Picture this: one month ago, I walked into my friend Sarah’s bathroom and stopped in my tracks. Not because it was gorgeous (although it was), but because it blew every preconception I had about beige right out of the water. See beige has had something of a bad reputation lately. (“Oh it’s beige?” I hear you sigh.) Lazy.
Vanilla. Weak. Kind of how I imagine lift music sounds.
But Sarah’s bathroom was anything but lazy. Her walls were painted in a warm, buttery shade.
But paired with natural stone tiles on one feature wall and some brass hardware, it transcended “basic” into the kind of effortlessly expensive we can all dream about.
Here’s the thing, I used to think beige was boring too! When I painted my first bathroom (read: tiny rental bathroom that smelled of mould/mould) white, I did so with visions of “clean slate” and “spa-inspired refresh” dancing in my head. Spoiler alert: what I actually got was something that felt sterile, depressing, and reminiscent of my last trip to the dentist.
Ugh. Every day when I stepped into that bathroom it felt unwelcoming. Neutral should NOT suck the soul out of a room.
Which is what I believe happened to mine. Lesson learned. Although it took me years of experimenting to truly understand how to work with beiges, not against them… Contrary to popular belief, there’s nothing wrong with beige.
Actually, the secret to rocking beige is realising that it doesn’t JUST mean beige. There are so many warm greys, warm whites, and warm taupe-y colours to choose from that when done correctly your rooms will lookastic: 1 // Embrace texture like it’s goth. Or bird.
You know. Something that loves texture. If I could describe my style journey in one picture, this would be it.
I originally painted my bathroom this warm, seemingly-beautiful beige. The. Second.
Day. I repainted it a cheaper shade of white. And STILL it felt cold.
So I grabbed a drywall brush I already had and used it to add tons of texture while I was painting. BAM. Instant warmth.
The funny thing is, the beige actually worked in that bathroom; I was just hanging it with all the wrong accessories. Neutral doesn’t have to be boring. Textured wallpaper on the feature wall?
Cheque. Patterned rug? Cheque.
Wooden baskets? Cheque. Plants?
Cheque. Oh and tons of unexpected brass hardware. Natural materials are EVERYTHING when working with beige walls.
Wood, stone, rattan, linen. They all add interesting texture and organic tonal variation that helps breathe life and warmth into a neutral palette. Let there be (warm) light!
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When we moved into our current flat it was North facing and got basically NO natural light. Remember how I said beige can look awesome? Yea, not here.
My beige walls that previously looked yummy taupey in my sunnier flat now looked flat and GREY. BLEH. Moral of the story?
Lighting is KEY. When layering your neutrals choose warm white LED lights whenever possible. And if you need more lighting than what’s provided by natural sunlight, add some lamps!
We have one lamp on our bathroom countertop and it not only provides functional light, but adds interest and fills the space with more yummy warm tones. Warm. And cool.
There is a BIG difference between cool-toned beige and warm-toned beige. Cool-toned colours can read as sterile, unwelcoming and sad. That’s why I always test paint colours at morning, noon AND night.
What looks beige-neutral in the middle of the day may turn greenish or bluish when the sun goes down. Don’t believe me? Smooth tones bore me.
Instead, think about using slightly irregular materials that have tonal variations within the same colour. Stone looks amazing in warm beiges. Subway tile might look blah with a pure white grout, but pick up some warm beige/light taupe and those suckers will POP.
Same goes for wood. Last year I painted my laundry room this gorgeous warm beige and showered one wall with handmade ceramic tiles that came in JUST enough variation to look like stone without breaking the bank. Another fab way to add subtle texture is to layer different shades of beige.
I love utilising creams, mushrooms, sandy beiges and taupes in the same space. The key is to either stick to ALL warm toned beiges OR ALL cool toned beiges. Mixing warm and cool just creates mud.
Ah baskets. We’ve talked about them before and how amazing they are at adding texture and breaking up negative space. But have you ever thought about using them in your bathroom?
Turns out woven baskets are AMAZING for bathroom storage (trust me I have like 5 of them hiding unwanted clutter in ours right now) and they look gooooooood paired with beige. RULE OF GREEN: Plants and neutrals are besties. Always.
If I could recommend one thing to add to any neutral palette it would be a plant or two. Green is the perfect pop of colour to add contrast to beige without being overpowering.
And since most live plants love humidity, they’ll thrive in your bathroom!
Just say no to Chrome. Chrome is the Achilles heel of any nice neutral space. Brushed nickel?
Fine. Matte black? YES PLEASE.
But shiny chrome hardware? No thanks. Brass is the new black when working with beige tones.
Instead of opting for shiny chrome cabinet pulls and towel racks, try something more warm and inviting like brushed nickel or better yet…aged brass. It really is the little things. 😉
