Give your drab washroom a jewel-box moment.
Forget the occasional spa outing—there’s no better way to treat yourself than by giving your far-more-frequented home bathroom a bona fide facelift. Sure, a backsplash is fun. And of course, a few trendy touches or a luxurious tub can take your space to the next level. But the true showstopper of any well-designed bathroom is a bold and brilliant paint shade. Cheap Price Bathroom Furniture
A heavy-toned teal sets the stage for a moody space, as designer Pierre Gonalons boldly brandished in this eclectic Paris apartment. A preppy pop of high-gloss aubergine acts as an ideal backdrop for ELLE DECOR A-List designer Katie Ridder’s client’s black-and-white photography collection in this color-drenched Manhattan remodel. Even the right neutral—see Marc Valeanu’s layered bathroom, awash in Farrow & Ball’s lilac-undertoned Dove Tale—can sometimes be the furthest cry from the default flat white paint job in most bathrooms.
“The object of any bathroom is to feel nurtured and pampered,” says designer Sara Bengur who’s recent redo of Michael C. Hall’s New York City digs is the stuff of any design enthusiast's wildest color dreams. “This can mean different colors for different people. Bengur says some of her clients like the idea of their primary bathroom feeling like a room—with a rug, ottoman, decorative cabinets and antique lighting—while others prefer a neutral-toned spa look.
Before you find yourself facing the comprehensive selection at your local paint store, there are many considerations to take into account. If your room faces north, the light that enters will be softer and will produce a warmer effect than southern light. Different finishes can also alter the way the tone appears in a room. Glossy paint, for instance, will typically make a color look darker, because the sheen reflects and absorbs the light. Eggshell or matte paint, on the other hand, generally stays very close to the swatch color. Bengur has just one word of warning: steer clear of the color yellow and green with a lot of yellow. "These colors are not ideal for making us look our best and brightest when looking in the mirror," she apprises.
Are you feeling paralyzed by choice? Below, we’ve culled our favorite color-drenched bathrooms from the ELLE DECOR archives for inspiration. Read on for bathroom paint ideas to spur on your next renovation—it’s sure to be dripping in style.
Need a pink-me-up? If you’d like to live la vie en rose on the daily, consider this flattering hue, which adds whimsy and softness to Michael C. Hall’s New York City apartment. A pale pink wall paint timelessly goes beyond the bold bubblegum pink that emerged from the Barbiecore craze (and, let’s be honest, well before that). This particular blushing hue pairs perfectly with dark-toned accessories like an assortment of John Derian decoupage plates and trays.
For a subtle take on a classic color, opt for Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue, which is featured in the powder room of this homespun, old-world Lake Tahoe Retreat. In this jewel box of a space, designer Palmer Weiss says she “took the governor off the design engine and let it rip.” That entailed pairing the trimmed walls with poppy wallcovering (a reproduction of a 19th-century C.F.A. Voysey Arts and Crafts design by Trustworth Studios) for contrast.
This soft hue is just as elegant as its name suggests. Described by Benjamin Moore as “a classic go-to white that elicits images of fresh cotton and pure silk,” this lovely hue is a graceful complement to a white-on-white scheme or, as in this rustic bathroom, a fitting counterpoint to anchoring Moroccan tiles.
If you’re hesitant to take the color plunge, a diminutive powder room is the ideal place to experiment with bold color—and for an extra dose of glam energy, give your bathroom a high-gloss finish. In this luxe retreat, designer Katie Ridder began considering the wall art first. “Our client wanted to start a collection of black-and-white photography here,” she tells ELLE DECOR. “So we painted the walls high-gloss deep aubergine as a backdrop for the artwork.”
Green—in all of its variations—has taken over virtually every room in the house, especially kitchens. We’re equally obsessed with it in a bathroom. Here, ELLE DECOR A-List designer Ken Fulk coated the walls in his Cape Cod cottage with Farrow & Ball’s Chappell Green, a versatile sage tint that, per the paint company, reads “blue when contrasted with warmer tones and green when paired with cooler shades.”
Homeowners will obviously gravitate toward blue in bathrooms—water, water, everywhere!—but this hue from Farrow & Ball gives you a little bit of gray, too. The company notes that the color reads as pale blue in small spaces, while larger rooms bring out its cooler undertones. For an example, see Elad Yifrach’s home in Portugal, where he used the shade in this airy primary bath.
This tint by Farrow & Ball is precisely what it says it is: white with a dash of orange. Together, the colors make for a creamy neutral (not dissimilar to Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz) that creates an exceedingly flattering cast when you’re gussying up, regardless of the hour. ELLE DECOR A-List designer Michelle R. Smith shows us how it’s done in her elegant New Orleans bathroom.
