Subtleties of choosing colors
As you can see in the photo of the gray bathroom, this color may well be the base color. However, a bathroom decorated exclusively in gray tones will look gloomy and boring. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to add splashes of other colors to the interior.
Gray is a neutral tone. It is “friendly” with almost all colors, which opens up wide possibilities for flights of fancy.
In addition, this color has the ability to visually expand space. And if you use its gradient, you can hide planning defects.
The gray palette is distinguished by its practicality. Dust and dirt are hardly noticeable on this finish. This tone is also not subject to fading.
The interior of a gray bathroom can be supplemented with metal decorative elements. These could be toothbrush holders, soap dishes, toilet paper holders, etc.
Metallic goes very well with gray trim, adding style and elegance to the whole environment.
Advantages and disadvantages of color
A gray bathroom has undoubted advantages:
- Uniqueness.
Neutral color goes well with almost all shades, pastel and bright, and it’s easy to add accents against its background.
Discreet accessories.
- It's easy to achieve chic.
Such an interior, decorated with natural stone finishing, will look luxurious. Moreover, there may be only a few stone elements, but the effect will be achieved.
Laconicism and style in the design of the washbasin.
Credit: @
Neutral finish.
Read also: Black bathroom design - here.
- Great base.
Decorative elements and original small details are clearly visible on light surfaces. Neutrality of color favorably emphasizes the contours of objects and does not distract from the texture. A gray bathroom with wood has an emphasis on the naturalness of the material.
Combination of textures.
- Nice gloss.
Gray tiles serve as good reflective elements, so they fit organically into the lighting scheme. Such a room will create a feeling of cleanliness and plenty of air.
Design option.
- Possibility of window decoration.
Niches and window frames, decorated in a smoky tone, create an aura of grace and elegance.
Careless use of a large number of details in cool tones can turn the chosen dominant shade in a gray bathroom into a disadvantage. Therefore, you should dilute the selected palette with elements of warm colors or wooden structures.
Psychological characteristics of gray color
Light shades of gray have a beneficial effect on the mental state. Especially in combination with beige or cream. So, pearl gray gives a feeling of peace and protection.
Dark shades should be used in limited quantities as they can make the interior look overly gloomy and overwhelming.
Gray in furniture
The modern market is filled with a colossal amount of various appliances, equipment and furniture, including gray colors. At the same time, the market also offers the consumer a wide variety of designs. As a rule, bathrooms have inexpensive plastic furniture or chipboard furniture.
The expensive and chic modern look of such furniture is given by specialized paint, which provides the furniture with protection from moisture. As a rule, a shelf or a cabinet with mirrors on the doors is installed as furniture in the bathroom.
Design ideas
The design of a gray bathroom is not necessarily a strict environment with an abundance of sharp corners and straight lines. This color has many different shades. Therefore, it can be used to create interiors not only in modern styles, but also in such styles as Provence and classic.
A gray bathroom in the Provence style is characterized by: light colors, floral patterns on the tiles, snow-white plumbing, and rounded shapes.
A classic-style bathroom allows the use of up to three shades of gray simultaneously. Characteristic features of the classics are stucco, patina, carvings, natural finishing materials, wooden furniture, a feeling of luxury and wealth without pomp.
A gray bathroom will be appreciated by all fans of high-tech. Furnishings in this style should consist of the latest models of plumbing fixtures and furniture.
The gray palette is one of the main ones for such a style as minimalism. In this case, you need to abandon the abundance of accessories and give preference to strict forms.
Even Baroque allows the use of gray shades. True, it requires a fairly large bathroom area, since it is simply not intended for small spaces.
An interior in the Baroque style welcomes the use of expensive finishing materials, massive furniture made of natural wood with carved legs, columns, decorative arches, stucco molding, gilding, mirrors in heavy bronze frames, and crystal chandeliers.
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Bathroom decoration and design
A stylish interior in the bathroom can be created with the optimal selection of color combinations, interesting textures, and quality materials. With the right approach to the issue, even from a small room you can make a modern, beautiful and functional bathroom.
To give the space a more expansive look, glossy coatings and mirrors are used, and overly voluminous decor is excluded. Gray tiles in the bathroom can be matte. This finishing material is used if the room is quite large in size. Zoning the room using screens, glass partitions, different ceiling heights, steps and podiums, floor coverings and wall materials is encouraged.
Variety of shades
There are many shades of gray. Some of them look calm, others are dark, saturated, and others are in a range closer to pastel. Here are the most famous shades used in design:
- silver-gray – associated with comfort, visually expands the space, gives the room radiance;
- mouse gray is a classic color that definitely requires the addition of light or contrasting tones to the interior;
- the shade of wet asphalt is an “intelligent” background, goes well with metal parts, looks great on the floor, in the color of the doors;
- light gray – gives lightness, optimism, is well suited for the main shade of walls, furniture, looks good together with bright accents.
