Our editors work with affiliates when we select some or all of the products featured. We will receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases through these links.
17 green bathroom ideas to spark creativity
At House & Garden, we never seem to tire of the colour green. Pick up any issue of the magazine and you will see green everywhere: on walls and woodwork, tiles and flooring, and upholstery and soft furnishings. When asking interior designers why the colour is proving so popular, the most common answers is its connection with nature: it is the perfect way to bring the outside in. A green-painted window creates a clear visual link with the garden or landscape beyond, and walls in the colour help to emulate the sense of calm that we often feel when immersed in nature.
This is far from a passing trend. Green has been popular choice for interior decoration since the mid 19th-century, and can be seen many centuries before that in artwork. The ancient Egyptians made green pigment using malachite before the Romans discovered verdigris by soaking copper plate in wine. Today, green pigment might not be so hard to come by, but the decorative results are no less rewarding.
One of the rooms that can benefit most from a splash of green is the bathroom, whether from a lick of paint, a charming wallpaper or an arrangement of tiles. Though first and foremost a functional space, the bathroom can be made to feel both beautiful and useful with the simple introduction of colour. And when it comes to green, there are so many shades to choose from, be it a zesty lime, a jewel-like emerald or aquamarine, or richer, darker hues like olive, racing green or forest green. So if you are looking for a quick but effective way to give your bathroom a new lease of life, consider these examples from the House & Garden archive your green light.
Green bathroom ideas from the House & Garden archive
Dean Hearne1/16Tongue-and-groove panelling in Little Greene's ‘Olive Colour’ and William Morris ‘Willow Bough’ wallpaper bring a classic country-house aesthetic to the south London home of Rebeka Russell, the publisher behind Manderley Press. Like much of the house, this scheme takes inspiration from the man for whom it was built, the novelist William Hale White, and his friend William Morris who advised him on the interiors.
James McDonald2/16When it came to the restoration of Jack Laver Brister’s Bruton house, the antique dealer was careful to remove incongruous additions and source historic pieces to create a eclectic, layered home. Jack’s collection of seashells and coral is displayed in an Edwardian case on walls in ‘Euphorbia’ by Paint & Paper Library. A Victorian pot cupboard stands beside the salvaged bath.
Michael Sinclair3/16A mural or mural-style wallpaper can transform the look and feel of a space. In the luxurious main bathroom of this London townhouse designed by Madrid-based Studio LO2, 'The Amber Route' wallcovering from Misha creates an eye-catching backdrop for the basin unit topped in marble in the same rich green tone.
%25203.jpg)
Matthew Kissiday4/16Bright shades of green can make smaller, windowless bathrooms feel light and uplifting. In the children's bathroom of this Connecticut house by Elizabeth Hay, Veere Grenney’s ‘Woodperry’ wallpaper is paired with theatrical shower curtains in a toning fabric – a lovely playful idea for young children. All of the bathrooms in this house have similarly distinctive schemes featuring colours and prints that echo the corresponding bedroom.
Paul Massey5/16In Cath Kidston's Notting Hill house, walls in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Plaster II’ and pale marble are enlivened by a green linen blind from The Blinds Company and a rug by Caroline Marcq Interiors. Textiles are an excellent way to bring colour into a scheme without committing to more permanent finishes – a particularly good solution for those in rented properties.
Boz Gagovski6/16A bathroom in Joa Studholme's Somerset House is decorated in a combination of ‘Sap Green’ and ‘Pink Cup’, the latter a colour from the Farrow & Ball archive. Together they are used to create a chequerboard design that extends from the bath panel across the wooden floor.
Boz Gagovski7/16Lucy Mayers' tiny Kensington flat has been cleverly transformed by the designer, taking it from ‘standard student rental fare’ to a space full of personality. Deep green zellige tiles pick up on the paint used on the walls and woodwork, and provide a rich backdrop for the basin unit. Lucy originally bought this old sewing table at Criterion Auctions as a bedside table, but has since adapted it into a vanity unit with the addition of a brass top and a marble bowl from Ebay.
Dean Hearne8/16The bathroom in Daisy Sims-Hilditch’s Notting Hill apartment is light and airy thanks to its sage green scheme. Daisy has combined Adelphi Paper Hangings’ ‘Otis Federal Stripe’ with Neptune’s ‘Sage’ paint on the woodwork. The mirror is from Soane, as is the ‘Scrolling Fern’ fabric used for the basin skirt and the roman blind. A small painting by Daisy, who is an artist, hangs over a Portobello Market find on the wall next to the window.
Astrid Templier9/16In the guest bathroom of a Herne Hill house decorated by Pandora Taylor, ‘Fellini Gloss’ tiles by Claybrook are laid in elegant stripes of the pianta and crema colourways. They are contrasted by the blind in earthier tones, creating plenty of visual interest in a room that often has less scope for decorative elements.
Rachel Whiting10/16The artist owners of this London house by Beata Heuman called on the interior designer to create a family home characterised by daring design and strong colours. The walls of the en-suite bathroom have been painted in an emerald green, which brings out the smart black and silver accents for maximum impact.
Paul Massey11/16Using high-gloss paint is a bright idea for small spaces like this one. Like so many bathrooms, this one in Rita Konig's west London flat suffered from a lack of space and natural light. Deciding to embrace and emphasise the darker, atmospheric feel, Rita had the walls clad in horizontal and vertical boarding, which were then painted in a high-gloss ‘Deep Brunswick Green’ from Papers and Paints.
12/16In the Cotswold farmhouse of Olivine Design’s Victoria Gray, the walls of the bathroom are in ‘Green Smoke’ by Farrow & Ball. This offsets the CP Hart bathtub in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Beetlenut’, which stands on ecru zellige from Otto Tiles.
Paul Massey13/16Interior designer Annabel Elliot chose Farrow & Ball’s ‘Cooking Apple Green’ for the bathroom of King Charles’s 16th-century house in Cornwall. This subdued shade of green accentuates the verdant views of the Fowey Valley, while remaining in keeping with the traditional architecture of the house.
Michael Sinclair14/16In this warm and inviting attic bathroom in interior designer Thea Speke’s Wiltshire house, an Audoux-Minet rope mirror sourced from 1stDibs is showcased by walls in Paint & Paper Library’s archive colour ‘Both Barrels’.
Owen Gale15/16The under-basin cupboards in the bathroom of Joanna Plant’s west London house are painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Arsenic’. The lamps are by Hector Finch, the tiles are from Bert & May, and the brass-edged mirror is a design by Joanna and her husband Nick.
Owen Gale16/16The family home of Alix Reynis in Paris draws on various influences. Alix based the space largely on New York loft style, though she was also inspired by the bathrooms at The Ned members’ club in London, which are the vision of French designer Marianne Evennou.
Comments
Back to Top
