Bathrooms are usually one of the smallest rooms in the house – even smaller if we’re talking standalone toilets – which can be challenging when you want to create a light, airy space that’s beautiful as well as functional.

The good news is, the very thing that can make bathrooms a challenge – that lack of square metreage to work with – is also the thing that can make a bathroom a fun place to get experimental with Resene colours and products. After all, sometimes, when you’re backed into a corner, you come up with your best, most creative ideas!

Getting started

The first step in a successful small bathroom or toilet makeover is to get an accurate assessment of what you have to work with.

You will no doubt have ideas at the top of your list for what you want to replace or upgrade, but don’t forget to also give the whole room a thorough look for any signs of leaks, mould or other pressing maintenance issues that you’ll need to address before getting to the fun, design and decorating part.

Then take a look at what parts of the bathroom that are suffering from age, or a little wear and tear. It might be discoloured tiles, cabinets or grouting, or it might be a bigger issue like an old, stained bath or basin.

You should also look at the lighting in your bathroom; how much light is there? Is it all artificial or with some natural light. It can have a big impact on whether you choose light or dark, warm or cool colours when redecorating.

Take your list of ‘to-dos’ and assess it against your budget; a sobering time in most renovation projects! But hopefully, if your bathroom is small and in good nick, some paint and design flair can get you the tiny bathroom of your dreams.

If you have to juggle priorities to align with budget, it’s always best to prioritise maintenance. Fixing leaks or mould will make your bathroom look and feel so much brighter and better – and any paint or wallpaper you apply is going to have a smoother, cleaner and more durable finish.

Resene Paint Expert Jay Sharples says the three main things to be mindful of before starting a bathroom reno are temperature, air flow and humidity.

His top tips for these are:

• Treat surfaces to be painted with Resene Moss & Mould Killer and clean with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner.

• Spot prime bare and filled areas with solventborne Resene Sureseal or Resene Waterborne Sureseal to protect the substrate from moisture.

• The Resene Kitchen & Bathroom range is specially designed for wet areas such as bathroom and has added anti-bacterial silver and the mould protection of MoulDefender.

• Avoid long hot showers for seven days after painting. If you can’t use an alternate shower, limit shower time and carefully wipe walls to remove excess moisture.

Colour with confidence

When faced with a small space, you can go one of two ways when it comes to decorating, you can work with light, breezy colours like neutrals and pastels or you can lean in and go bold and moody or colourful and high impact.

Resene Colour Consultant Jackie Nicholls says that small bathrooms are a great place to try something new in, if you have a largely neutral palette elsewhere in your house.

“You are not in these rooms all the time, so you can be a bit more adventurous,” Jackie says. “A splash of colour or a few drops of Resene wallpaper can be easily achievable on a weekend and yet it can completely transform the room.”

Try a dramatic, bold and botanical wallpaper like Resene Wallpaper Collection 33304 or an abstract design like Resene Wallpaper Collection 2538M-13 on all four walls of a small bathroom and even consider a deep coloured painted ceiling in Resene Midnight Moss or Resene Toorak for total immersion. Crisp white trim in Resene Black White and white basins will add a fresh contrast, or opt for brass tapware for a sleek luxurious touch.

If that sounds too intense for your tiny bathroom, maybe just add the wallpaper to one stretch of wall, like a mural, or try an actual mural like the circular floral of Resene Wallpaper Collection 63017. Keep the rest of your walls to a complex neutral like Resene Half Blanc or Resene Spanish White or simply choose whatever neutral you have in the rest of the house.

This can also be a particularly effective technique in an ensuite. By painting your bathroom walls a slightly paler shade to your bedroom walls, the rooms will feel connected, yet the small bathroom will feel brighter and inviting. If you’ve opted for a deep beige neutral on your bedroom walls like Resene Stonewall, try Resene Eighth Stonewall or Resene Quarter Stonewall in the ensuite. A blackened white trim such as Resene White Pointer will connect the two nicely.

