The primary bathroom has evolved from its practical use to become something more like a spa.
That’s reflected in the variety of features and fixtures you can add to this room and that is found in a lot of new homes and bathroom renovations. However, it takes second place to the bedroom.
A survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) found that nearly 70 percent would cut space in their bathroom for a larger bedroom.
Nevertheless, it makes sense to consider the good colors for a primary bathroom as part of the suite. It’ll bring harmony and unity to space as best practices in the principles of design.
The Best Primary Bathroom Colors (Based on Popularity)
In order to declare the best color, it must be based on some measurement or benchmark. In our view, the best benchmark is based on what colors are used the most. In other words, based on popularity.
We analyzed 948,706 primary bathroom designs and it turns out, the most popular primary bathroom colors for each bathroom section are as follows:
a. Overall bathroom color:
- Brown: 39.67%
- White: 15.69%
- Gray: 15.36%
- Beige: 11.75%
- Black: 5.82%
5 colors make up 88.29% of primary bathrooms. All remaining colors make up 11.71%.
b. Cabinet finish:
- White: 32.64%
- Dark wood: 25.04%
- Medium wood: 16.64%
- Gray: 7.54%
- Light wood: 6.0%
The top 5 cabinet finish colors make up 87.86% of cabinet finishes.
c. Wall tile color:
- Beige: 28.28%
- White: 25.34%
- Gray: 21.43%
- Multi-colored: 8.40%
- Brown: 6.55%
The top 5 bathroom wall tile colors make up 90% of all bathroom tile colors.
d. Bathroom wall color
- Beige: 28.91%
- White: 25.72%
- Gray: 22.66%
- Blue: 8.76%
- Green: 4.21%
The top five wall colors make up 90.26% of all bathroom wall colors.
e. Bathroom floor colors:
- Beige: 31.18%
- Gray: 26.91%
- Brown: 14.08%
- White: 16.40%
- Multi-colored: 6.43%
The top five floor colors make up 95% of all floor colors.
The Meaning of Color
Humans are hardwired to react to color. We share many common associations that may make one a better choice than another. Red, for example, conveys danger or warning. A study by North Dakota State University confirms this negative connotation. Researchers found compelling evidence of a link between a preference for red and hostile behavior.
The popular choices, on the other hand, have a positive light. They include:
- Brown: warmth, comfort, security
- White: cleanliness, spaciousness, innocence
- Gray: balance, calm, neutral
- Beige: natural, relaxing, stability
- Black: elegance, strength, formality
Optimizing Your Use of Color
These neutral colors can provide a pleasing backdrop for other areas in the primary bathroom where you can add different hues. Other tones can complement the mood of the room while adding interest. You can use them to create contrast or rhythm. You can add some pop to space with a complementary color. Let’s consider how you can use it to your advantage.
Flooring
Porcelain and ceramic tiles are clear favorites when it comes to the bathroom floor. That makes sense given space’s use. Interestingly, the same color choices for the room’s color prevail with the ones for flooring. Perhaps, it reflects our associations with nature and water where we also see hardwood and marble as popular options.
Wall Tile
Wall tile follows a similar trend, but different colors also appear. You can add splashes of color with decorative tiles. Blue, for example, echoes the calmness and serenity of earth tones. Likewise, green brings a sense of peace and tranquility while reinforcing the association with the natural world. These are also good colors for a primary bathroom.
Counters and Cabinets
The counter reflects a similar pattern with granite, marble, and quartz leading the pack. The patterns you see in these materials can add character to the bathroom. But it’s also an opportunity to use color. You can create a dramatic contrast with a black colored top with a white cabinet. It’ll lend an air of elegance to your space.
Bath and Shower
The NAHB survey found that over 80 percent of respondents preferred having both a shower and bathtub rather than either one alone. Whereas a shower may seem more utilitarian, a tub feels more like a luxury. While white emphasizes the notion of cleanliness, you can certainly add color with the tile or framework of these fixtures. Imagine the impact of a tub framed in wood.
Lighting
You can use lighting to create a focal point in the primary bedroom. Decorative pendant lights could elevate the beauty of the room to a new level. You can stick with a fixture in the same color scheme or add drama with a copper or gold colored one.
Accessories
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to take advantage of color is with your choice of towels. You can use them as part of a motif where you add bits of reoccurring color to give the room harmony. Think of beige tiled shower stall with pieces in a similar tone. You can use an analogous color scheme to create balance and unity.
Plants are another way you can play up the natural theme. Green offers an excellent option on its own to bring a welcome freshness to a room. You’ll find many houseplants that can thrive in the low light conditions often found in bathrooms. The warm temperatures and high humidity can also provide the ideal environment for tropical varieties.
The decor of your primary bathroom offers you a chance to create symmetry and cohesiveness with the color scheme of your bedroom. With earth tones, you can make it a true sanctuary to wash away the stresses of the day.
24 Colors Compared in the Same Bathroom
This analysis compares 24 colors for the bathroom. What we did is take a bathroom photo and changed the wall color so that you can get a quick glimpse of how different colors look compared to one another.
