Paint color for a small bathroom

15 years ago

I'm having a hard time picking a paint color for a small powder room that we are updating. I've tried many samples and so far I like SW- "Sea Salt" and "Rainwashed." The tile flooring is staying as it was installed about 6 or 7 years ago and is the same as in the hallway. It's a neutral light creamy beige color with darker beige as well. We will be going with a small vanity in a dark Espresso with a white china euro-style sink top and a mirror that matches the vanity. There is a built in wall cabinet as well so we will have the doors refaced to go with the vanity. The faucet, towel bar tissue bar, and above vanity lighting are all going to be brushed nickel.We might change the doors on the small shower as well to get rid of the chrome. The toilet will be white. The styling on all the fixtures and the vanity are what I would call traditional without being ornate. I really like "rainwashed" but I am thinking maybe it is to colorful for such a small room with no window. It's more colorful than the paints in the rest of the house though so maybe that is why I am thinking it is too much. My other choice is "Sea Salt." Has anyone used this color in a bathroom before? Right now the bathroom is so stark looking with white walls, white pedastal sink, toilet, and light beige tile that I am not visualizing it the way it will look once we have it updated.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

ccoombs1
15 years ago
I think is a small bathroom, there are no rules. Go with what you like, even if you think it's too colorful. A room that you spend hours in is one thing....you have to be more careful with colors there. but a bathroom.....no rules. Just my opinion and I am not a professional decorator! lol!
Sueb20
15 years ago
I'm not familiar with those specific colors, but I agree with ccoombs. A small bathroom is a great excuse to use a fun or interesting color that doesn't necessarily "coordinate" with other colors in your house. I have a TINY powder room (if yours has a shower, it doesn't qualify as small in my book! mine is 3' x 5') and it is a lavender color right now, a color that has no relationship to any other colors on my first floor. Neighbors also have this same tiny bath, and one is cobalt blue, the other is a raspberry color, and both look great.
Related Professionals
Appleton Interior Designers & Decorators · Hagerstown Interior Designers & Decorators · Lake Elsinore Interior Designers & Decorators · Wanaque Interior Designers & Decorators · Rosaryville Interior Designers & Decorators · Annandale Furniture & Accessories · Racine Furniture & Accessories · San Elizario Furniture & Accessories · Rogers Furniture & Accessories · Zionsville Furniture & Accessories · Tamalpais-Homestead Valley Furniture & Accessories · Gainesville Custom Artists · Baldwin Park Lighting · Gadsden Window Treatments · Littleton Window Treatments
primbynature
15 years ago
I agree. we are building a new house and our spare bath is going to be a totally different color than the rest of the house. they are all neutral khaki's and tans, etc...the spare bath will be white and nantucket fog. not a big jump but just a little different.
fnmroberts
15 years ago
I agree that a Powder Room can stand separate from others nearby. We updated ours a couple years ago and went with a deep blue wallcovering.

It sounds as though your fixtures will be similar to what we selected. We have been very pleased with our color choice and have received lots of favorable comments from visitors. And remember, it is a small space so if you have a change of heart, repainting is not a big deal.

Here are photos of ours:

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Powder Room
johnmari
15 years ago
Powder rooms are the perfect rooms to go "over the top" with in ways that would be completely overpowering in a larger room - so colorful is good! We haven't done anything with our half bath yet but I'm planning on something really strong, bright and fun like cobalt blue (DH's favorite color, too), since it's only a 5x6' space.

BTW, just to be finicky, if it has a shower it's not a powder room, it's a three-quarter bath. (A full bath has a tub, a powder room aka half bath is just toilet and sink.)
nthemdl
15 years ago
It sounds like a larger version of my powder room with the same fixtures and wood colors along with same tones in the tile work.

IMHO, I would go dark in that room. I have SW Rainwashed in my master bath, and although it is not a large bathroom, it looks spare and cavernous.

In my tiny 5X6 powder room, I have SW River Rouge with the espresso vanity with white euro sink. Brushed nickel fixtures and lights. It looks stunning!!
User
15 years ago
we used SW Celery with white trim and crown moulding, and love it!
Desert_Heat
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you for posting pictures of your lovely powder room fnmroberts. Thanks to everyone else for your imput also.

The bath really is 3/4 and not a powder room. I just think of it that way because it is tiny and the shower rarely gets used as the only bedroom downstairs is used as an office. The floorspace not counting the shower is just 4'10" x 5.

I dragged the vanity into the bathroom to see what it looked like against my sample wall and I decided I liked the way it looked with Sea Salt a bit better. Hopefully I made the right choice.
lisaaparrish_hotmail_com
13 years ago
I have a small bathroom with no windows, it has a med to dark vanity cabinet and a cream color sink. The shower with glass doors is also cream color liketh e toilet and tile floor. I am trying to find a color to paint the walls. The hall is a BM tyler toupe and the bedroom on the right side of the bath down the hall a little is a crimson red.