Grey bathrooms are they a good idea?

So what does the colour grey symbolize?

Since grey is made up of black and white it is seen as a neutral, balanced colour.

The positive traits associated with gray are that it is a calm and quiet colour. The colour

gray symbolizes intelligence, reliability and maturity.

The negative traits are that it is viewed as boring, conservative and not very

energetic as well as being seen as representing decay and sadness. 

It is said that too much of the colour grey can be physically draining.

So what are we to do?

 Chuck the idea of decorating with grey?

No! I have to admit that in the rest of my home, I am not a big fan of

decorating with grey, I like to use colours that make me feel happy

and energized. However, I think the use of grey in fashion and design has

changed considerably over the last few years. Interior and fashion designers

have revived grey to make it look chic and even refreshing. Every once and 

awhile I'll spot a great gray space and start to think maybe I will

do a grey room one day.

Yes, using grey in the wrong bathroom can look sterile and uninviting, but

done right, you can have a timeless and chic bathroom. I think it can be

a safer bet for a timeless bathroom then say doing a blue or green

bathroom or any colour besides beige for that matter.

I think if you are going to go with grey, you should have

great lighting, a window, where you can get some natural

light in and where you can see a bit of the outside to put a little life in

your bathroom. If your bathroom doesn't have windows or just has those skinny

windows near the ceiling - unless you are going for an industrial

look, take a good long look at your bathroom to decide if grey is the

right color to use. I would also add large mirrors to play off the light and some

splashes of colour and texture and interesting accessories (including

natural elements such as wood and fresh flowers, like in the next photo) will all help to

eliminate the boringness and drabness associated with the colour.

Check out these next two photos, see how the wood grain warms up the

look of the bathroom in the first photo and how the marble shower in the 

following photo does the same thing? (The first photo still needs a
hint of colour for me thought!)

Notice how the different shades of white subway tiles in this

shower also adds warmth and interest to the bathroom? Aren't they great!

Ok, I'm not crazy about this mirror over the tub, I would have gone with an

intricate Venetian style mirror, this is too cold & industrial for me here (even

though it is visually interesting against the sleek marble). However,

I do love this chic grey and white striped marble bath area.

Here's a simple, small grey bathroom. I like how they used the same brick tile

pattern on the back shower wall and tub base as the bathroom walls

but in a teeny tiny version. Note how one shower wall is covered in

large tiles and the the other is covered in the small tiles, this is a great

look to steal for your bathroom renovation.

My favorite grey bathrooms are those done in grey and white marble because you get the visual interest and warmth of the marble and the neutral grey base to create a bathroom that is timeless and which you can easily accent with whatever colour is

in style that season.

Here's what I also like about grey bathrooms:

They are softer than black

Grey floor tiles hide falling hairs nicely (your guy won't be sad and whining about losing his hair every morning when he steps out of the shower and combs his hair!)

Gray goes great with pretty much all colours. Punch it up with tangerine tango (pantone colour of the year), girlify it with soft shades of pink, go prep school with rich hues of navy blue, get manly masculine with darker grey accents. The colour choices are endless. You can change up the look and feel of your bathroom by just switching up your towels. And oh the choice in towel colours you have: from fushia to grape purple, apple to lime green, sunshine to mustard yellow, fire engine to tomato paste red, the colour combos with grey are endless. And there's always the classic fluffy white towel that looks so

good against grey.

If you choose a grey tile with a bit of a textured pattern to it, it can look clean even if you

haven't cleaned your bathroom in oh 2 weeks or so...that's what I hear anyways....

 At the end of the day though, it really comes down to how you accessorize a room and what accent colours you use that determines if it will look cold and

depressing or awake and lively.

So are you for or against grey bathrooms?

And how do you spell gray? grey or gray?

I am always switching. Do you always spell it the same way?


Want to see more colour themed bathrooms?

Check out these:
 Green bathrooms 
 Blue bathrooms
 Pink bathrooms

I am going to try to do a colour themed bathroom post each month, so please stay tuned!

images via: marie claire maison, apartment therapy, pg, desire to inspire, chelsea atelier, decor pad, attic mag, rue, zigersnead, amy d morris, unknown