Bathroom Colour Schemes: How to Choose Yours + What’s Hot in 2025

Colour is one of the most powerful tools in bathroom design. The right palette can make a small room feel spacious, turn a plain bathroom into a relaxing spa, or give your space a bold personality. But with new trends emerging each year, how do you decide what’s right for you?

In 2025, bathroom colours are shifting towards warmth, nature-inspired tones, and earthy character. Let’s explore how to choose a scheme that suits your home, while keeping it fresh and on-trend.

Step 1: Start with the Mood

Before you dive into swatches, think about the mood you want:

  • Calm and restorative? Look to the spa-inspired palettes dominating 2025: sage green, muted blues, and soft taupes.

  • Warm and grounding? This year’s earthy neutrals — sandy beige, stone, terracotta — create comfort without feeling dated.

  • Bold and expressive? Designers are embracing deeper shades like Cinnamon Slate, a velvety plum-brown named Benjamin Moore’s Colour of the Year. Used on a vanity or feature wall, it makes a confident statement.

Your bathroom’s role — whether it’s a busy family space or a peaceful retreat — should guide which of these trends you lean into.

Step 2: Work with Light

Lighting makes a huge difference in how colours read.

  • North-facing or low-light bathrooms: warm tones like clay pink, olive, or taupe help counteract coolness.

  • Bright, sunlit bathrooms: muted greens, soft blues, or terracotta will shine without overpowering.

Many 2025 trends are versatile under different lights, but always test a large swatch on the wall and check it at different times of day.

Step 3: Build Your Palette

Bathrooms work best with a simple, balanced palette. In line with 2025 trends:

  • Base colour: choose a timeless neutral (stone, warm beige, sage).

  • Accent colour: add character with terracotta, olive green, or Cinnamon Slate.

  • Finishes: metallic accents in brushed brass or bronze are especially popular this year and add warmth against earthy backgrounds.

The key is harmony — 2 to 3 main colours are enough. If you want to go bolder, try colour drenching (one of 2025’s biggest movements), where walls, ceiling, and cabinetry are painted in variations of the same shade for an immersive effect.

Step 4: Think Long-Term

Trends evolve, but bathrooms are built to last. A clever way to stay stylish is to keep your foundations neutral (tiles, large surfaces) and bring in trend-driven colours with vanities, paint, or accessories. That way, swapping terracotta for olive in a few years doesn’t require a full renovation.

2025’s Colour Highlights at a Glance

  • 🌿 Nature-inspired greens – sage, olive, khaki

  • 🪵 Earthy neutrals – sandy beige, stone, warm taupe

  • 🧱 Terracotta & clay – rich, grounding tones

  • 🍇 Cinnamon Slate – warm plum-brown, bold but elegant

  • ✨ Mixed metallics – brushed brass, bronze, copper accents

  • ❌ On the way out: stark greys, icy blues, flat “builder beige”

Final Thoughts

In 2025, bathroom colour trends are moving away from cold minimalism and into warm, natural palettes that feel personal and inviting. The secret to choosing the right scheme isn’t just following trends — it’s blending them with your bathroom’s light, size, and purpose. Start with the mood you want, layer in the year’s most stylish shades, and finish with accents that bring it to life.

The result? A bathroom that looks modern now, but still feels timeless tomorrow.

Back to blog