Decorating your home, whether it be brand new or something you’ve been wanting to work on for a while, can be a fun and very personal process. Between deciding on color schemes, accent pieces and larger items like new countertops, redecorating is an experience that’s fused with a lot of preference, personal taste and style. In any home, there is a tendency for the focal point of interior decoration to be centered around the kitchen and living room. Visually, this makes the most sense. More often than not, when guests enter a home their eyes are automatically drawn to these main rooms and socially, these spaces tend to become areas that family and guests gather to converse, discuss and generally spend time together.
While these main rooms are extremely important and deserve special attention, it’s important to look at logistics when it comes to interior design and not forget about the frequently used and often times overlooked areas such as bathrooms. The bathroom may seem trivial when you’re in the midst of deciding on color palettes, but it is, after all, a room that is used daily without fail, and plays host to a number of visitors. As a room of necessity and also refuge, the bathroom is a space where people tend to spend a significant amount of time daily getting ready, cleansing and sometimes just taking a minute for themselves.
For these reasons and many more, the bathroom should not be overlooked when it comes to decorating and one of the most important aspects of decorating any bathroom is the color scheme that goes with the interior plan. Being a naturally smaller room in the home, there are some color schemes that work and others that should be avoided at all costs. The following are a few color schemes to steer clear of when you’re in the process of giving your bathroom a much-needed revamp.
Dark Colors are a DO NOT
Whether you’re painting, tiling, wall papering or anything in between, the color rules that apply to your living room and kitchen apply even more severely to your bathroom. Avoid dark color schemes entirely as these deep tones tend to take an already small bathroom and give it the appearance of shrinking even more. When working with reduced dimensions, it’s important to keep color schemes on the lighter side in order to create the feel of an open and airy space.
It’s Better to Keep it Simple and Avoid Busy
Much in the same vein of thought, a small bathroom that plays host to numerous colors, patterns and textures can become an overwhelming and often shrinking décor prison. Bathrooms are frequently used for cleaning up, and maintaining a fresh, clean feel with clear lines, streamlined colors and well thought-out accent pieces will keep your bathroom from an overwhelming “busy” feel. It’s important that simple color choices when decorating your bathroom not be confused with muted. It’s possible to use bold colors, but making sure they are paired with fresh, light tones as well keeps your bathroom décor from becoming heavy with too many themes and patterns.
Neon is NOT your Best Choice
In trying to avoid dark color schemes that shrink the available space, some homeowners go to the opposite and more drastic end of the color spectrum and try to incorporate neon tones into their bathroom designs. If incorporated through accent pieces such as wall décor or towels, neon can in fact be an attractive addition to a bathroom. However, if it’s used as a primary color tone for walls, you’ll quickly find your bathroom going from boring to glaring in a matter of moments. While the idea of a neon color scheme could seem attractive in theory, if overdone on the walls, a bathroom becomes an overwhelming statement of clashing colors.
It’s important to take lighting into consideration when choosing bathroom color schemes. Harsher lights are often preferable in these spaces in order to provide illumination for make up or general appearance application. That being said, where neon and bright lights collide, disaster awaits. To avoid a situation where colors and contours are distorted, it’s a good call to avoid neon in your bathroom altogether.
Incorporate a Single Bold and Beautiful Color
In order to maximize special appearance, some homeowners will take the idea of “lightening” up the walls to a new level. While it’s not advisable to cover your bathroom walls in dark tones, it may be just as detrimental to saturate them in one light tone as well. While you’ll most likely succeed in creating a bathroom that looks larger than it is, you’ll also eliminate the personal touch that makes the room a space a person feels comfortable spending time. To find the happy balance, try picking one wall and giving it a personal kick with a rich color you love, then accenting it with three other light toned walls. This will give the space a warm feel while not taking away from the appearance of added space.
Next up: Bathroom Furniture, Is It Nessasary?