One tip for working with bolder colours in a small bathroom is to keep your scheme to just one or two tonally similar shades. Breaking the space up with too many competing colours can start to make the space feel more cluttered.

Resene Colour Consultant Connor Watson Colour suggests colour washing a tiny bathroom – using just one colour in the whole room.

“It feels intentional and sophisticated by reducing visual noise and adding subtle depth. You could pull the tones from a larger bathroom or other room and intensify it in the small bathroom to create a bold, cohesive space, while softer, but warm washes can help reflect light and enhance openness.”

Another way to add colour and a sense of height to the bathroom is to add a dado rail around the walls about a third of the way up. Paint the lower section and the rail in a bolder colour – like an appropriately sea blue like Resene Undercurrent and add a white or neutral like cream Resene Pearl Lusta to the top half.

“Really, there are no hard and fast rules to choosing the ‘perfect’ colour palette suited to a smaller space. What is important is to put careful consideration into how you want the space to feel and then work with colours to help you achieve that,” Jackie says.

“Are you going for a gentle, soothing natural feel or do you want something that feels more crisp and fresh with perhaps a contrast colour to define an area?

“For a more natural, airy look, consider dreamy soft whites like Resene Quarter Albescent White or Resene Eighth Parchment. Team these with wooden cabinets to add an element of texture. Resene has a beautiful range of interior stains and washes that will enhance the wood, such as Resene Colorwood Becalm, a warm, beachy off-white.”

Think about how you use the bathroom too. If, for example, you love long, luxurious baths staring at the ceiling, paint the ceiling an interest pattern or colour.

When all-white isn’t right

In a small bathroom, opting for a white-on-white colour scheme can seem like a smart choice to maximise your sense of space and light, but often, particularly if you are reliant on artificial light, it can end up feeling harsh, cold and glary.

Instead try a softer, mid-tone neutral like Resene Parchment or Resene Half Tea.

Other colour considerations are that some warm undertones like mustard yellows, oranges or reds can make a bathroom feel more humid and confined, rather than spacious. Some sour shades of green can also be unflattering under some artificial lights. Instead, you could try subtler, fresher colours like Resene Splash, Resene Wax Flower or Resene Pot Pourri. Experiment with Resene testpots to see how different colours behave in your bathroom and make the most of the expert advice available in your local Resene ColorShop.

Use your light

Look for ways to move light around the room, using mirrors, touches of metallics and higher gloss paint finishes like Resene Lustacryl Kitchen & Bathroom semi-gloss.

Elevate everything

Where it’s practical, lift bathroom fixtures like vanity units, shelving and toilets off the ground. This helps increase the sense of airiness and floor space in smaller rooms.

Fake it

For a small pop of colour or visual interest, paint faux tiles as a splashback behind your basin, beside the bath or even on the floor. Paint your floor in two coats of your chosen shade in Resene Walk-on and stencil a pattern over the top in a different colour or stick to simple alternative squares in a block colour. Larger tile sizes with fewer grout lines (real or faux) will make a smaller bathroom feel bigger.

Paint it

Three things you might not realise you can paint in your bathroom to give them a refresh are tiles, tile grout and laminate cabinetry.

• For the cabinets simply clean the surface and apply a coat of Resene Laminate and Melamine Primer, followed by two coats of your chosen topcoat.

• For tiles prepare the surface and apply Resene Waterborne Sureseal then topcoat with Resene Walk-on on the floor or Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen on the walls. This same technique will also allow you to paint over glass.

• To freshen tile grout carefully mask along either side of the grout lines in your floor or bench tiles, then use a small artist’s brush to paint the grout with Resene Walk-on. When dry, seal it with Resene Concrete Wax waterborne satin glaze.

Colours mentioned in this article

Products mentioned in this article

January 20, 2025

If you need help getting starting or deciding on the colours and products that best suit your bathroom, come in and visit your local Resene ColorShop, Ask a Resene Colour Expert free online or Ask a Resene Paint Expert free online.

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