Grey Bathroom Paint Colors for Walls, Measured From Paintings
For most bathroom walls, choose a mid-light neutral grey around LRV 50. If the room has a window and you want something softer, a grey with a green undertone works well. Save the deep grey for a vanity or a small powder room.
Quick answer
Use the neutral grey (LRV 50) on most bathroom walls, the green-leaning grey (LRV 43) for a softer room with a window, and the deep grey (LRV 13) on a vanity or in a small powder room.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of grey
#BCBCBCLRV 50
Soft Stone Grey
A neutral grey with no clear undertone and an LRV of 50, so it reads as true grey rather than off-white. Use it on all four walls of a bathroom with a window. Measured from the Roman Period painting Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath at The Art Institute of Chicago.
A light grey with a green undertone and an LRV of 43. It gives a softer, more natural wall than a neutral grey, and works best where there is some daylight. Measured from Cavalier and Shepherd by Francesco Casanova at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A deep neutral grey with an LRV of 13. Use it on a vanity, a single wall or a small powder room where you want a cocooning feel. Measured from Copenhagen Harbor by Moonlight by Johan Christian Dahl, 1846, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A very light green-tinted color with an LRV of 70, light enough to bounce light around the room. Use it for towels, a shower curtain or a bath mat beside grey walls. Measured from Cavalier and Shepherd by Francesco Casanova at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sherwin-Williams SW 6455 Fleeting Green
Very close
Valspar 5007-3B Mellow Spring
Close
Farrow & Ball No. 204 Pale Powder
Close
#5F3B25LRV 6
Dark Walnut Brown
A very dark brown with a warm red-orange undertone and an LRV of 6. Use it for a wood vanity, a shelf or a floor to warm up cool grey walls. Measured from Cavalier and Shepherd by Francesco Casanova at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A mid-tone with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 34. Use it in small doses, such as a mirror frame, a stool or a lamp base, so it stands out against grey. Measured from Cavalier and Shepherd by Francesco Casanova at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
Color
Neutral daylight
North light
South light
Evening lamps
Soft Stone Grey
Quiet Sage Grey
Pale Celadon Mist
Antique Gold
Try these colors in a room
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath.
Which grey is best for bathroom walls?
Start with how much light the room gets. The soft stone grey (#BCBCBC, LRV 50) is neutral, with no clear undertone. It sits in the middle of the range, so it reads as a true grey rather than an off-white, and it suits most bathroom walls. The closest paints measured are Sherwin-Williams SW 7668 March Wind and Behr PPU16-11 Grape Creme (both near-identical), and Farrow & Ball No. 242 Pavilion Gray (close).
Choose the green-leaning grey (#AAB2A9, LRV 43) if you want a softer, more natural wall. It is a little darker than the first, so it works best in a bathroom with a window. Sherwin-Williams SW 6206 Oyster Bay and Behr PPU12-14 Verdigris are near-identical matches. Farrow & Ball No. 22 Light Blue is very close.
The deep grey (#676463, LRV 13) is for a small powder room, a single wall or a vanity. Anything below about 20 reads very dark. Matches: Sherwin-Williams SW 6005 Folkstone (very close), Behr PPU17-19 Arabian Veil (near-identical) and Farrow & Ball No. 26 Down Pipe (close).
What goes with grey bathroom walls?
Keep the walls grey and let the other colors do smaller jobs. The pale green (#D2DDCF, LRV 70) is light enough to bounce light, so it suits towels, a shower curtain or a bath mat. Its green undertone sits well beside the green-leaning grey and stays quiet beside the neutral one. Sherwin-Williams SW 6455 Fleeting Green and Farrow & Ball No. 204 Pale Powder are very close, and Behr N370-2 Eon is near-identical.
For warmth, add the dark brown (#5F3B25, LRV 6) in a wood vanity, a shelf or a floor. Sherwin-Williams SW 6090 Java and Behr 240F-7 Root Beer are very close matches. The antique gold (#BE9762, LRV 34) works as a small accent: a mirror frame, a stool or a lamp base. Sherwin-Williams SW 6130 Mannered Gold and Behr UL160-3 Gold Torch are near-identical.
For trim and ceiling, pick a white that is lighter than the wall so the grey has a clean edge. Warm wood or pale stone flooring balances a cool grey.
How does grey look in different bathroom light?
Grey changes more than most colors with the light, and bathrooms often have one small window and several bulbs. Judge the color in the room where you will use it, not in the store.
A grey with no clear undertone, like the LRV 50 one, stays fairly steady, but it can look flatter in a room with little daylight. The green-leaning grey (LRV 43) shows more of its green in warm evening light and beside white tile. If you are unsure, look at it at night before you commit.
The deep grey (LRV 13) absorbs most of the light that reaches it. In a windowless bathroom it will look close to charcoal and make the room feel snug. Put bright lighting on both sides of the mirror and keep the ceiling white. Warm bulbs make all three greys feel softer, and cooler bulbs make them look crisper.
How do I test grey paint samples in a bathroom?
Use sample pots and paint large boards rather than small swatches. Give each board two coats and leave a white border so you can judge the color on its own.
Tape the boards to the wall you plan to paint, then move one next to the vanity, the tile and the floor. Look at them in the morning, at midday and in the evening with the lights on. Let the samples dry fully before you decide, because wet paint looks darker.
The paint matches on this page are the closest found to colors measured from paintings, so treat them as a starting point. A color on your screen will never match the can exactly, so test the real paint. Ask the store which finish is made for damp rooms. Satin and semi-gloss are common choices for bathrooms.
FAQ
What is the best grey paint color for bathroom walls?
For most bathrooms, a neutral grey around LRV 50, such as #BCBCBC, is the easiest choice. It looks like true grey and still reflects a fair amount of light. Sherwin-Williams SW 7668 March Wind is a near-identical match.
Can I use dark grey in a small bathroom?
Yes, if you want a snug, enclosed feel. The deep grey here has an LRV of 13 and absorbs most light, so it works best in a powder room, on one wall or on a vanity. Add good lighting around the mirror.
What colors go with bathroom decor with gray walls?
Pale green towels, dark brown wood and small antique gold accents all work with grey walls. They come from the same painting, Cavalier and Shepherd, so they sit together easily. White trim keeps the edges clean.
Does grey paint make a bathroom look cold?
It can, if the grey is cool and the room gets little daylight. A grey with a green undertone feels softer, and warm bulbs, wood and gold accents add warmth.
Are the grey paint colors for bathroom walls here exact paint colors?
No. Each color was measured from a painting, and the paints listed are the closest commercial matches, from near-identical to close. Always test a sample in your own bathroom before buying.
Save these colors
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
From Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath, Ancient Egyptian
