How to Choose the Best Paint Colors for Small Bathrooms

So you have a small bathroom in your home and you’re wondering what in the world you can do to make it appear less like a cramped cubicle and more like a comfortable space. 

The key to your bathroom transformation is all in the paint color! 

Colors can have a profound impact on how we view a space and when painting your home, you can use that to your advantage. 

Here are some of the best ways to utilize paint colors to make your tiny bathroom appear less cramped: 

Stick to the Basics

White is a classic bathroom color for a reason: It works. 

In a small space, bright and airy colors tend to reflect the small existing amount of light and illuminate the room. This, in turn, makes the room appear larger because it is so filled with light. 

No color does this task better than white. 

The good news is, you have hundreds of whites to choose from, all of which fall into one of three categories: warm, cool, or pure. 

The tone of white you choose can do just as much for a room as the white itself. You want to make sure the type of white you pick goes with your theme, decorations, and goals for the room. 

A warm white is proven to give a place a welcoming and comforting feeling. This is also a good option for homes that have a lot of woodwork or wooden floors because the warm tones compliment one another. 

Cool whites are best used in a space with lots of blue undertones. If you have mainly silver fixtures or gray floors, a cool white is sure to highlight these features. Cool whites also tend to give the room a very clean feeling. 

Lastly, a pure white can compliment many different themes or decorations. We recommend using a pure white paint for more modern or eclectic bathroom designs. 

Play with Psychology

Psychology has proven that different colors elicit different feelings in us. 

Most businesses use this to their advantage, designing their buildings and logos based upon the products they want you to buy. So for your bathroom, look to spas and hotels for inspiration. 

Most spas tend to utilize pale blues and light, muted greens in their spaces and for good reasons. 

Green is known to evoke feelings of rest, peace, and serenity. These are all feelings that go well in a bathroom space. 

A bathroom is a getaway and, while you’re soaking in the tub or getting ready in the morning, you want to feel relaxed and at peace. Since bathrooms are so small, aim for light greens to keep the space feeling open. 

Also, look for more muted colors to keep the space from feeling garish. 

Likewise, blue is said to bring tranquility and calmness. Its association with water also makes it pair well in a bathroom. 

We recommend a color scheme that tends to lean towards the ocean for inspiration with greys, light blues, silvers, and creams. Colors that go well together in nature often go well together in homes. 

By keeping the blue lighter, you also manage to still get the effect of light being bounced around the walls and illuminating the space to make it appear larger. 

Dare to Go Dark

Maybe light colors just aren’t your thing. Fear not because dark paint colors, when done correctly, can create a gorgeous bathroom space. 

In bathrooms with no natural light, we actually recommend picking a darker color. 

This may seem counterintuitive at first. Perhaps you’re thinking you may end up with something that looks more like a cave than a bathroom. However, there is color theory to back us up on this one. 

Dark colors in a space with no natural light create depth with shadows. These shadows give the illusion of a larger space. 

It also brings more attention to any space that does have light. 

You can then use this to your advantage by placing a large mirror in the space and decorating with a larger light fixture. These pieces bring enough light to the space to fight off the cave feeling. 

They also stand out, so be sure to pick a light fixture you want to showcase! 

We recommend warm burgundys, navy blues, dark greens, charcoal, and blacks for your dark bathroom paint colors. 

Add Accents

Perhaps light colors, muted colors, and dark colors don’t fit your aesthetic. 

Do you really love the energy you get from bright, vibrant colors? You can integrate those into your small bathroom space as well! 

While we don’t recommend painting your entire space with these colors, they can make beautiful accent walls or stencils.

One option to consider is painting most of your walls white and then having one wall side be your accent color. For bathrooms, we recommend making this the wall opposite of your mirror. 

That way, your mirror can reflect the color around the space without making the entire room feel taken over by the color. 

Another fun way to add brighter colors to your bathroom space is by using them for stencils. 

A white background with stencils in designs ranging from floral to geometric can bring color to your bathroom without making it overpowering. 

For any accent, pick any color of your choice. We just recommend you keep it at one to keep the space from feeling too cluttered. 

Professional Interior Painters in Metro Detroit

Painting your home’s interior is a big undertaking. At Armor Tough Coatings we recognize how stressful painting can be. We also know the process goes far beyond actually painting the room. That’s why our experienced painters help you every step of the way, from color selection to finishing touches. Schedule an estimate today to get the colorful walls of your dreams- hassle free!