The Ultimate Guide to Bathroom Colour Ideas

Choosing the right bathroom colour schemes can be a mammoth task. Not only do you need to consider current trends, but you should also make sure you’re picking colours and designs that won’t look outdated any time soon to ensure your bathroom colour ideas have staying power.

In this guide, we’ll cover some of the best bathroom colour ideas to help you decide which colour – or combination of colours – you want to choose for your bathroom.

The fundamentals of colour in interior design

Colour is essential in interior design as it can change the way you see the space around you, either positively or negatively. So when it comes to your bathroom colour ideas, you should not only consider which colours and tones work best together but also the connotations that those colours have.

Colour connotations can be broken down into cultural, emotional, and physical. When choosing colours, you should think about how it makes you feel and whether other people might have a similar reaction. For example, blues, greens, and whites are all commonly used in bathroom colour schemes as they’re colours with positive connotations of calmness, tranquillity, and freshness, which generally makes them a great fit.

Once the colour has been decided, it’s important to plan where it should be applied. Think about how you want the eye to be drawn around the room and how different elements can tie in. For instance, in a large space, a colourful panelled wall for your bathroom wall colours behind the bath could be mirrored in the colour of accessories such as bath towels or floral arrangements.

Traditionally, any interior designers stick to the rule of 60:30:10 – rooms should have 60% dominant colour, 30% secondary colour, and 10% accent colour. However, as new trends surface, home decoration rules are often bent and broken.

Interior design is all about personal preference, so whilst these rules can be a general guide when decorating, the final choice is up to you. If you want to change the 60:30:10 rule to 50/50 for your bathroom colour ideas, then do it! On the other hand, these are merely guidelines to assist you if you’re feeling stuck when decorating, so if you want to break the mould and create your own rules, we say go for it!

Colour theory for bathroom colour ideas

Colour theory revolves around the colour wheel. The primary colours of red, yellow, and blue will anchor the colour scheme, and secondary colours are orange, purple and green. You can use these as a starting point and then explore the tones, shades, and tints that stem from these down the colour wheel.

The word hue refers to pure colours, such as primary colours, and these can be altered by lightening or darkening them. Tint refers to a hue with added white; shade refers to a hue with added black, and tone refers to a hue with white and black added.

Black and white can be added to hues in any proportion to alter the shade of the colour significantly or hardly at all.

The bathroom colour mood boards in this blog illustrate how you can use the colour wheel to develop bathroom colour schemes that will look fresh for years to come.

Planning bathroom colour schemes

Starting from scratch is a rare occurrence when redecorating – especially with bathrooms. Often, bathroom colour schemes will be dictated by the existing floor tiles or bathroom suite. When you’re working around existing features in your bathroom, use them as a jumping-off point. Using the colour wheel, incorporate tones of similar colours to develop a natural theme that looks effortless.

Light levels should also be a consideration. Think about the direction your room faces – north-facing rooms are famously darker, while south-facing rooms enjoy lots of natural light. It’s important to make the most of any natural light you have in your bathroom, so you need to think of this when decorating with bathroom wall colours.

You may want to alter the colour scheme you choose based on this information, choosing a lighter wall colour for north-facing rooms to reflect more light.

Although not strictly bathroom colour schemes related, mixing and matching textures such as soft towels, smooth flooring, and tile-effect wall panels can create an aesthetic that enhances your choice of bathroom colour ideas.

Neutral bathroom wall colours

Neutral colours will always be a classic choice for bathrooms. Earth tones such as cream and beige are calming and don’t date quickly, making them ideal for high-traffic rooms in the house. This allows you to bring in bold elements through accents and play with textural elements.

Use different elements to layer tones in the room from rough wood and soft towels to textured bathroom wall panels. This will help to create a warm space that you won’t grow tired of.

Neutral spaces also allow you to bring your tastes to the forefront via artwork and other trinkets that would need to be more coordinated with the décor in a room with a bolder colour palette. A neutral bathroom will also help balance light around the room, which is vital, especially when decorating a small space or a bathroom with no windows.

