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Help with color white selection for bathroom remodel

Lisa and Steve Swenson

15 years ago

Hello-I'm in the last phase of designing our small bathroom remodel. I am stuck with the color design part, more specifically, the color white that we're using. We are gutting and starting with a blank slate. Here's what's been decided so far:

Small bathroom first of all (7.5ft by almost 5 feet). The plan is for all white fixtures, bathtub, toilet, sink. Polished chrome faucets, etc..White subway tile in bathtub surround, white shaker style custom cabinet, white beadboard wainscot. The countertop on the white vanity will be white Carrara Marble. Backsplash is a beautiful glass tile that has a gray/blue theme. 1x2 placed in a brick formation. The floor is a 3x3 dark gray porcelain tile that will be placed point on point.

I'm stuck on the white now. I am using glazed Dal subway tile for the bathtub surround, and think that Arctic white will give us that bright white clean look we want. We don't want the tile to look dingy. However, I'm stuck on the trim. I'm fearful of bright white on the casements, cabinet, wainscot, base moulding, door, etc...I have bright white on the rest of the trim in the house and can't wait to paint it a warm white. BUT, I really think that the contrast of white and gray (especially charcoal gray) is striking and beautiful.

The question is (sorry for being so wordy): Is using a warm white on the trims and the cabinet going to look funny with a bright white in the bathtub? I don't believe in matching colors-I'm more in the complimenting of them, but still stuck. Oh, the walls will be painted a beautiful blue/gray. White ceiling.So, I guess what I'm saying is that I prefer to have a warm white on the trims/wainscott/cabinet and bright white in the bathtub surround. Whew!

Any color design assistance would be greatly appreciated!

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Comments (4)

debb
15 years ago
Just a few thoughts - what if you eliminate one of the whites (warm or cool)! and paint the ceiling the blue/grey wall colour since the bathroom is small I think that would look very nice to wrap the colour up and over.

Secondly - just pick a warm white that you think looks nice with the cooler white tub, toilet, etc. and than blur the edges with a picture, vase or towels that incorporates both whites and a touch of some other colour, blue/grey etc.

What fandeck would Arctic White be in? - maybe I can suggest a warm white that goes with that if I can compare.

Good luck with the reno!
Lisa and Steve Swenson
Original Author
15 years ago
debb,
Thanks for your post. Arctic white is not in a fandeck (not that I know of) because it is the name of the color that Dal assigned to this 3x6 subway. Anyway, I think I am envisioning better now-our ceilings are low, so blue on the ceiling will only make the room appear smaller I'm afraid. But, I think that the white subway tile will be a bright white just like the fixtures and then a warmer white for trim. I don't know why I had to overthink it so much. Thanks for your ideas. It helps hearing a lot of different opinions!
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Lovely! I like the classic white tile and porcelain and how you used furniture pieces in the bathroom. I love that the storage at the end of the tub has pull-outs that can be reached from the toilet. Your custom sink and backsplash and counter are unique and beautiful. Yours may be the first bathroom sink I have seen in which a small or medium dog could be washed! That is a good thing! I showed your pictures to my DH because I am thinking of classic tiled walls with a chair rail for when we redo our bath in a couple of years. He liked it! I was expecting him to say, "too old fashioned." He did not, he said it looked nice. From him, nice is a compliment. He even liked your rows of listello. I was just at the Tile Shop's site the other day looking at the Hampton tiles because someone was selling some on Craigslist. I am hoping to do as you did and get what I can cheaper there, and fill in the rest from the store. I can see that you worked very hard to secure all of your materials - and then cut the floor tiles to size and culled the Hampton tiles, too! You succeeded very well in getting the look you wanted while saving money along the way. Congratulations, and thank you for the pictures and great detail and supply list.
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Thank you Roarah for your suggestions. They both look good, but I was trying to use my same trim color which is not as white as those. My bedroom is a greenish gray and I wanted a different color for the bathroom. I looked at Revere Pewter but it changes colors with the lighting and shadows and I would definitely have to change the trim color. It also may not work with the navy floor.
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I'm a little concerned about the tile layout in the shower. I'm seeing small slivers on the sides of the large tiles. Generally when laying out large scale tiles like this, I would expect to see the tile pattern wrap around the side walls from the back wall. Here are some pictures showing what I mean. It is much more pleasing to see the cut tile on the back wall wrap around and continue on the side wall and keeps a consistent pattern. I'm not seeing that on your side walls. They seem to have been tiled independently from the back wall. What colour is the countertop you've chosen. That may dictate paint choice both on the wall and on the vanity. I'd lean towards one of the darker colours in the pebble tile. Is that tile only going in the niche?
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debb
15 years ago
Hi putzie 1,

Have to disagree about the bathroom appearing smaller (even with a low ceiling) because when you paint a 5x7 white square on top of your wall paint colour it just brings attention to the fact that it is a small room (nothing wrong with that - by the way)!

Maybe some other people can weigh in about the wall and ceiling colour being the same colour. It actually does not make a room look bigger - but it does stop your eye from starting and stopping at different sight lines, so you get a smoother and more cohesive feel in the room.

Don't try it if you are not convinced, but if unsure, try it both ways and see IRL what you prefer. Good luck and maybe some OP's who have done this will give you their experience. Your choices sound very nice - no matter what colour ceiling!
fatquarters
15 years ago
Your color choices are similar to mine. I am considering some wood tones though because I think they compliment my tiles better. Do you have your blue-gray picked yet?

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