Color Inspiration for a Beautiful Bathroom

By Erin Carlyle, Houzz

Whether youre an unabashed color-lover or consider yourself more color-shy, the bath or powder room is a great place to load up on a favorite pick. One reason is that its a small enough space that bold colors can work without being overwhelming.

Its a really good opportunity for homeowners who are wanting to dip their toe in the water, says Caitlin Murray, principal at Black Lacquer Design. If you dont like it, youre not overcommitting. You can change it up again.

For some colorful inspiration, take a look at these bathrooms recently added to Houzz that embrace saturated colors via wallpaper, paint, feature tile, even brightly colored vanities. Which room would you like to have in your home?

The Bath Sale is back! Up to 75% Off

1. Bold purple wallpaper forms a beautiful canvas for a white sink accented by a matte brass faucet and a modern brass mirror with a thin frame. This is a powder room, one of Murrays designs, and the purple is actually deeper than it appears in this photo (see product link below). Murray says the deep color helps the walls to recede, making the small room appear a bit larger.

Wallpaper: Drag DR 1292, Farrow & Ball

2. A deep pink infuses energy into this white bathroom. The homeowner used the same color on the ceiling of a nearby bedroom.

Wall paint: Peony 2079-30, Benjamin Moore; vanity: custom; flooring: 2-by-4-inch marble tiles

Related: Hire a Painter to Brighten Up the Bath With Color

3. This bathroom in a 1936 Spanish-style Los Angeles home benefits from a skylight that bathes the bathtub in natural light. The aqua tiles edged in dark green showcase a favored color.Tile: B&W Tile; tub deck: marble; fixtures: California Faucets

4. Bright red and deep red tiles add a big jolt of color to this room, but the smooth lines of the countertop, vanity and sink help to take the energy down a notch.

5. Goldenrod and olive-hued wallpaper above mustard-colored beadboard paneling imbues this Hawaii bathroom with a warm feeling, as if its being bathed in sunlight. The colors here and in the rest of the home, a new build, are favorites of the client, says architect Alwyn Trigg Trigg-Smith. What was so interesting is in picking the colors, I realized that my client, Diane, actually came to the meetings wearing the colors of her house, Trigg-Smith says. Her closet was filled with mango, olive, soft pink and yellow hues.

The other homeowner, an engineer, added the yellow detailing on the floor after the home was built. The yellow diamonds are tiles inset into the wood, increasing in frequency toward the wet portion of the bathroom (the shower and water closet) beyond the open door.

6. This en suite bathroom was designed for a 17-year-old. Orange and blue are opposite each other on the color wheel, positions that indicate complementary colors, or those that have the sharpest contrast. The bold color choice makes for an energetic feel.

For master bathrooms, many people want something that makes their skin look pretty, says Barbara Eberlein of Eberlein Design Consultants in Philadelphia so everyone ends up with a rosy bathroom. But people need not feel limited to skin-flattering colors, especially in smaller or less frequently used rooms like powder rooms. I dont really think there are any colors to avoid in a bathroom, Eberlein says. Her own powder room is a lacquered high-gloss black.

Eberlein suggests pulling colors for a bathroom from the spaces that share architecture with the bathroom, such as a hallway. This room is a good example of that principle; the fun palette was pulled from the teens adjacent bedroom.

Camber undermount sink, Underscore BubbleMassage tub and Santa Rosa Comfort Height toilet: Kohler; Transit faucet with lever handles and Transit lever tub filler with hand shower in polished chrome: Waterworks Studio