Want your next bathroom makeover to give you some serious serenity? Try Farrow & Ball’s Blue Gray, a hue made from a little bit of black, a dollop of blue, and a dose of green. These ingredients make it an especially versatile shade, allowing it to read as a soft sage or even a duck egg, depending on the light. In the context of a soothing primary bathroom by ELLE DECOR A-List designer Frances Merrill of Reath Design, it feels like a hue plucked straight from nature.
Small spaces such as powder rooms offer opportunities for bold design choices. Designer Anne McDonald, in this charming Minnesota lake house, painted the half bath in Benjamin Moore’s Newburg Green, a smoky teal shade. Depending on the light and the time of day, it can read as a deep blue or a dusty green.
Naval was named as Sherwin-Williams’s 2020 Color of the Year, but obviously, this sophisticated shade has staying power. In a stylish New York apartment, design firm Le Whit used this deep, deep blue to create an enveloping, sophisticated atmosphere in the primary bathroom—a feeling accentuated by a painterly wallcovering and dramatic, burgundy-colored marble.
Farrow & Ball drew inspiration for this oceanic blue from a cove along the Jurassic Coast in southwestern England. The company also notes that it’s a “formal Regency hue” (hello, Bridgerton lovers), but that didn’t stop antiques dealer Jean-Philippe Demeyer from dousing the primary bathroom of his medieval manor in it. Paired with a matching custom tub and floaty shower curtains, it’s giving us just the right dose of maximalism.
Don’t ask us to define “Dimpse.” One thing we do know, however, is that it makes for a great bathroom neutral. This cool gray creates a peaceful, serene atmosphere, making it a good option for virtually every sort of space. But don’t take it from us: Amanda Seyfried painted the walls in her own primary bathroom in the hue.
News flash: Pink, when used correctly, can function as the chicest neutral. One designer favorite is Farrow & Ball’s blushing Setting Plaster, which serves as an ultra-flattering backdrop in bedrooms, dressing rooms, and bathrooms. In the same Manhattan apartment designed by Le Whit, the color skims the walls of a half bath. Add brass fixtures, a sparkling chandelier, and a bold tiled floor and—voilà!—it’s “me time” perfection.
The right neutral can make even the smallest spaces feel luxurious and serene. Take, for instance, the unabashedly classical bathroom in this Federal-style farmhouse in upstate New York. Swathed in Benjamin Moore’s Monroe Bisque—described by the brand as “a rich, creamy neutral with a touch of honey”—the room’s historic treasures are given a museum-worthy backdrop.
Whoever said the loo can’t be your favorite room in the house? In the bathroom of this Parisian apartment, Marc Valeanu chose to drown out the street noise just beyond with a calming tone—Farrow & Ball’s Dove Tale. When paired with bespoke Maurizio Scianna bathroom tiles and Charvet and Prada bathrobes, we daresay he’s created a bath-lover’s nirvana.
Jewel-toned paint colors are rich, saturated hues that infuse a small space with ambience. This eclectic Parisian apartment bathroom features tiled wall mirrors that extend the room’s dramatic color scheme with a seemingly infinite reach. “I like it when there’s a bit of fantasy,” says designer Pierre Gonalons.
Nuance is so yesterday. This vibrant California house, inhabited by a pair of Montecito art collectors, is pulsing with color. The star of the show? The inky-blue powder room, which adds a jolt of drama to an otherwise typical space. Talk about making a splash!
This 18th-century seaside villa on the Spanish island of Menorca goes from intimidating to inviting, thanks to ELLE DECOR A-List designer Lorenzo Castillo’s ingenious use of the color blue (Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue, to be exact). We can’t tell which we find more enchanting—the bathroom’s blue accents or the island view just beyond.
In this Gramercy Park townhouse, a tasteful flourish of a delicate green-blue—Farrow & Ball’s Pavillon Blue—makes for an effortless aesthetic that is clean without feeling too cool. Proof that even a bathroom can have dignity.
This bathroom can be found 1,050 feet above the streets of Manhattan—it’s part of a two-story penthouse that sits atop 53 West 53. ELLE DECOR A-List designer Joe Nahem says renovating the interiors required consideration of what the space already had: “You’ve got art, architecture, and that view—what else is there?” A gentle flourish of Farrow & Ball’s Tailor Tack, we’d wager. This barely-there pink adds just the right warmth that an often-austere modern scheme is screaming for.
Rachel Silva, the Assistant Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, covers design, architecture, trends, and anything to do with haute couture. She has previously written for Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Citywire.
Anna Fixsen, Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, focuses on how to share the best of the design world through in-depth reportage and online storytelling. Prior to joining the staff, she has held positions at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record magazines. elledecor.com
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