Dark gray gives the interior rigor and elegance, while light gray blurs the boundaries, making the room lighter and more delicate. By mixing gray with white, brown, beige, blue, you can get other interesting shades that are used by designers:
- ashen;
- anthracite;
- river mother of pearl;
- lead;
- monsoon;
- carbonic;
- slate;
- slate;
- steel;
- quartz, etc.
Gray tones, like many other colors in the range, are divided into cold and warm. The former are best used in large bathrooms with high ceilings, especially where there are windows. It is recommended to introduce warm colors into the interior of cramped rooms without windows, while immediately planning high-quality artificial lighting.
Selection of finishing material
The most common material used to decorate a bathroom is tile. It is sold in a wide range of colors, shapes, and coatings, so with its help it is easy to create the desired interior. Gray and white colors are often used to decorate a bathroom, as these shades complement each other perfectly. In gray tones you can also find porcelain stoneware, large-format tiles, mosaics, which are used separately from each other or together to decorate different zones. For example, small mosaics are often used to cover the walls of a bathtub, a vanity unit, and various niches, which makes the interior unique and attractive.
Gray marble and other types of natural stone will give a luxurious look to the bathroom. A cheaper option is acrylic stone, which completely imitates the surface of natural stone, is easy to clean, easy to install on walls, and moisture resistant. Practical, neat looking PVC panels in the bathroom. They have one drawback: the room will need to be well ventilated, otherwise mold may settle on the walls due to low gas permeability.
On the floor in the bathroom, tiles with grout are also used, less often - moisture-resistant laminate or linoleum. Wooden coverings that have undergone special treatment are also in demand, but you still need to be careful with wood: its service life is seriously reduced by constant contact with moisture. The ceiling is usually made of tension, decorated with slatted panels or covered with latex moisture-resistant paint.
Bright accents, combinations with other colors
The ideal bathroom interior is one in which the correct proportions in color combinations are observed:
- up to 60-65% – light colors;
- up to 30-35% – dark tones;
- 5-10% – bright accents.
A monochrome gray interior in the bathroom is acceptable, but it will look quite boring. It is worth adding at least a few other shades to gray, for example, in accessories. The interweaving of white and gray is a classic of the genre; it gives the room lightness and serenity. It’s just important not to overdo it with white, otherwise all the elegance of gray will be neutralized: the latter should be the base color.
Black is a good “neighbor” for light gray, pastel gray shades. This combination is also classic; it gives the room an expensive, luxurious look. The pink color scheme looks perfect with gray, but is rarely used in the bathroom; more often it is used in the bedroom. A gray-blue, gray-blue combination is suitable for large rooms with a lot of light, otherwise it can make the bathroom too cold.
Bright, delicate and natural colors look good against a gray background:
- orange;
- lilac;
- red;
- violet;
- green;
- brown;
- olive;
- emerald;
- yellow.
Usually a part of the tile or plumbing is made bright in color. It is also possible to introduce rich tones in accents: rugs, curtains, shelves, and other types of decor.
Furniture selection
If you have gray walls in the bathroom, then the furniture fronts can be designed in any other shade. The most popular are white and scarlet. But you can choose another combination.
Design of a blue bathroom with a small area
Successful solutions:
- Use rich shades of sea and sky in fragments, for example, to decorate shower walls, furniture or textile accessories.
- Choose a delicate, white and blue color scheme, which will make the room seem more spacious and brighter.
- Actively use shiny surfaces that reflect light well.
Small bathrooms in cool colors are a rare exception when you don’t need to give up accessories, but, on the contrary, try to fill the interior with them. Wicker baskets, wooden benches and shelves, shells and coral branches, bright paintings, as well as other similar details will add warmth and comfort.
What a small blue bathroom can be seen in the following selection of photos :
Lighting organization
Light plays an important role in any interior. For a bathroom decorated in gray, it is preferable to use spotlights.
You also need to take a closer look at sconces and LED strips. It is also appropriate to use lighting for plumbing fixtures.
Small bathroom
When decorating a small bathroom, you can use light gray shades. They will help to visually enlarge a small room. For example, if you combine white with light gray, the room will seem more spacious.
Photo by ReRooms
Gray shades can also help if the room is too long, narrow or has a low ceiling. In this case, you can use a gradient.
If you have an asymmetrical bathroom, you can decorate one wall in dark gray to create an accent, and choose contrasting light shades for the remaining walls. This technique will make the room more symmetrical and add an interesting detail to the interior.
Photo by ReRooms
Photo of a gray bathroom
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