The neutral color scheme has been ideal, soothing whites and timid taupes. Think white subway tile and Carrara marble and polished chrome or the beige travertine tile with light cabinets. A neutral color scheme has been safe, desirable and resalable for bathrooms for several decades. But is the beige bathroom going out of style?
Recently, designers are seeing home-design trends shift. The gutsier palette may reflect the confidence and strengthening real estate market.
The powder room traditionally has been the canvas for some decorating bravado. The full bath remained a neutral zone. Many homeowners today are choosing a more colorful palette. Think full color on walls, pink and green tiling, not that we are likely to revisit the candy-pink sinks and toilets of the mid-20th century. But designers today are introducing much more green, blues and soft matte blacks and grays into their designs. Why some of these cool tones? Cool tones offer an entry point for the color-shy. For now, most sinks and toilets remain white but a few of the high end retailers are offering matte black faucets and swooping charcoal tubs, although neutrals remain the top sellers. The tiles people are choosing are more bold and colorful from blues and greens, to browns, blacks and yellows. New board-like porcelain tiles are also becoming very popular. More consumers are opting for bolder paint colors than ever before. Even if they opt for neutral sinks and toilets they are painting the walls blue and using dark cabinets. If you use similar paint colors at least somewhere else in the rest of your home, entering your bathroom won’t seem like an abrupt swerve into “color land”. Your home has a working palette, so draw from those hues.
Other tips from the pros:
- Put samples of flooring, fittings and paint together, it makes the big picture easier to visualize.
- Avoid pea greens and acid greens…they aren’t so great on the skin. The color that is hippest right now is blush, because it makes you look beautiful
- Don’t just rely on color from rugs and towels, even if you just use a strong border color it will update your bath.
Bathrooms are an ideal place to splash out a little. They aren’t rooms you socialize in. Success lies in finding the sweet spot between bland and over the top.