apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm a big fan of light grey/blues for bathrooms . . .

dove gray or darker...
or maybe a butternut squash color?
or maybe a nice sexy plum?

i say go bold. something good and saturated.

First off, it looks great! I love the way the tiles are layed out.

I agree with the robins egg blue. Especially, if it's a guest washroom, where style and mood are key.

If it's a bathroom you will be using everyday to get ready, I would choose a color that compliments your skin tone. There's nothing worse, than a sickly cast on your skin to wake you up in the morning! I like warm neutral colors like BM Ballet White, then add style and depth with artwork and gorgeous towels.

Love the floor tile!
If it were me, I would probably look for a shower curtain first, for inspiration -- unless you are planning to install a shower door.

That said, I like the suggestions of plum and butternut squash. However, I think going with more grey on the wall might look too institutional.

I was leaning to a rich red, or even a colonial blue, but I'm loving the idea of plum, up against the bright white tiles & fixtures, and that soft-grey floor. In any case, go for contrast, something with a deep amount of pigment in the color.

I'd use warm plum on the walls, and add some lime or chartreuse accents.

Well, plum may sound nice but I just rented a place with a pretty awful plum colored bathroom. You need to be a really clean and precise painter to make this work- and choose the perfect plum...otherwise you have a very dark grape nightmare. I think keep color in the accents and leave the walls alone - then you can change it more easily and seasonally! Strong yellows look great with grey...

I would say this is a hrd one, as it is such a neutral space ANYTHING would work( what doesn't go with white)
Having said that, and the fact that color is such a personal choice, sky's the limit!?I'm not helping am I-I have friends who would ADORE this bathroom as is, white on white..others would LOVE the plum suggestion ( I would not)
Personally I would do a medium to dark grey to make the white pop and keep it very coold and contemporary!

I second ivahnoe: leave the walls as is and add color via accents (shower curtain, towels, mat, etc.). The floor color is neutral, so clashing isn't a problem. I'd choose something bold like red.

I say a bold yellow. I love the yellow gray combo. I think light blue is overdone.

I also like the idea of a dove gray or silver!

I think a more gray-blue shade would work better than robin's egg blue, but that's just my opinion. I know Benjamin Moore has some good ones, but I can't remember the names.

I second jchan in terms of gray/yellow, but not to the degree that it should be a 'bold' yellow. I just painted mine with a color called Woven Basket from Ace, which is a warm custard yellow, and then put up black and white photos in various sized matte black frames; it looks excellent. I think a similar treatment would work perfectly in yours.

a deep orange or else a teal like the mediterranean.

like this from happy mundane: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/529202449_0510d29b06_o.jpg&imgrefurl=http://happymundane.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html&h=338&w=450&sz=46&hl=en&start=5&sig2=uOZWXNP00X6p9fb_ALfMDQ&tbnid=v0iNH6S00wZE5M:&tbnh=95&tbnw=127&ei=ZcT5RrmyG8WyigGBydSRDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpaint%2Bteal%2Bcolor%2Bwall%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DG
or this http://www.alhart.co.uk/USERIMAGES/Island%20Hopping(2).jpg
and this
http://www.rossanamartinez.com/images/soulmeetsbody1.jpg
http://www.bugheart.com/april7_wall.jpg

oh gawd sorry about that first link. too much champagne.

With that sort of neutrality you can afford to be bold. I say go purple! It'll work with both the white and the charcoal, and there are a lot of very exciting modern shades.

If you really want to be daring, put in a glossy white dado rail and then go two-tone (lighter below the rail, darker above). This would also work well with blues and greens.

I did some mock-ups based on the comments:
http://www.esnips.com/web/martina-photos/

I also included a giant mural of this:
http://www.kozyndan.com/assets/March_illus/GR_28_cover.jpg
which would be the best.

Do you put on makeup in the bathroom? If so I would avoid the cool colors.

Thanks all for the useful comments! I'm especially impressed and touched by mgn who took time to create those mock-ups. They're really helpful into imagining how it'd be to break-away from my original idea (I really like the orange).
I have created a flickr page of the renos, before-during-after:
www.flickr.com/photos/apartmenttherapyverdun
Cheers to all!
Paule

I recently painted my bathroom all white and I couldn't be happier. I got a stainless steel steel garbage can and toilet brush holder. I also purchased white porcelain bathroom accessories such as a soap dish and toothbrush holder. I found a great vinyl shower curtain in white with a subtle modern swirly pattern. I finished off the bathroom with solid wood shelves in a oak color to break up the white of the room. On the shelving I placed wicker baskets to place toiletries in and added large sea shells for decoration. The bathroom has a real spa feel to it. Clean, white and natural. In other words, I would suggest you keep the white and go for accessories to complement it.

mgn - LOVE the mock-ups!!! That's awesome. And the wave was by far my favorite!
jill

If it were me, I'd keep the walls a warm white and maybe bring in some colour through accessories (towels, rug, etc.). Almost anything will work with that white and grey... citrus yellow, lavender, lime, or neutrals like espresso or wheat...

I just re-did my bathroom in a similar fashion and LOVE the color we painted it. If you're looking for an amazing and warm neutral try Benjamin Moore's Barren Plain. Sometimes it looks green/grey sometimes more white/green. We paired it with some dark towels and it is crisp and lovely. I think it's a great color.

I know I'm late to post for this one, but for what it's worth, I'd install floor-ceiling mirror behind the sink with flush mount mirrored medicine cab and a glass shelf or 2. Introduce color with accessories, towels, shower curtain, bath mat, etc. I think a deep shade of lilac would look fantastic with that floor.