18 Unique Bathroom Color Schemes
How would you describe your bathroom decoration and design?
Is it still according to what you want? Is it still on trend or perhaps it has already turned shabby and old? We are now living in a modern era and everything goes in style.
Even a simple bathroom can be transformed into the most innovative and stylish design ever.
Below are some brilliant ideas for bathroom color schemes you can use for your own bathroom. Of course, these color palettes will work perfectly for any shape, size, and style of bathroom.
There are some people who love spending time in their bathroom, perhaps taking a nice shower, relaxing in a cool bubble bath, or simply to have a quiet place to read a novel or newspaper. It may sound odd but there are many who consider their bathroom one of their favorite spots in their house.
Bathrooms can be a good place where you can express all the emotions you have under a cool shower. To enjoy the room, even more, it must have a pleasing and comforting environment and look.
However, this may cost substantial money since this may require you to overhaul everything, from the flooring to fixtures like the sink and faucets.
Today, interior designs are designed with well-thought-out color palettes. Some are either contrasting or complementing wood vanities, other suitable bathroom fixtures, and sinks that will surely give your bathroom a new brighter and colorful look.
Indeed, this may entail expenditures but the finished look will infuse your newly renovated bathroom with tranquility and worthy quality.
1. White, Brown and Grey Bathroom
Elegant bathroom with dark brown (wood vanities), white, grey (ceiling) and very light tan. The dark wood offers a nice contrast to the other light colors.
2. Green, Brown and White Bathroom
Neat and tidy bathroom with walls painted in light brown and light green touched up with a white sink, brown/black tiling and patterns, contrasted with black wood vanities.
3. Grey, White and Green Bathroom
A simple overhauled bathroom in grey painted walls, shimmering dark grey vanities, and elegant floor tiles and patterns.
4. Tan, Brown and Grey Bathroom
Authentic and classic bathroom highlighted with brown wood vanities, light brown floor tiling, and patterns, and neutralized with cool light brown walls.
5. White, Brown and Grey Bathroom
The brown wood flooring design captures this pure white bathroom scheme. The white vanities are accented with a leopard upholstered chair and a classic mirror mounted on the bathroom cabinet.
6. Cream, Tan and Brown Bathroom
An old fashioned bathroom style colored with brown highlights. Light tan color on the flooring tiles and patterns, while the brown wood vanities sit against the greenish-brown wall.
7. Brown, Tan and Taupe Bathroom
A rustic inspired bathroom. Dark brown wood vanity, light brown patterned sink, and floor tilings and tan wall painting.
8. Brown, Grey, and Black Bathroom
Contemporary designed bathroom with shimmering brown derby colored wall and tile vanities. White ceiling and sinks highlight the scheme.
9. White, Blue and Brown Bathroom
The bluish bathroom wall is accented with white sink, bathtub, and bowls while the wood palette tiles give a contrasting cool look to the design.
10. White, Cream and Grey Bathroom
Pure white bathroom scheme. Everything is white at its finest, starting from the sink, top mount sink, tiles, vanities, floors, and ceiling.
11. Black, Brown and White Bathroom
Black wooden vanity and walls are highlighted with white sink and bathtub and accented by a dark brown floor.
12. Red, White and Grey Bathroom
Patterned black and white floor texture with red floor carpet. The contrast of the red oxide and white colored wall adds a strong mood to the design. Moreover, the tan wood vanity and add on like the cushioned chair and marbled potted plants show off a cool atmosphere.
13. Green, White and Yellow Bathroom
The light green and white wall and vanities combine to create a cool color combination that creates a relaxing and refreshing mood.
14. Yellow, Brown and White Bathroom
The smoky yellow wall and flooring create a bright bathroom atmosphere. It’s even more striking with the white bathroom sink and ceiling.
15. White and Grey Bathroom
Shades of grey hype out this bathroom color scheme. Given the dark grey tiles and wall, the white vanities and brick wall, the cool drama of this room keeps rolling.
16. Black and White Bathroom
Black and white tile patterns for this bathroom create a rock star color scheme. The ceiling and the sinks are plainly white while the tiled wall is accented with black and white patterns on the upper and lower linings.
17. Brown, Black and Grey Bathroom
The mahogany colored wood palettes and vanities give a warm coordinating color combination to this bathroom.
18. Blue, White and Grey Bathroom
The echo blue wall paint and white vanities resemble nicely weathered blue skies, touched with light yellow floor tiles and wood wall mirror.
Color Palette software by TineEye Labs (used with their permission).
Bathroom Color Examples
1. White Primary Bathrooms
White is a very popular color choice for styling the bathroom. It comes in being the second most popular out of seven different colors. You can use white along with other cool colors to help your bathroom space feel bigger. Also if you don’t have windows or any natural light, then white works well to make it seem brighter. You can combine white with a huge mirror to reflect even better. If you have the main feature in your bathroom that you really want to stand out, such as a giant spa bathtub, beautifully tiled countertops, old-fashioned architecture or even a lovely painting, then this is a great option. Use white on the walls or furniture surrounding the feature you want to be the focal point. This will make everything else seemingly disappear.
