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Bathroom Color Ideas With Blue:
Reader Questions

1. "Do I need more bathroom color ideas if I already have blue, white, and black?"

My bathroom walls are French blue, and I am using black and white on shower curtain, rugs and pictures.

What other accent color, if any, should I use for towels, lamps, etc.?

Martha
(USA)

Hello Martha,

No, you don't need any more bathroom colors.

French blue, black & white make very crisp, chic bathroom color schemes, and I would be cautious about adding any more color to it.

Anything that's not hidden away in cabinets will already inject additional color into your bathroom - a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bathrobe, whatever is on view and has any color in it at all.

Having said that, the one color I can see working with the clean, crisp look you have created is a (very pale) bluish green - so you'd be branching out into an analogous color scheme.

I wouldn't go for any bathroom color ideas that are further removed from blue on the color wheel, and I'd definitely stay away from warm colors.

Even though blue and orange would make a very nice, 'punchy' pair of complementary colors, I think the orange would spoil the clear, cool look of your bathroom.

So if it was me, I'd stick with the French blue, the black and the white.

All the best,

2. "I need bathroom color ideas for a wall that's gone wrong!"

Hello Renate,

We are remodeling our bathroom, and the color we painted the walls is not exactly what I wanted but now I have to make the most of it.

It came out sort of a sky blue, and I wanted a more greenish-blue for a seaside look.

How can I give the walls a seaside look - maybe with a faux painting over the blue?

We have white baseboard and trim and a cream with light blue swirls on the floor tiles.

Thank you!!!

Lisa
(USA)

Hi Lisa,

Great idea - I think colorwashing a (bluish) green over your sky blue walls could give you the color effect you're after.

Alternatively, glazing or sponging may be worth a try as well.

I can't recommend any specific paints to you, because I don't know what's available where you live.

However, you'll have to experiment anyway to make sure you get the color right! And you'll probably end up with some very original, unexpected, pretty bathroom color ideas.

The process:

If you still have leftover blue paint, start by painting a few large sheets of nonabsorbent paper, and let dry.

Then find paint/glaze samples in the right colors, and apply them to your sample sheets according to the manufacturers' instructions.

Vary the coverage, try different brushes and different rubbing techniques, until you have found one that works for you.

Before you start on the actual bathroom walls, make sure the wall treatment looks good in combination with the blue swirls on your floor tiles.

And finally, once you start washing/glazing or sponging/stippling the walls, always ensure you have enough time to finish one wall completely!

For an overview of faux techniques, have a look at this page.

I hope this helps, Lisa - I'm sure you'll end up with bathroom color ideas you really like.

Best wishes,

3. "Do you have any bathroom color ideas for a neutral bathroom color scheme with a bit of blue?"

Hi Renate:

My new bathroom addition has 18" x 18" floor and shower tiles of grey-blue, charcoal, white, and tan/beige colors.

I have a white lavatory, toilet, and 5' long cabinet with a marbled laminate top.

I want to know what color to paint the walls and what splash of accent color would be good for the room (i.e. shower curtain, towels, etc.)

Thanks!

Joan
(USA)

Hi Joan,

Your bathroom sounds like an oasis of calm!

Seeing as the floor/shower tiles will play an important part in the general color scheme, I suggest you use them as a starting point for additional bathroom color ideas.

Bathroom wall color:

Pick a wall color that relates to one or more of the colors in the tile - either a light grey (a tint of the charcoal), or a paint color that's similar to the tan/cream, or even the grey-blue (if that is the dominant color in the tiles).

Whatever bathroom wall color you choose, make sure it is close to the general color appearance of the tiles, rather than replicating some 'exact' speck of color in a particular tile.

This is because small color areas will look quite different from a few feet away, and what you actually see is the color mix in the tiles. This has to be in some degree of harmony with the bathroom wall color!

Also, paint color usually ends up looking much darker on the wall than it does in the tester pot, so when you pick paint samples, go for tones or tints that look lighter than the corresponding colors in the tiles. (Check out this page on choosing paint colors for some support with the process!)

Accents:

Again, take your color cues from the tiles - a slightly more lively blue and/or tan perhaps. For increased oomph: Blue and orange are complementary colors, and a combination of the two would put a spark into your bathroom color scheme.

However, with the almost-neutral color background of the tiles, I'd keep any additional bathroom color ideas on the muted, toned-down side.

So rather than saturated orange and/or seriously vibrant blue, I would opt for darker greyish blue and/or 'Indian Summer' reds, rust, or terracotta.

Reserve the really dark colors (e.g. charcoal) for very few accents (e.g. borders), and keep small items (soap & small containers) white, to avoid visual clutter.

The more 'streamlined' your bathroom color ideas (and the less 'noise' there is from unrelated colors), the more sophisticated your bathroom will look.

All the best,