Do try the buff. it's only paint, if it doesn't work you can overpaint. I suspect greige will make it look dismal, and confirm your worst fears.

Completely agree with janbhan that greige and lack of contrast will heighten the heavy, monolithic feel.

You only have to look at hotel bathrooms, always neutral, beige, and not committed to any particular colour. Dreadfully boring. Paint is so easy to change, you can cover up your disasters (if any) in no time. Or you can just opt for a total change of colour. Fortunately what you have is so neutral you can really have fun. I'd look at warm soft colours, sandstone or something like that. Stay away from greys.

I'd cry over that tile too. Sorry, but granite paired with that mottled tile and mosaics IS busy. But bless Houzzer's hearts for their suggestions, I think they will help greatly. Large mirror or very contrasting paint color with glitzy light fixtures and art will distract enough to make it cool. No sure about "spa like" though.....

I think green paint will, by contrast, turn that granite even more pink looking than it already is. A more chocolate-y hue might work. Add wood framed mirrors to match the vanity to further calm and ground the room. Fluffy white towels and rug would then add that clean spa-like feel.

You could be right jeanstryker if the granite has even a tiny bit of a warm red neutral hue in it a green paint next to it would give it a pink cast. Good point.

Absolutely right. Granites, even the grey ones, look best with warm subtle tones. I agree with you all that green would emphasise the pink. Though I must confess I have a chocolate granite with dark red splashes in my bathroom, and I have lime-green accessories on the counter! But the rest of the bathroom is cream with a terracotta floor, so the green is like an accent. I have rarely seen green being used successfully as a main colour indoors.

I agree, it's heavy; the space is too small for all that weight. There are a lot of good suggestions here. But I wouldn't try another type, color, or style of tile to help the design. The only thing I would suggest is somehow removing some of the tile around the lav area. I love the white window trim, and the brightness it adds. You don't need a dark color on the walls, as that will make the space seem even smaller. Keep your wall color light, and pick one of the colors in the granite. Good luck.

After taking a second look, here's what I would do. Remove all the wall tile in the lav area, including the lav side of the shower half-wall. That will allow the granite countertop to be separated from the tile. I'd start there, then make decisions on backsplash (really needed in this wet area, maybe matching 4" granite back and side splashes?) and paint color after the tile is removed.

I agree with a few of the people who don't like the mirrors i too would have that whole area in mirror ,other than that i think your bathroom looks really nice . I hope you get it finished soon and surprise yourself with how good it looks.you will look back at this and smile ( i hope)

I need to qualify my statement about green paint. I love green! In fact, I have three green bathrooms. They look like springtime or summer. I just don't think spinmom's granite would look best with that combo.

Paint some foam board with all the different colors you are considering (Benjamin Moore has small sample bottles) and look at them at all different times of day. I'm sure you will find something that is the perfect fit.
Sherwin Williams also has some larger paint chips. You might put 3 or 4 of those together to get an idea.
Good luck!!

I seem to have lost my last comment... I think I have an emotional reaction to green, though i have seen it used successfully in a few areas. For me it is an institutional colour...schools, hospitals, etc. Of course this dates back to over 60 years ago. But lime green is a colour that does work nicely with browns because of its freshness. I think if you go for safe greige or beige your bathroom might lose freshness, so look at the warmer colours and unite the range with a black trim. Are those mirros actually cabinet doors? Just wondering. I think indomom's suggestion to get paint chips is a good one.

If you want to add green or any other color it can be added as an accent and acessories, ie: towels, art, rug, decorative items on the vanity, fresh flowers etc.. By keeping a neutral background it smooths out the look of your room and accentuates any accent color you place in the room. It also sets up the bathoom so that you can change your accent color any time without spending a lot of money. Can't wait t see the finished room.

My mother's parents had a green and white bathroom... pea green with those square white Underground tiles you don't see any more. It was truly institutional. But my Dad's parents had a bathroom painted shocking pink above white panelling, It had a black and white checkered floor and a claw-foot tub! The washbasin was on a pedestal, with a little shelf above it for the toothbrushes but not much else. Nobody else I knew had such a striking colour; the best part was the beaten copper Art Deco jug that stood on the window sill. It gave such a stylish touch to the room. My Gran had a wonderful eye for colour and design.
Now my bathroom echoes that pink bathroom with a terra cotta pink tile on the floor to ground the cream walls with their old-fashioned dado in cream and terra cotta. I even have Gran's rose-patterned china candle-sticks up on a glass shelf, my look back at the past. I love the modern look, but find a retro effect very satisfying, even though you may have a shower and modern fittings. Wow, I got carried away there!
My grandfather used the rest of the bathroom paint in the kitchen. My mother rolled her eyes at the idea of a shocking pink kitchen, but somehow it worked well with the 19th century kitchen table and the ancient wood-burning stove and the slopstone sink. There was a triangular corner cupboard for the beverages, and a wag-by-the-wall clock. The flooring was dark blue slate flagstones. It was rather dark, but incredibly cosy.

janbhan. You have a great memory. Grandparents home were so warm, cuddly and always something delicious coming out of the oven. Thanks for sharing.

