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As a color expert, designer, and remodeler, I enjoy the challenge of selecting and painting small spaces for our clients. And while there are colors that are tried-and-true popular like white and blue, choosing a bathroom paint color requires my getting to know the family before I make a suggestion. Still it’s often helpful to know how color can affect how a room feels, especially a small space like a bathroom where a paint color can dominate. “Color in a bathroom is everything because there is always a mirror,” says Shannon Ggem, principal at Shannon Ggem Design Co. in Los Angeles.
And among designers, there’s also an endless debate about whether a dark color or a light color makes a small room feel bigger. But with a small bathroom, it can feel safer to try something new. “Small bathrooms are the best rooms to let your creativity go wild,” says Rose Dostal AIA, ASID, NKBA, at RMD Designs. “I suppose it depends on the homeowner, but I do like to push their limit. Because the footprint is so limited, I tell them to go for it and take the design risk that you might not take elsewhere.”
So what are the best interior paint colors for a small bathroom? I have my own professional recommendations; I also asked top interior designers for their go-to picks. One of our small bathroom paint color favorites might be exactly right for you.
1. Warm White
Warm white paint can be a calm and soothing color for a small bathroom, offering just a hint of yellow undertones that pair perfectly well with wood finishes and other natural materials and nature-inspired colors. “White can be a great base for those materials and allows a clean look and creates the possibility of a more spacious feeling,” says Margo Nathanson of Margo Nathanson Interiors.
Color pick: “My top paint selection for small bathrooms is Benjamin Moore Swiss coffee,” says Christine Boozer, principal and owner at Serenity Home Styling in northern New Jersey. “I have also used Swiss coffee for cabinet painting.”
2. Cool White
If calm, modern styles are more your design mojo, consider a cool white. A crisper version of a warm white, cool whites create a simple and quiet backdrop for the rest of the space. Colors that are considered cool have a bluish or grayish undertone, so they work well with metals, glass, and stone. A cool white can also be balanced with warm lighting or detailed wallpaper on a feature wall to help create a more homey feeling, too.
Color pick: “My go-to white is the Sherwin Williams Snowbound because it can pair with many patterned wallpapers,” says Dostal.
3. Gray
Gray paint gives a small bathroom a moodier vibe than white but without dominating the space like a rich black or deep blue. A cool gray can be an excellent pick for a modern vibe and a warm gray can offer a better backdrop to a biophilic atmosphere. While gray sounds like an easy color to choose, there are so many hues that choosing one isn’t easy. If you are between two shades of gray, go for the lighter color as it’s easier to paint over a light color than a darker one.
Color pick: A serene color like Intrepid Grey from Sherwin-Williams offers a quiet confidence for a small space.
4. Light Blue
Blue is always a frontrunner when it comes to paint colors because it’s America’s favorite color. For a small bathroom, a paint color like light blue gives the space a calm and meditative vibe because it’s the color of sky and water. “We always specify chalky colors that are rooted in nature, and tend to avoid the very brights,” says Ggem. “Our clients want a serene feeling and though the color may vary, the serenity feature is always a part of what we specify.”
Color pick: Mountain Stream by Kilz mimics a blue sky but with a bit of gray to exude modern sophistication.
5. Light Green
Just like blue, green is a callback to nature with open fields and lush trees and gardens. Greens, including light green, are associated with health and wealth, which can help emphasize the feeling of clean and refreshed from inside a small bathroom. “Light, verdant greens, they bring the outside in, creating a peaceful and grounding feeling, and a restful experience,” says Nathanson.
Color pick: “Blue/greens like Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore and true greens like Cushing Green are a favorite,” says Ggem.
6. Warm Neutral
Even though whites might be considered neutral, warm neutral paint colors are more saturated and distinctive. Think of these colors as a richer hue. Paired well with classic and elegant design elements like crown molding, antique mirrors, and charming sconces, a warm neutral isn’t quite brown and could be called beige or linen. The stronger the yellow undertones, the warmer the color.
Color pick: “Benjamin Moore Natural Linen. I am currently painting the bottom half of my office bathroom Natural Linen and wallpapering the top half,” says Boozer.
7. Cool Neutral
Not quite gray, a cool neutral offers the same kind of quiet backdrop but with a bit of refinement that the undertones offer. A cool neutral works well with a vanity or shelves in rich hues and it also becomes a wallflower for rosy decor like window treatments, rugs, and towels or bathroom accessories like a soap dispenser and toothbrush holder.
Color pick: A calm and quiet color, the cool neutral Pacific Fog from Sherwin-Williams is adaptable to both a simple color palette or more expressive home decor.
8. Rich Blue
A rich blue can make a small bathroom feel more expansive, especially if you paint the ceiling and all four walls the same color. Rich blues pair well with natural wood finishes, white bathroom fixtures, and natural texture choices for rugs and window treatments, too. “Dark blues and slates create a feeling of coziness akin to a nest. If you can’t increase the size of the bathroom, dark colors can cocoon you,” says Nathanson.
Color pick: Glidden’s Blue Fjord is a rich blue with a hint of grey that’ll give your space a calm and relaxed vibe.
9. Dark Colors
Dark colors can be controversial in a small bathroom, but designers have been picking dark hues for powder rooms for ages. Why? A dark color can help the walls feel like they are receding. Painting the ceiling and trim the same color can enrich that experience, which has been trending as color drenching in interior design. “Rich colors layered with textures or statement wallpaper can do just that. The only colors I consistently avoid are those that resemble anything better left out of a bathroom experience,” says Dostal.
Color pick: A richly saturated color, Blackberry by Glidden is a purple that announces a sophisticated aura.
