Picking the Right Color Vanity to Go with Your Gray Walls

Q: What Accent Colors Complement Gray Walls?

If you want a natural look, you can pair gray with browns, whites, and other neutral shades. This will streamline the finish, keep things mellow, and fit into almost any design. For classic nostalgia nods, you can take on the pastel trend and pair your gray with pink, coral, green, or teal shades. If you want a bold, contemporary bathroom, consider pairing gray with navy blue or black vanities and other accents to make a statement.

Gray is one of the most popular colors for bathrooms right now. In fact, it’s quite popular throughout the home, thanks to its availability of different shades and color families. For example, a visit to the local hardware store’s paint section will show you that you can choose from:

Grays (White and Black Shades)
Blue Grays
Purple Grays
Brown Grays
Green Grays
And others

So, no matter what color scheme or design you have in mind, it should be easy to work with whatever gray you choose. Cool grays usually do better in the bathroom because they open up the space and keep it neutral. However, as natural finishes and spa-inspired designs take precedence, grays in the brown family are also becoming quite popular.

Here’s what you need to know about outfitting your gray bathroom, including the vanity, accents, and more.

80 Inch Double Sink Bathroom Vanity in Dark Gray

Table of Contents

What Accent Colors Complement Gray Walls?
What Color Vanity Goes with Gray Walls?
Mistakes to Avoid When Decorating with Gray
Tips for Success When Styling Gray Bathrooms
The Final Call
Resources

What Accent Colors Complement Gray Walls?

Because gray comes in so many shades, and yet remains neutral, there are literally dozens of different accent colors that you can choose from. Many people opt to go with gray walls so that they can add colored accents or brighten things up in other areas. Here are a few ideas.

If you want a natural look, you can pair gray with browns, whites, and other neutral shades. This will streamline the finish, keep things mellow, and fit into almost any design.

For classic nostalgia nods, you can take on the pastel trend and pair your gray with pink, coral, green, or teal shades.

If you want a bold, contemporary bathroom, consider pairing gray with navy blue or black vanities and other accents to make a statement.

And remember, the shade of gray matters—what works with cool grays won’t necessarily work with warm grays, and vice versa.

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If your walls are a cool gray, stick with accents like:

Blue
Green
Purple
Black
White

If your walls are a warm gray, accents will be best in:

Brown
Purple
Red
Yellow
Orange

Depending on the shade(s) of purple in question, they can be used in both warm and cool color schemes.

36 Inch Single Sink Bathroom Vanity in Victory Blue

What Color Vanity Goes with Gray Walls?

When you are in the market for a new vanity to go with your gray walls, you have plenty of choices. Not only is gray good with a lot of colors, but vanities today are available in more colors than you can imagine. Choose a small bathroom vanity in navy blue for a calming, bold finish, or a larger bathroom vanity in a whitewashed finish to create an airy, natural feel.

White: This is a common choice for bathrooms, offering a clean look and a reflective surface that can help small spaces look larger. White’s always in style and it comes in every design you could imagine: traditional, modern, farmhouse, contemporary, etc.

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Gray: If you mix shades and tones, gray-on-gray can be a great choice for a neutral bathroom. If you have a small space, use lighter colors on the walls to avoid closing the room in. Make sure you choose complementary shades if you do this.

Blue: Blue goes great with gray, and right now navy-blue vanities are among the hottest on the market. You’ll find plenty of options, including lighter blues and ocean-inspired shades to create the perfect finish.

Wood Tones: Browns and wood tones also go well with gray walls. Especially darker wood colors with light walls will make a luxurious statement mixing the warm and cool shades. Light vanities work great with light or dark walls, and you can play with tons of textures and finishes for a natural, relaxing look.

These are just a few of the top colors to consider when you have gray walls in your bathroom. Of course, you can also select from any other color, so long as it fits your design and your tastes. These are just a few ideas of the best colors to pair with gray to get you started.

Now, let’s talk about decorating mistakes to avoid.

54 Inch Small Brown Double Sink Bathroom Vanity with Granite

Mistakes to Avoid When Decorating with Gray

Gray is pretty foolproof when it comes to mixing, matching, and decorating, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to mess up. There are some things that you’ll want to avoid when you are decorating with gray in the bathroom, or anywhere else in your home. Here’s what you need to know.

Too monochromatic is a thing. While you might want to stick with a singular shade or color palette throughout your bathroom, make sure that it doesn’t blend together too much and blur the lines that separate things.
Make sure you’re mixing the right grays with the right shades. Warm with warm, cool with cool, and so forth. Don’t use a cool gray with a warm yellow or it might not look right.
Don’t go too dark in a small space. You could risk making the bathroom look even smaller than it is.
Don’t choose the wrong shade of gray. Many people don’t realize the tone differences available, and every paint looks different in the store.
Don’t forget the accent colors. Too often, people shy away from bold accents to offset a space that’s gray, but that’s the perfect time to do so. Gray needs to be highlighted with a pop of color to avoid the drab finish.

Now that you know what to avoid, here are some tips for success.

72 Inch Double Sink Bathroom Vanity in White with Electrical Component

Tips for Success When Styling Gray Bathrooms

There are several ways that you can make sure that gray stands out in your bathroom space. Even if you’re sticking with a monochromatic or neutral color scheme, statements are easy to make with bold colors, design choices, and more. Here are some tips to make sure that your new gray bathroom design is a success.

When in doubt, test it out. Whether that means paint swatches, using online tools to visualize your bathroom renovation, or anything else, you should always check to see how things look before you commit.
Choose lighter grays to keep the space open and airy. If you don’t have a lot of natural light, dark colors aren’t going to do you any favors. Light grays also blend better with a variety of colors and design themes.
Contrast with dark and light grays in the same space. While keeping things neutral and modern, this also creates texture and depth. It offers a more polished finish and can be accented with all types of hardware and fixtures.
Asymmetrical designs can add to contemporary bathrooms with gray walls, creating a modern look that is polished and stylish.

There is a lot that gray can do for your space when you use it well. As you can see, however, there’s a lot more to that than just picking a color and getting to work. Take the time to put thought into your selections and you’ll have a stunning new bathroom space in no time.

36 Inch Offset Single Sink Victory Blue Bathroom Vanity

The Final Call

As you can see, you’ve got plenty to choose from when you’re looking to style your gray bathroom with the perfect vanity, no matter what color(s) you have in mind. Because gray is neutral and available in so many shades, there are countless options for color combinations to suit almost every taste. Make sure that you choose a vanity that you like, first and foremost, that fits your color scheme and design. With gray as your starting point, the selections are yours for the making.

My name is Julia Ritzenthaler, Founder and President of Unique Vanities, started in 2005. I started this business as an extension of our residential remodeling business, which focused on the design and build of custom cabinetry and architectural trim. I also worked as a financial advisor for 10 years at Ameriprise Financial, helping clients make sound money decisions, including budgeting for home improvement expenses. This expertise led me to start Unique Vanities, which offers a handpicked selection of high quality bathroom vanities, sinks, mirrors and more. You can find me most days sitting in Starbucks, my second office, or in my car driving my daughter across Dallas to gymnastics training.