Well at 70 I think my distant memory is probably sharper than my memory for what happened last week! Thanks for the compliment.
I was lucky to grow up in a time when the Depression was still a vivid memory and the war years (and stringent rationing) were only just over. So our homes were an unplanned hotch potch of furniture styles that had a charm all of its own. We made do with fresh paint, new curtains and maybe a new carpet. Since we used our favourite colours the effect was fairly coordinated. Very different from the present day where everything tends to match and colour schemes are planned!
I think that we should go with our favourite colours and not try to be too much in fashion, not too stylish - after all, these are our homes we are discussing, not impersonal hotels. They should please us, not our neighbours. They should reflect us, our lifestyle and our occupations and hobbies. Then for the most part the look is satisfying. If you try to make-over a room in a style that is not you, then you will always be a little unhappy with the result.
Bathrooms in particular are tricky. You might want a claw-foot tub, but do you have room for one, and will it go with a thoroughly modern shower? Would a pedestal basin go better with the tub than a vanity? Could you put in a low chest of drawers for storage and to use like a vanity, with a nice mirror above it? Will you sacrifice covenience for style?
So I try to get to know my clients, look at the way they live, their interests and their future needs, so that what emerges is what they truly want, not something I have imposed upon them. We often end up discussing their childhoods, and it is surprising how often they want a little bit of their own past to be incorporated in their homes. One of my clients asked for (and got) a four-poster bed because she found it so romantic!

In memory of my mother, who died the other day at 94, I am going to paint my bathroom ceiling shocking pink! She can roll her eyes all she wants, but this is a nod to my Gran as well!

Not sure what the fuss is all about... Looks fine, especially once you have selected a calming paint tone.. A light gray with greenish under tones plus plush white towels will help calm you. All in all looks like you are on your way to a beautiful reno....Good luck!

Very pretty! I would use Oyster Mushroom 6185-52 Sico paint

Love the tile. This is a wild idea but chocolate brown would be very elegant and would pull all the tile together. Also looks great with white trim.

the tiles and granite are neutral....paint the bathroom whatever colour you look best in :)

We recently finished up a bathroom remodel that was started 3 years earlier. First was a new tub, custom shower door, flooring and beautiful tiles. I was afraid to tackle the 5 foot vanity but we just picked out a granite very similar to yours, an undermounted rectangular sink, and a beautiful faucet. At first I felt like you did, because you never know what the granite will ultimately look like. The walls are painted a rich cream color, picking up the cream in some travertine that is in the border in the shower. We now love it, and I wonder what all the fuss was about! You'll see!

Wow. … now you may be crying after having to read so many suggestions! :) I think you'll be happy in the end. Indeed, it's always a mess in the middle.
I personally would suggest some contrast on the walls compared to your granite…. so that the tile doesn't just blend into the walls. I would either go for a white or very light grey that will work with the tile, or like the previous person said, a chocolate, or a darker neutral grey or taupe, but since your cabinets appear to be dark, you may need the light. Looking forward to seeing the end result!!! Best of luck to you.

For a zen look, take a brown from the tile. Once the room is complete, the eye will have more to look at than just the granite and tile and I believe they will not seem too heavy anymore. I think it will be a beautiful space.

Lots of great ideas offered and I agree with the majority that once it's completed, you will be pleased with the finished product. You've done a nice job! It's always miserable toward the end of any project. Hang in there!

What does the tile look like when wet? My sister just did her kitchen and the tile she chose looked horrible with her counter top until she put a sealer on it that makes it look wet. It brought out all kinds of color that didn't show up when dry. It looks great now.

I think the colour Giz Design Studio chose looks great.
Castle Path by Behr could be a good choice too.

