18 Gorgeous Accent Wall Colors That Will Brighten Up Your Boring Bathroom

Bathroom accent walls present a beautiful opportunity for creating interest and dimension in such a small space. A good accent wall can perfectly transform your bathroom, drawing the eye and often making even the tiniest powder room seem much larger than it is. With a vast number of paint colors that make perfect options for an accent color, you may be wondering which one can improve your bathroom's overall look. We've rounded up a wealth of the best accent wall colors and how to use them, covering everything from more subtle neutrals, like beige or gray, to vividly saturated pinks and reds.

Accent walls, as a rising bathroom design trend, can be an especially great addition to a bathroom where your tiles, vanities, and fixtures are more simple and neutral, helping to prevent the space from becoming too sterile and cold. Since moisture and climate may make you hesitant to use other popular approaches for creating accent walls, like paneling and wallpaper, paint can offer the opportunity to add additional layers of color, even if you prefer the overall lightness and brightness that whites and creams provide. 

While orange is not a widely popular bathroom color, this energetic shade can be quite beautiful when paired with classic flooring, botanical accents, and various woods. For a bold statement, opt for brighter and more saturated oranges, like Sherwin-Williams' Invigorate. For a more muted palette, use a dusty or burnt orange like Benjamin Moore's Topaz on your wall, combined with black and white elements, like diamond flooring and subway tiles.

Mustard yellow is a color that possesses a lot of adaptability. In contemporary spaces, it can warm up even the smallest utilitarian bathroom with its brightness. It's also a great option if your bathroom lacks direct sunlight and if you want a warmer feel and the illusion of sun. For a pale version, try Sherwin-Williams' Humble Gold, combined with white tile and fixtures, or go for a deeper, more dramatic look with Benjamin Moore's Mustard Seed.

Dark browns may seem at odds with the idea of brightening up a room, but when paired with high-contrast white floors, fixtures, and tiles, it can add depth and cozy up a larger bathroom to give it a sophisticated, polished feel. As an earth tone, it's also great for combining with other nature-inspired shades like greens, blues, and grays. For a warm dark brown, you can try Benjamin Moore's Barista. For a cooler-toned version, consider Sherwin-Williams' Black Fox or Farrow & Ball's Tanner's Brown.

While colors like beige and tan may not be the brightest shade in terms of hue, they're still a gorgeous way of adding dimension and layers of interest to an all-neutral bathroom. Use either of them on a wall behind white fixtures to make them stand out in a sleek and minimalist bathroom. Or, combine beige or tan with other shades of brown and natural materials for a stylish monotone look. For a pale and soft beige, look to Farrow & Ball's Skimming Stone or Benjamin Moore's Everlasting. For a darker variation, opt for Sherwin-Williams' Sanderling.

While greens of all hues are an ever-popular accent color in many bathrooms, crisp and springy greens, which often have yellow undertones, are especially perfect for brightening and livening up a boring bathroom. Great shades include lime, celery, and pear greens that have a lot of energy and saturation. They can complement a botanical design scheme, a retro mid-century modern style, or a bathroom steeped in tropical accents. Beautiful options include Benjamin Moore's Pear Green and Sherwin-William's Electric Lime. 

Mint green is a shade that is always fresh and soothing, making it perfect for a bathroom accent wall. Pair it with all-white tiles for a crisp and contemporary vibe. Or, combine it with darker mint and emerald shades in tiles and rugs to create a stylish monotone design scheme. Mint also looks gorgeous with dark wood furniture and accents, like vanities and shelving. Perfectly minty greens you may want to consider is Refresh from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore's Mantis Green.

While deeper and more dramatic shades, like forest green, may feel like they would darken a bathroom, they can be a great way to introduce another layer of color while still remaining light and bright when combined with brass fixtures, and bright tiles and walls. With a dark shade on the accent wall, the eye is drawn immediately to it, visually widening the room. Great shades of dark green for your accent wall range from cooler toned hues like Derbyshire from Sherwin-Williams, to muddier, deep olives like Farrow & Ball's Bancha.

Sage, a softer shade of green, usually has gray undertones, which can help create a relaxing bathroom space. It's a color that's reminiscent of leaves, trees, and other natural elements, making it ideal to combine with materials like marble, stone, bamboo, and wood. The zen-like feel of sage green also combines beautifully with browns, grays, blues, and other colors drawn from nature. There are lighter options, like Benjamin Moore's Saybrook Sage, and deeper sages, like Farrow & Ball's Green Smoke.