A neutral bathroom doesn’t have to be boring. Beige bathroom wall panels will also help to keep your bathroom contemporary as the years go by.

These moonstone effect wall panels are ideal for ensuring that your bathroom looks sleek and modern for years to come. Cover the whole room, floor to ceiling, or go full height behind the bath, shower, and sinks, and half-height everywhere else.

Beige colour meaning

Beige is widely used in decorating, as its neutrality appeals to a wide range of people. This dependable and relaxing shade offers the warmth and luxury of brown combined with the freshness of white, making it ideal for any room in the house. Beige is a reliable option that will never date, as it is familiar through being reflected in nature – in sand, oats, eggs, and clouds.

Black bathroom colour ideas

A black bathroom may not be your first thought, but introducing dark tones into your space can ensure you have a sophisticated, contemporary look. The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the house, so doing something inventive in terms of colour schemes can make your home really stand out. Black, charcoal, and dark greys may seem out there, but they help create a peaceful, luxurious space.
If cladding the walls in black bathroom wall panels still seems a bit extreme, go monochrome and install black sanitaryware and fixtures against your white or light grey room. Install the panels behind the bath and sinks – these natural stone anthracite wall panels are ideal for creating a luxurious atmosphere with incorporated textural elements.

Black colour meaning

Black is associated with power, elegance, mystery, and authority – but it is sometimes associated with death, evil, and aggression. For any colour to have depth or variation, black should be added, and so many colours contain elements of black. Although black is often described as a colour, strictly speaking, it’s a shade. The word black refers to the absence of colour.

Brown bathroom colour ideas

Brown is a luxurious colour that’s very versatile. Mixed with other neutral colours such as grey, white, or beige, it can create a natural look, bringing a feel of earth, sand, or stone into the home – as seen in Dulux’s Colour of the Year 2021, Brave Ground. Using brown in the bathroom creates an authentic feeling space that references the comfortable decadence of spas.

To incorporate brown into the bathroom, add swathes of wood or wood-effect wall panels behind the bath or sink area to frame the room. Wood also brings texture into the area, creating visual interest in a subtle, calming way.

Where real wood will need regular upkeep and re-varnishing from time to time, these marino wood-effect wall panels are easy to install and maintain.

Incorporating copper elements into your bathroom is another good way to introduce warmer tones. Copper-look fixtures or accessories is an affordable way to ensure you get the look. Balance this with the warm neutral tones of wood or tile effect shower wall panels, and your bathroom will soon be a haven that you can’t wait to relax in.

Brown colour meaning

Brown is associated with the earth and has connotations of reliability, security, elegance, warmth, and homeliness. It is often found in the interiors of spas and luxury hotels as well as in bathroom colour schemes, as it can conjure up feelings of cosiness and relaxation.

Grey bathroom colour ideas

Grey has become a prevalent colour for interiors in the last few years, inspired by Scandinavian design and the culture of hygge. Although it is often associated with the coolness of blue, grey doesn’t have to be a cold neutral. With the right styling, you can have a modern grey bathroom that feels warm and cosy.

Grey comes in many different shades, so balancing the room’s natural light is essential. Darker rooms might benefit from a lighter shade of grey, whilst rooms with more natural light could get away with a darker tone.

When considering lighting, you should also think about how you use the room. For example, the main light is perfect for dark mornings in winter but could be harsh for relaxing baths. Try using a dimmer switch or up-lighting to create a cosy atmosphere in the evening.

Grey bathroom wall panels are a great way of incorporating the shade into your bathroom in an easy way. These concrete style wall panels are ideal for industrial bathrooms, and you can install them around a wet room shower to achieve a modern look.

If you’re after something more classic, choose these moonstone style bathroom wall panels – perfect for panelling behind double sinks, bath, and showers and mixing with crisp white paint on the surrounding walls.