Ah....I feel your pain having lived through something similar. I think it looks nice and the accessories, lighting and paint will pull it all together. I think paint and lighting are the most difficult to get right the first time in a small room. At least you have some natural light to work with. Take some of your tile and a sample of your granite to a BM paint store. They were most helpful in my situation. Also we played around with different light bulbs in the fixtures and that helped too. I like a previous post about changing out the mirrors for something flush against the wall for a more spa like feel. I think the ones you have may be contributing to the heaviness. Good luck with it and trust me...it will get better.

I hesitate to mention specific colors, because monitors and lighting vary so much. However, perhaps a color to look at is BM Pismo Dunes. It is an interesting neutral with some very subtle purple undertones that might work with your tile.

Something in an earthy soft green may work for the paint too.
http://www.behr.com/consumer/colors/paint#

If you do change out the mirrors, putting a frame around them with a nice rich, dark stain would look great.

Once you add bathroom accessories etc. it will look very nice. I agree regarding what Laurie says about the mirrors though.

Calm down. it looks perfectly grand. Try to find a paint color that pulls colours from around the room / ties the room together / picks up a colour from the counter.

it a very common reaction to new space or a new piece of furniture. As a designer I can tell you that! I would like to suggest before you paint ,go shop for towels and accessories. Pick what looks good to you .
(Sea foam by Ben Moore will give you a serene peaceful feeling
then go for a silk orchid in a shades of orange .
Hang some water colored pictures with those colors Do a large mirror . Trust yourself .Have a good cry then get shopping .please try not to make the walls the same color as the tiles . Write back and tell us about your success!

It will be fine.
Change the mirror to a large framed one. I suggest a simple satin nickel frame to match the faucets rather than a dark one.( those mirrors are giving you the most problem visually...too many rectangles)
The grout to match the tiles will calm down what you see as busy right now.
Fluffy white towels maybe even monogrammed for a true spa look.
One orchid, accessories in a single color (sea foam, chocolate, maybe even Amber)
I hesitate to offer a suggestion on lighting because my taste and budget seldom match, my contractor suggested 4 recessed lights over the shower instead of one central light. It looks more spa-like and I loved it. Let the lighting experts take over for the vanity area.
Such a fun project. No tears, you're going to love it.

Honestly? It is going to be gorgeous. You are so close. Agree add the large mirror (know trend is what you have but in this case you need the simplicity), and then white accents - towels, vase etc., then experiment with wall colors which for me is the hardest but hey paint is cheap. Love it!

I think it's those accent tiles that are "muddying" everything up. I would replace id possible

Great tile, expensive and soothing, grout will help. Unlike everyone else, pick a color bright and rich pallet and paint. Paint you can always change fun accessories will add your personality. Here a major change I made in our bathroom and was unsure but came out beautiful!

If your wife hates it that much either rip it out and start over or sell the house and start again. A happy wife is a happy life!!

I think the mirrors are the biggest issue. My eye is drawn to the things on the side. Paint walls a very pleasing color like as sensible beige SW

Beautiful bathroom . finish it then find good paint. PLEASE NO BEIGE. use a color like SW sea salt to pick up the tile detail. a light green will calm everything down. beige will start competing. worse color.

[houzz=]

How about bringing in some oiled bronze? would work with the brown towns , yet make it a little more "high class" neutral. I'm guessing you thought there would be more contrast? An off white paint, oiled bronze fixtures, and a great light, or a huge frame on a mirror, out of a striking carved wood, would make a statement piece to draw your eye. Think dramatic pieces, and I think the granite won't be so "in your face"

I also think satin nickel screams cools/modern and your tile/granite screams warm/earthy. I don't think they work together, at all.

I'm sorry that you're both feeling badly about it, I think it looks great!

It looks great....it's just not done yet. Once you have all the accessories,towels etc. you will stop focusing on the things you feel are too busy. Here is a gray master bath we just finished in MAnhattan Beach. Wall color is SW Loggia.

This is an old post.

SandyC, who cares if it's old? We can still learn from other's perceived mistakes. Plus, the OP might still want to change paint color and fixtures after they've lived with it for a while and heard other opinions.

I'd like to see how it turned out.

Okay, the OP commented twice out of 94 comments. I don't think she is coming back. It's been almost a year and a half.
I think some people like to give their advice and opinions, regardless if there is ever a response or comment from the OP along the thread.

This is definitely NOT a disaster. The granite and tile go perfectly together. Try a very calm neutral like light beige that is cool rather than warm. It won't compete with the counter and tile and will tie together your cabinets, tile, and granite. Accessorize the bathroom with colors to your liking with rugs, towels, accent pieces. ENJOY your reno - sympathizing a lot with that horrible feeling of finishing a project and not liking the results....

OLD POST. 2015