See all white primary bathrooms here.
2. Blue Primary Bathrooms
Blue is a serene and inviting color that resembles water, making it a great color choice for your primary bathroom. You can use either light and pale hues of blue or go for dark or navy blue for a more dramatic effect. If you choose to go with darker blues though, make sure there is plenty of natural lighting otherwise it will make your space seem smaller. Blue is a cool color that can be easily paired with other colors to create a really great color scheme. It looks good with other cool colors, neutrals and even warm colors. The different color combinations each give off different vibes.
See all blue primary bathrooms here.
3. Gray Primary Bathrooms
Gray is the ultimate definition of a neutral color, being neither bright and warm like white, or cool and dark like black. Gray works well to emphasize the other colors in the room. It can be used to either tone down a room or liven up a room. Gray is a popular color choice for bathrooms. It is the third most popular color scheme, and almost as popular as white. When you combine gray with colors such as blue, green or purple you can create a very peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. Cool colors already give off a calming feeling but when you add gray, those feelings are more intensified. For earthy look use shades of green, our favorite way to add green is by using plants. For a spa-like look, use different shades of blue.
See all gray primary bathrooms here.
4. Pink Primary Bathrooms
Pink is often considered a very girly and feminine color and it isn’t commonly used in the bathroom. Although pink may not be a favorite color for everyone, there are a couple of unique ways you can use it to really pull it off and make it look great. When you’re designing a space with a primarily pink color scheme, different hues, patterns, accessories and furniture go a long way in creating the look that you want to achieve. However, to avoid emasculating a space, you should use pink sparingly.
See all pink primary bathrooms here.
5. Purple Primary Bathrooms
Purple is a very strong and high vibration color and violet is just a lighter shade of purple. The color is combined with the intense warmth of red and the calming coolness of blue. Violet is a great color to have in any room of your home, but this gallery will show you some creative designs for using purple in the primary bathroom. You can use many decor elements to bring the soothing color of purple into your bathroom. Most decor pieces come in all different shades and hues and the key is to pick the best one to get the look you’re trying to achieve. This tips will give you some good ideas for that.
See all purple primary bathrooms here.
6. Yellow Primary Bathrooms
A sunny yellow primary bathroom can be a good way to bring the outdoors into your home. Yellow works well with multiple interior design styles, and it can pair well with several other colors, from white to gray to brown, making it one of the more versatile colors for the primary bathroom. With varying shades of the color, from golden-yellow to bright, sunflower-inspired yellow, you can likely find one that can meet the needs of your bathroom size, décor, and design. Since there are a few different ways you can go with your design, consider the elements you want to use before you choose a shade of yellow. Your flooring and furnishing colors can influence the shade of yellow you want.
See all yellow primary bathrooms here.
7. Black Primary Bathrooms
Previously black wasn’t used very often when it came to designing rooms because it had many negative connotations such as being dark and gloomy. Nowadays, black has been gaining popularity. Black is one neutral color that benefits any style or design because it helps to ground the room and stabilize the look. You can find black in several, shades, patterns, and styles. Black has so much potential and opportunity to play around with to create the perfect look in your primary bathroom. Black can create a feeling of depth in tight spaces as well. These are some of our favorite looks you can easily achieve with black.
See all black primary bathrooms here.
8. Beige Primary Bathrooms
Beige is a wonderful neutral color with infinite bathroom design opportunities. Beige is one of those colors that’s used fairly often in decorating but the real value behind is color is missed. The color beige is also referred to as tan, cream and buff and it can vary drastically from almost brown to a light off-white. Beige is one color that you can find almost anywhere and in many different decor elements. You could really just improvise and add beige anywhere that you feel looks right but if you need some more inspiration, these are some great ways to use the versatile color.
See all beige primary bathrooms here.
9. Red Primary Bathrooms
When you think of a bathroom, you usually think of relaxing space with a cozy atmosphere. Red primary bathroom design ideas may not be your first thought for a remodel, however, don’t count the color out yet, because it could be the perfect way to add a unique look to your bathroom while still making it sleek and inviting. You can use a bright, bold red or a rich burgundy in your bathroom. Either one works well, but only when it’s not overdone. Red walls and flooring can quickly make your design look tacky, so it’s best to choose either walls or flooring on which to add some red. Usually, red painted walls or a red wallpaper against a bright white floor makes the bathroom look sharp.
See all red primary bathrooms here.
10. Orange Primary Bathrooms
Orange may not be your first choice for a primary bathroom color, but there are several shades of oranges that you can play around with, from those with pinker undertones to bright, eye-popping orange. When orange is used in the bathroom with light grays and white, it can add a touch of fun color while also making your bathroom feel warm. When you think of orange, your mind likely goes to a bright, eye-catching, almost-fluorescent orange. But, orange comes in many shades, some bordering on pink, yellow, and red. Before you add orange to your bathroom, consider how much of the color you want to use and the size of your bathroom.