Grey colour meaning

Grey is a cool, balanced colour that, although associated with dullness in the past, now has connotations of elegance, tranquillity, and balance – both in dark and light tones. Whilst dark greys such as anthracite or charcoal convey the strength of black, light greys can have the same colour associations as white or other neutral colours, juxtaposing freshness and warmth to make the perfect modern neutral shade.

White bathroom colour ideas

Despite colourful bathrooms being a big trend, white bathroom décor is still the preferred option for those redecorating their bathrooms. White looks fresh and clean but can be difficult to maintain as it shows dirt, stray hairs, and soap scum easily. However, white bathroom wall panels are the perfect way to create a white bathroom that can be easily maintained.

Modern white bathrooms are easy to create. Most homes come with white bathroom suites as standard, so if you’re on a budget, sticking to white will be a good option. Whatever your white bathroom colour ideas are, it is achievable to turn them into a reality.

White is also perfect for smaller rooms or bathrooms with no windows, as it reflects the light around the room. It can also contribute to a minimal look, accessorised sporadically with fluffy towels, wooden accessories, furniture and fresh plants.

If you decide on white walls, consider adding in texture with brick wall panels, as this will help add visual interest. Alternatively, these whitestone tile-effect wall panels are ideal for creating a sleeker look in the home.

White colour meaning

White is often associated with purity, innocence, light, and cleanliness, making it the perfect colour for the bathroom. White is bright and brilliant but adding different hues into it allow it to become warm or cool. White also aids clarity and fresh beginnings, making it a great colour to start the day with.

Red bathroom colour ideas

Colour can be a powerful tool for interior designers, as it helps convey the personalities of the people who live in the home. Although a fully red bathroom might be overwhelming, there are other, slightly less intense ways of making your red bathroom ideas a reality.

Consider installing red bathroom wall panels in an area that you’d like to highlight. A red wall panel floor to ceiling behind the sink is a strong feature and will draw the eye right to the centre of the bathroom.

If you’re going for an industrial look in the bathroom, these red brick wall panels will be perfect – they bring a bit of colour into the room without it being too garish. If you believe that bolder is better, this red sparkle bathroom wall cladding is great for adding a burst of colour to the room.

If you want to incorporate red into the bathroom in a more subtle way, choose it as an accent colour and use it in the towels, bathmats, and plants that you arrange in the room. In period homes, a deep, glamorous red will look spectacular on the walls of your cloakroom or downstairs toilet.

Red colour meaning

Red is the colour of love, desire, and sexuality, but it also has connotations of heat and courage. It’s an assertive colour and a brave choice for a bathroom as it may not create the most relaxing atmosphere. However, used sparingly, it has the potential to create an exciting, bold room.

Purple bathroom colour ideas

Purple is an excellent colour for a bathroom, as it promotes calmness, energy, and wellness. The many shades of purple you can get also make it versatile, so adding purple bathroom wall panels will be sure to provide your space with a much needed pop of regal colour. If you live in a period property, consider a luxurious dark aubergine colour for your purple bathroom – perfect for Victorian homes with tall ceilings.

Lilac and other light shades of purple are better for more modern homes, as the colour conveys freshness.

If you’d like to make a statement, these purple sparkle wall panels are ideal for installing around the bath, shower and sinks. Remember that with purple, a little goes a long way. Use the wall panels behind the sink only to draw the eye to that part of the room.

To incorporate purple into your bathroom in a subtler way, install white wood-effect wall panels or grey wood-effect wall panels around the bathtub or shower.  Then, at half height around the toilet and sinks, apply purple paint or steam-proof wallpaper from dado height.

Purple colour meaning

Purple is an energising colour associated with luxury, creativity, and dignity. It’s perfect for a relaxing yet energising bathroom. Many people find it a calming colour, which makes it perfect to surround yourself with when relaxing in the bath. As a colour with many shades, different tones may represent different feelings: light purple is associated with calmness and tranquillity, and dark purple connotes loyalty or steadfastness.