Top 20+ paint colors that make small bathrooms look bigger

Make the most of the bittiest spaces in your house with a fresh coat of designer-approved paint.

It’s tempting to put your bathrooms’ design on the back burner, but given that these areas see daily use—both by you and your guests—it’s all-important to treat them to considered design choices. And if you’re revamping these bitty spaces on a budget, paint is hands-down the smartest way to amp up their personality without breaking the bank. Even so, it can be hard to choose the right hue, especially in bathrooms where square footage is limited. Here, we’ve rounded up the best paint colors for small bathrooms—and they’re all designer-approved. 

01 of 20

Pretty Paneling

A skirted sink (Erika Powell Textiles' Artichoke) softens the powder bath.

Given the abundant use of blues and greens throughout this Fairhope, Alabama, home, it just made sense to zhush the petite powder bath with a saturated coat of Benjamin Moore's Porch Swing (CSP-750).

02 of 20

Rich Neutral

For the powder bath of our 2024 Idea House, designer Allison Elebash pulled colors from the changing colors of the marsh grass outside, splashing the wainscoting in Sherwin-Williams' Bateau Brown (SW 6033).

03 of 20

Striped Statement

Designer Allison Elebash made an impact in the Idea House's small carriage house bathroom by painting it with stripes in Sherwin-Williams' Greek Villa (SW 7551) and (Mushroom SW 9587).

04 of 20

Better in Black

Rather than updating the tile original to his 1950s ranch-style house, New Orleans designer Shaun Smith revived the once-dated guest bathroom with a handsome coat of Fine Paints of Europe’s Black 0029 on the walls.

05 of 20

Leafy Green

In the bathroom adjacent to her girls’ whimsical, attic-like playroom, designer Ashley Hanley doubled down on the bottle green (Benjamin Moore’s Clearspring Green, HC-128) she chose for the space at large, accentuating its tree-house-like feel.

06 of 20

Earthy Red

Designer Laura Hodges’s decision to go all-in on Sherwin-Williams’ Rookwood Red (SW 2802) in different finishes on the walls, trim, and ceilings produces a warm, cocoon-like ambiance in the powder room of our 2023 Southern Living Idea House in Tennessee. 

07 of 20

Minty Fresh

Catherine Branstetter livened up the downstairs bathroom of her 1920s Nashville Tudor by splashing the walls in Farrow & Ball’s Green Blue (No. 84) and hanging an antique mirror that bounces light.

08 of 20

Airy and Bright

White-on-white paint selections (Sherwin-Williams’ Pearly White, SW 7009 on the walls and Extra White, SW 7006 on the trim) open up the primary bathroom in Molly Williams’ Charlotte, North Carolina, 1890 home so that it appears larger than it actually is.

09 of 20

Natural Shades

Designer Hannah Maple channeled the outdoors for her sons’ bathroom in their historic Lexington, Kentucky, home, painting the walls in Benjamin Moore’s Balboa Mist (OC-27) and covering the wainscoting in Farrow & Ball’s Lichen. 

10 of 20

Retro Green

When designer Meg Kelly added a new bathroom to her 1960s Nashville ranch, she wanted it to feel like it was part of the original, so she covered the walls in wood paneling, which she painted Farrow & Ball's Breakfast Room Green (No. 81).

11 of 20

Creamy Classic

Farrow & Ball’s White Tie, No. 2002 fosters a welcoming cottage-y feel to this bitty bathroom in designer Whitney McGregor’s 1950s cabin in the charming mountain destination of Highlands, North Carolina.

12 of 20

Solid Ground

Cristina Lynch’s 1920s Dallas home is decorated in a fairly traditional way, underscoring its historic roots, but designer Noel Pittman stepped out in the petite powder room, where she juxtaposed Scalamandré’s more contemporary Spatter wallpaper with wainscoting painted Black Forest Green by Benjamin Moore (HC-187).

13 of 20

Inviting Shade

14 of 20

Blue Period

Artist Dorothy Shain wanted her century-old Greenville, South Carolina, bungalow’s solo bathroom to pack a punch, so she washed its wood paneling in a saturated shade of cerulean, Farrow & Ball’s Stone Blue, No. 86.

15 of 20

Fresh Foundation

Sherwin-Williams' Pure White (SW 7005) serves a clean backdrop for designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas's other selections in our 2019 Idea House bathroom, like the blue-and-white penny tiles and skirted farmhouse sink.

16 of 20

Not-So-Mellow Yellow

In the guest house bathroom of our 2022 Idea House, designer Charlotte Lucas proved two is better than one, checking the walls in Sherwin-Williams’ White Snow (SW 9541) and Sunny Side Up (SW 9665).

17 of 20

Easy Neutral

Designer Lauren Liess looked outside the windows to find color inspiration for the primary bathroom of our 2020 Southern Living Idea House, where she landed on soothing Sherwin-Williams’ Herbal Wash, SW 7739.

18 of 20

Well Treated

In the front powder room of our 2021 Idea House in Kentucky, designer Sarah Bartholomew dressed the walls in a decorative crosshatch pattern that mimics the natural texture of grasscloth, using a combination of Sherwin-Williams’ Soft Sage (SW 9647) and Cotton (SW 9581).

19 of 20

Stormy Blue

Designer Stephanie Sabbe chose Sherwin-Williams’ Blustery Sky (SW 9140) when revamping the guest bathroom of this new-construction Nashville farmhouse and pairs perfectly with the Sister Parish wallpaper accents.

20 of 20

First Blush

The palest pink washes designer Ashley Gilbreath’s young daughter’s bathroom in a soft, rosy glow, lending it an airiness that’s still imbued with warmth. For a similar look, try Farrow & Ball’s Tailor Tack, No. 302.