What paint color to use to tone it down?

Question

the bathroom has sunny yellow tiles halfway up on the wall, a yellow toilet and yellow sink and hte floor is white and black tiles...what color can i paint the remaining walls to tone down this bright color? or what color accessories?

Answer 1

There's actually alot you can do with the existing colors and achieve a beautiful room as well. Look on the bright side (sorry...couldn't resist!) First I'd go to one of the carpet outlets and get a remnant of royal blue carpeting to cover the black and white tile floor relatively inexpensively. I wouldn't paint the wall a solid color unless you go with white. However, Sherwin Williams has books of beautiful patterns to choose from. Personally, I'd go with something in muted yellow, blue and white and build from there. Some of the books (waverly, laura ashley and lots more) also have coordinating fabrics to use for window valances and shower drapes. As for accessories, in this instance less really is more. A combination of solid blue and maybe white trimmed in blue would be a good choice for towels. Any wall decor, vanity accessories, etc., would probably best be done in the white with just a very few touches of the blue (maybe candles, soaps, bath salts, potpourri).

Another alternative would be mauves and a creamy white, but this is a little harder as you would need to find exactly the right dusky tones to carry it off with your particular shade of yellow. Just use the same concepts above only in the different colors.

You really do have many options, it's all in choosing the right color combination and hues. Before making any irreversible purchases I would invest in color chips to tape to the wall and leave a couple of days to see how they look in different lighting depending on the time of day, and which you feel more comfortable with.

I've gone into many homes where the owner wants a new more up to date look but has to work with existing fixture colors (appliances, counters, tile, carpet). They're usually pleasantly surprised with the finished efforts and minimal cost involved. It's all in taking a feature you really don't like and using it to advantage rather than fighting with it! Good luck!!

Answer 2

Wow, it really don't sound real bad except for the black and wihte tiles. If you can find the right shade of pale blue it will look good with the yellow, a cream color has yellow in it and white will be too stark next to the yellow tiles. Get some paint samples and take them home and hold them up to the tiles, try the blues, beiges, this sounds like a good bathroom for a sunflower theme!
You might even check out some vinyl wallpapers that may help for the upper half or some faux paint job on the top half. Check out some faux finishes at Lowes or Home Depot or Menards, you might get some good ideas in that area. Good Luck.

Answer 3

I'd probably go with a medium gray or a sandy colored brown. Use the medium grey if you aren't going to cover up basically all fo the flooring. It will help tone down the yellow and still go along with the white and black tiles. Use the sandy colored brown if you are going to cover up basicall all of the tile flooring. Whatever you do, stick to medium shades of color. Your room is already too bright, so you don't want to add more bright colors. And you don't want to add dark colors that completely contrast with the yellow.

Answer 4

Sounds like a great bathroom, I'd love it! Apart from the black and white tiles - I'd definately cover that with a nice carpet, totally different from the rest of the colour scheme and have heaps of plants, they will help detract from the glare of the yellow but will look as if they are in the sun. Put a huge mirror on one wall too, that would look great too. Good luck!

Answer 5

Yikes 40's retro.

Go with whites, pastels, cream, vanilla, anything but more yellow. Use a large enough bath carpet to hide most of the tile on the floor, and use white accessories.

Keep the old though it will likely come back in style,,,, I recall an elderly Aunt who had pink in that same sceanrio,,,, gads.

Rev. Steven

Answer 6

Gold would bring it out. You want to go in a total different direction for paint. Depending on what other colors are in your room go for more muted colors to tone down. Brown's and beige or sagey greens would tone down. Even wine and cranberry colors would work. I would do an accent color in a brown or cranberry and then all other walls in beige, sand or even sage with the brown.

Answer 7

Try a pail blue or green and use all the colors on the towels and accessories

Answer 8

How about black paint on the walls and ceiling. That's take the edge off.

Answer 9

Try a Butter Cream color and maybe a pastel border.

Answer 10

Yikes--you need sunglasses to shower! I'd try white or a muted green. At least it's cheerful!