12 Bathroom Color Trends for 2023 – Design Ideas for a Modern Home

Once upon a time, having a “modern” bathroom meant that it had to be white walls, white floors, and white appliances. Of course, the only splash of color to be found was the fixtures, which were stainless steel.

Luckily, we’ve moved away from that trend, and people everywhere have realized that your bathroom doesn’t have to be entirely white for it to be modern. There are many color trends to choose from if you’re aiming for a modern bathroom.

The 12 Top Bathroom Color Trends

1. Sleek Blue

A slate-blue color is perfect for bathrooms. You can utilize this wall color with white floors, as they do in this example. However, you can also use other accent colors besides just white. There are so many different colors that go with blue, after all.

You’ll notice how only one wall is painted blue in our example. You can use the color as an accent in this way. However, you can also use blue throughout the room, especially if it is a smaller space. Just be sure to use other accents to brighten up the space, just be sure to use other accents to brighten up the space, mainly white floors and fixtures.

2. Simple Gray

Gray may not be that far away from white. However, it does lend some interest to a bathroom that white just doesn’t. This bathroom shows how easily you can replace your white walls and floors with a light gray to mix things up a bit.

Of course, gray can still be a bit boring if you don’t mix things up a bit. Therefore, we highly recommend utilizing other design elements to bring some interest to the space if you choose a color as simple as gray.

3. Rich Green

Most people don’t think about painting their bathroom green. However, it can be a refreshing and unique color for a bathroom if you ensure the other elements of the bathroom go with it. Instead of the usual cool colors you use in the bathroom, green calls for warmer colors. Therefore, this example includes a terracotta sink and black fixtures.

You’ll have to go with a pretty unique bathroom design for this to work. However, it is worth it if you’re looking for something a bit more unique.

4. Dark Blue

We don’t recommend using dark blue for the whole wall. However, if you do a half wall as they do in this example, it can be a great option. However, you have to ensure that the other features in the bathroom match the darker blue. You don’t want to use two dark colors, for instance.

Yellow and white both work as great accent colors for a darker blue. It is easy to go overboard on a darker blue, especially if you’re in a bathroom that tends to be a bit darker anyway. Therefore, we recommend erring on the side of less is more.

5. Black

Black and bathrooms typically don’t mix. It just isn’t a very suitable color for such a small space. However, this bold color can be great if you have proper lighting and use light colors throughout the rest of the bathroom.

We do not just recommend using white and black, though. Even though black typically isn’t a color that you see, it can look pretty plain if paired with black. Therefore, try utilizing wooden accents as they did in this example. Yellow accents are also a great option.

6. Maximum Color

For a truly unique bathroom, you may want to try utilizing as many different colors as possible. Of course, you don’t just want to do this willy-nilly. Instead, choose a similar pallet – like all pastels, for instance. If you use brighter colors, you can make a beautiful boho bathroom, like n the example.

Utilizing a darker main color and then accenting with colorful pictures or one colorful accent wall can be a suitable option. Often, it is easier to use wallpaper instead of paint since it can be difficult to paint complicated, colorful patterns.

7. Don’t Forget the Wallpaper!

Wallpaper can be a great option to bring some interest to your bathroom. You can use a simple plant pattern, like in the picture. However, you can use practically any wallpaper as long as it has a unique pattern on it. Choose something you like, and be sure to color-coordinate to the wallpaper. Try to minimize patterns in the rest of the room, as two different patterns can clash considerably.

8. Patterns with Solids

You don’t have to use the patterns throughout the whole room, though. Instead, you can use a patterned wallpaper on one of the walls while using a solid color on the others. This works well in a larger space that would work well for an accent wall. Of course, the solid colors can either paint or tiles.

Gray is a great neutral color to do this with. However, you can technically do it with any color at all. Just be sure to choose a pattern that goes well with the rest of your bathroom, unless you’re planning on redoing your whole bathroom.

9. Red

Red is not a color that you’d typically think of for a bathroom. However, when you utilize it correctly, you can create a unique yet beautiful experience. We recommend utilizing red in areas with large windows since it tends to be a bit darker. Red can also have negative effects on emotions, so use it wisely.

Patterns and wallpapers with red may be best than just painting your whole wall red.

If you decide to use this color, be sure to use warm colors throughout the rest of the bathroom, paired with plenty of white to brighten up the room.

10. Light Gray

For those that aren’t willing to go completely out on a limb and paint their bathroom a bright, unique color, try light gray. It isn’t exactly white, but it isn’t a huge departure from the norm, either. You can easily utilize white and gray together. Plus, you can utilize gray throughout your bathroom, such as using it on the walls and cabinets.

In many cases, you’ll find gray wallpaper in various patterns, which is becoming increasingly popular. However, you can also utilize plain gray paint, especially if anything but white is pushing you out of your comfort zone.

11. Yellow

Yellow is a bright, exciting color. Because it isn’t terribly dark, you can easily utilize it in darker or smaller spaces. With that said, yellow can be overwhelming if you only use yellow. Therefore, we recommend either utilizing it on a wall, half of all the walls, or in a pattern like in the example.

White can work well with yellow. However, you can also utilize green and similar colors too. We highly recommend color coordinating the bathroom carefully to avoid making the yellow overwhelming, which isn’t all that hard to do.

12. Try Half Walls

Keeping half the wall white and painting the upper half of the wall a bold color is one of the most popular trends currently. If you’re looking to paint a bolder color in your bathroom, then we recommend this method, as it prevents the bold color from becoming overwhelming. You can also use darker colors for this method, as it cuts up the dark with the lighter white.

Final Thoughts

The new trend with bathrooms is bright and bold. Many people are moving away from white and other neutral colors and attempting to use bolder tones, such as blues and reds.

However, you have to do this very carefully. It is easy for a bold color to get a bit too bold. Therefore, we generally recommend choosing a lighter color or only using your bold color on part of the bathroom. You can either utilize it on a single accent wall or on the upper half of the wall.

Don’t forget about wallpaper and patterns, either. Bold and colorful wallpapers are coming back in style and are a great way to make a splash.

Featured Image Credit: ImageFlow, Shutterstock