Help with wall color in remodeled master bath

last year

We're getting towards the end of our bathroom remodel and have already had several design pivots. The overall feel is slightly mid-century. Here are the light fixtures, mirrors, and sink faucets that have not yet been installed:

The shower wall tile is a fairly bright, slightly warm white, with a black and white inset tile and the floor is charcoal grey. The shower will have a single pane of glass. The actual vanity is also still in flux - it is solid natural walnut, but we are not happy with the way heart and sapwood were combined so will be replacing door and drawer fronts with more consistently heartwood pieces (hence two missing drawer fronts in the photo - I took them to see if someone could create what we actually wanted).

My original intent was to paint the walls white and have the warmth and color be brought in with the wood vanity, occasional gold-toned accent, a large piece of art over the tub, and possibly a rug as well.

The countertop was installed yesterday and is reading a good deal warmer than I had originally planned, so my wall color options need rethinking. It seems there's no light grey/white color I can do that won't make the countertop look dingy, so I keep gravitating towards dark - like match-the-floor dark. My husband is gravitating towards incredibly vibrant - think rich emerald/peacock green types of colors. We need help!

Featured Answer

elcieg

last year

last modified: last year

I wouldn't change the wall color, or paint the vanity. I like what you have done.

Give the vanity a partner. The empty wall over the tub has the space is a good spot to hang something to bring it all together. (hung horizontally). The size of this piece will work, and I love the two toned frame with the black mimicking the frame of the mirror.

https://www.amazon.com/IDEA4WALL-Landscape-Abstract-Illustrations-Decorative/dp/B0B5G3Z87T

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Comments (25)

Caitlin
Original Author
last year
Definitely hanging at over the tub! Hadn't decided what yet. I do like the wood piece! We are absolutely *not* painting the vanity - just having someone build us new doors and drawer fronts with more consistent pieces of walnut heartwood. I love the fact that it's wood, just not thrilled with the variation we got.
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I like the quartz with your theme. It's like a gravel version of the pebble tile. You get the gray without the heaviness of a solid gray quartz like in your first choices. But I sure wouldn't use that pebble tile as a vanity backsplash. There is enough going on with the heavy grain of hickory, the speckled quartz, the faucet, mirror and light. Adding pebbles everywhere becomes too thematic. Just use the quartz as a backsplash. Add interest with the mirror and light if you think it needs more around the vanity. My cabinet maker has a display for dark stained hickory. They did slab for the shallow drawers to let the beautiful grain show. I recommend slab drawers for grained woods like cherry, hickory, and walnut. I like the dark stain because it eliminates some of the stripeyness of hickory that you can see in your sample, as do the slab drawers vs. a pieced drawer. These cabinets appeared a little darker in person so I think it's a darker stain than what you selected. The cabinets are inset. Aren't they beautiful?
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elcieg
last year
last modified: last year
The art is canvas, not wood. Found this color towel hung on a wall that resembles yours?
lisaam
last year

I’d be inclined to test some whites with a hint of pink. Teals and emerald greens aren’t flattering to skin tones and that can be in important in a bathroom. The towels aboveare pretty.
Caitlin
Original Author
last year
@judianna20 cool! I'm on my phone, sorry I didn't look closely enough to see it was canvas! The towels are a beautiful color that I would definitely consider.
kandrewspa
last year
I love pale greens in a bathroom. I agree with @lisaam that dark colors will be offputting. SW Sea Salt is popular in bathrooms and BM Healing Aloe is a nice color. You can always have the paint store cut the tint if these are too dark. However, I like the way it looks now, so I would experiment with some other whites/off-whites if the current one isn't quite right. I can't tell from your pictures which one because whites are so finicky. Maybe look at BM Classic Gray.
tracefloyd
last year
last modified: last year
Stick with your original intent. Intense color in a powder room, yes. In this space it will drive both of you crazy in short order. That white looks great and if you want a bright color use it in bath accessories. Otherwise @kandrewspa is correct if you are leaning away from white -- Sea Salt or Healing Aloe. Your bath will be a retreat.
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
Check out SW Snowbound. Beautiful off white with ever so slight warmth.
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
If you want color bring color in with perhaps an pretty purple orchid on the vanity. Something like this. Depends on your art. Pull color from that.
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
Thought you could use a visual so pulled this mock up together. I just grabbed a walnut vanity and duplicated it across the vanity space just to smooth out the wood tones. The wood you got looks more like Hickory than walnut from here.
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
I put black hand towel on side wall. (Happened to be with stylistic Christmas tree. I would do black towels. Easier to keep looking nice. Then I put a draping Pearl plant on niche. Then you can put art above the tub and if you don’t have a piece you want to put there, select something that is calming and you love to look at.
Caitlin
Original Author
last year
Thank you, Flo! The mock up definitely helps. You are right that our vanity looks more like hickory than walnut, it is why we were so disappointed. It is walnut, but pieces together for a much more rustic look than we wanted. This helps my eye kind of gloss over it, which is what we want!

Going to keep trying with a variety of white shades to hopefully encourage him. I wanted the water closet to be the bold space - will still likely do it black because it's tiny and a good place to play around!
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
It’s going to be fantastic. These last steps are frustrating but it will all work out. Love doing the water closet black and punch up with art and large white Matt art.
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
Like this. This board and baton wainscoting could be nice too.
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
If you have family favorite photos you can get them done in black and white and stack a vertical column on the wall you face upon entering the WC.
tracefloyd
last year
last modified: last year
Family photos in a bathroom? No. Spa-like photographs of nature? Yes.
elcieg
last year
last modified: last year
Flo Mangan, how did you do with the hurricane?
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
Judianna20. How nice of you to ask. While it was on other side of the Gulf, we have friends, clients and family all along the west coast of Florida. Blessings galore. Might even say miracles. Everyone fine and no damage. Wouldn’t be same story if landfall would have been further up north coast. Very grateful!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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Flo Mangan
last year
Btw, photos of my sweet grandchildren would be great to see every morning in master bath area. 😁
PRO
lisedv
last year
It's too bad white paint doesn't seem to work with your countertop, maybe try a few warm whites that can also work with your tiles. If not, a light grey such as Sea Salt might work but can't say without seeing the countertop in person. I don't know if it's because of how the picture was taken but the vanity wood seems very patchy. If it's not finished yet perhaps try to unify with a stain. I would opt for black pulls and go for the brass with the towel rods. Perhaps a MCM metal ornament or wood wall art could work above the bathtub and a roman shade on the window for a softer look (they have cordless ones). Black or charcoal towels would also be nice or choose a colour that coordinates with your bedroom. So here is my input visualization...
Caitlin
Original Author
last year
Ok, here are the contenders. Left to right:

Silverpointe

Crushed Ice

Snowbound

Light French Grey

Fleur de Sel

The last one is bright ceiling white, which will be the ceiling color and is very close to the trim color.
PRO
lisedv
last year
Can't see the one on the left but my choise would be for one of these:

And the vanity looks better in this picture and I see you already have black pulls...
Caitlin
Original Author
last year
@lisedv the top part of the vanity is less wildly variable! If it all looked like that we'd be happy. 🤣
Caitlin
Original Author
last year
Update!!! Thank you all for your help. We went with Fleur de Sel in the main bathroom, Black Magic in the water closet. I'm loving it. Something about a fresh coat of paint really makes a project feel like it's almost done!
PRO
lisedv
last year
Looks great!