Decorating and Design - question about bathroom colors

In a small bathroom, should I go with ligher color or darker color. I think I heard darker makes the room look smaller, but just wanted to make sure.

Thanks again.

It's a misconception that people think darker colours make a room look smaller.

darker colors make a room look darker, and generally people associate that with "smaller". but actually *contrasts* will make a room seem smaller. so, to make your room seem larger, keep contrasts to a minimum. and since most people want white ceilings and have lighter floors, a lighter color on the walls is less of a contrast with both of those, and hence, make the room seem larger.

but if you have a dark color in mind that you like, for heaven's sake, use it. "larger" shouldn't be your goal. a normal sized bathroom will never seem "big" so just decorate it the way you want it. a dark bathroom is cozy & dramatic & very stylish. an all white bathroom might be bright & seem larger, but it can also be bland & boring.

go for style. go with what YOU like. my theory is, if there's no window, you're always going to have the light turned on, so it's never really going to be "dark" in there. if there's a window, also never going to be dark. and since it's a bathroom, you're not going to be in there for more than...what...maybe an hour (in the morning, getting ready), so it's an ideal place to use dark colors (you might not want dark colors in your family room, where you'll spend more time, for example). so, just decide what mood you want in there. light/airy/fresh/clean.......or rich/cozy/dramatic?

is it your master bath, hall bath, guest bath, 1/2 bath, kids' bath????

It's a downstairs hall bath, full, but smallish, mostly used by visitors. And thanks for your advice and comments.

since it's the bathroom that visitors will use, i like for them to somewhat coordinate with the other rooms that these people will be seeing, like the living/family room, kitchen, & entry. so try to take your cues from those rooms.

thanks Annette :)

you're welcome!

please post back & let us know what you ended up doing & how it turned out! :thumbup: