colors for Your Bathroom
The experts at Glidden Paint suggest light and bright colors that reflect light to create the appearance of a larger space. This is why so many people recommend white paint as one of the best colors for small bathrooms, because, of course, it reflects the most light.
White Colors
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of white paint colors to choose from. Sherwin-Williams breaks down its whites into three groups: pure whites, warm whites and cool whites.
Cool whites are great for rooms with cool hues and undertones like blue. Warm whites feature a base of yellow or red and work well to give rooms a warm and welcoming feel. Pure whites are best in rooms that are modern, eclectic or even rustic in decor.
Think about your small bathroom’s decor and accessories before you select your perfect white paint. Maximize your space with these 20 bathroom storage hacks.
White paint offers a crisp, fresh and clean feel. If you want something more energetic and cheery, go with white main walls and ceiling and a bright accent wall with a pop of color like sunshine yellow or magenta.
Light Colors
Glidden also suggests other light and neutral colors for small bathrooms (a.k.a. powder rooms). If you want a spa-like small bathroom, Glidden suggests a pale blue or light green color palette.
Neutral Colors
Lighter neutrals, like a light gray or a soft tan, can also serve as the perfect color for a powder room. These bathrooms are so elegant you won’t even realize how small are.
Darker Colors for a Bathroom With No Windows
If you’re not thrilled with the color choices we’ve mentioned so far, don’t be discouraged. White and neutral colors aren’t your only option when it comes to choosing the best paint colors for small bathrooms.
Lots of designers go the complete opposite route and choose dark colors for bathrooms without windows and natural light.
Black
“Oftentimes I like to paint small bathrooms (typically windowless rooms) a dark color, like black,” Jenny Wolf of Jenny Wolf Interiors tells Architectural Digest. “It gives depth and creates an illusion of a larger space.” These tips also offer great ways to transform your small bathroom into one that looks a lot bigger.
Fleming James of Oliver Street Design says high-gloss “super dark” colors are best for small bathrooms, especially ones without windows. That’s because they give off a “big-night-sky effect” and bounce the scarce available light around the room.
In this case, select your light fixtures carefully. Make sure you love their shapes since they will be center stage, and be sure to use bulbs that emit a lot of light. Large mirrors also help to create depth and reflect light in a small bathroom with dark walls.
Charcoal
A charcoal color scheme offers the perfect balance between lighter and darker bathrooms. Plus, marble countertops fit perfectly with the color scheme.
If a small bathroom really isn’t working for you, find out how to remodel it.
Originally Published: January 04, 2021