Complex shades of gray can be another way to add layers of color to your bathroom without roaming too far away from neutrals. Contemporary and modern bathrooms can benefit greatly from a high contrast look with white accents against crisp charcoals and deep grays like Hooper Head from Farrow & Ball or Benjamin Moore's Tucker Gray. For a softer, more antiqued palette, try Sherwin-Williams' Light French Gray, which has warmer undertones.

Navy blue is a shade that is both classic and crisp, making it perfect to use as an accent wall in your bathroom. These dark blues can read either modern or vintage-inspired, depending on other details in the room. For a contemporary aesthetic, pair a blue like Sherwin-Williams' Naval with white or gray geometric tiles. For a more antiqued look, use a deep midnight blue, like Gentleman's Blue from Benjamin Moore with cream and brass accents. 

Blue can be one of the most spa-like colors to use in a bathroom, evoking the sky, the sea, and a general feeling of well-being. Soft pale blues can be a great way to add subtle color to brighten up your bathroom. Options range from barely-there blues like Benjamin Moore's Ocean Air to deeper gray-infused blues like Farrow & Ball's Skylight. For a modern look, opt for clearer light blues like Fountain Sprout from Benjamin Moore, or choose gray-infused blues, like Sherwin-Williams' Rain, for a more vintage feel.

For a deeper and more dramatic version of blue, look for a shade that harbors green-undertones that evoke seawater like Benjamin Moore's Tropical Oasis. This energetic and dreamy blue can help create a more nautical or tropical feel in your bathroom, with many options for making your space lighter, like Farrow & Ball's Blue Ground. For a deeper shade, consider Open Seas from Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore's Fair Isle Blue.

This unusual shade is a nice compromise between blue and purple. It varies from lighter versions, like Benjamin Moore's Blue Ice, to deeper, more twilight-infused hues like Cascade from Benjamin Moore. Periwinkle looks stunning as a backdrop for brass fixtures and tiles for a crisp and contemporary look, but can still take on a romantic flavor when paired with antique touches like a dark wood vanity and ornate gilt mirrors. 

Choosing either lavender or lilac can add a feminine and romantic feel to your bathroom. Options range from hues with low pigment lavender to deeper that immediately evoke a floral vibe. For a light lavender, great colors include Benjamin Moore's Violet Dusk or Spring Flowers. For a deeper, more dusky lavender, try Modern Lavender from Sherwin-William or Farrow & Ball Brassica. You can also use a lavender that is warmer like Lavender Lipstick from Benjamin Moore.

Pale pink can be a stunning way to bring a dose of spring brightness to your bathroom space no matter your aesthetic. Beautiful shades include soft rose, delicate blush, and ballet pink. They look soft and light when combined with white or brass accents, but can also be layered for a feminine and romantic vintage look. Stylish shades of pale pink include Sherwin-Williams' Rose Pink or Baby Dreams from Benjamin Moore. For a dustier, more muted variation of this shade, look to Magnolia's Ella Rose.

If soft pink isn't your thing, bright and saturated versions are a great option if you want to make a bold color statement in a sleek and chic bathroom. They can look both flirty and feminine, including Barbie-inspired pinks in shades like Benjamin Moore's Pink Ladies, or they can read as lush and tropical, like Grenadine from Sherwin-Williams. Combine bright and saturated pink with softer shades for a more romantic look or keep things light and bright with accents like silver or brass.

Using shades of peach is another way to both brighten and warm up a room. This hue oftentimes has hints of pink, orange, and yellow, evoking tropical scenes and beautiful sunsets. It looks gorgeous mixed with other sunset colors, like soft yellows and deep blues, or combined with rich woods and white fixtures. Pale peaches like Benjamin Moore's Peach Parfait add a more subtle warmth, while darker shades, like Naperon from Farrow & Ball and Sherwin-Williams' Stone Fruit, are especially dramatic and eye catching on a single wall. 

One of the most energetic and bold options for an accent wall, red can read as modern and contemporary or as moody and dramatic, particularly when deeper, more brown-infused shades of crimson or burgundy are used. Apple reds and rich tomato reds can also be perfect for vintage-inspired bathrooms, like Farrow & Ball's Romesco and Benjamin Moore's Rosy Apple.