Bathroom Colour Trends

27 March 2026

6 min read

Bathroom colour trends move slowly. Unlike fashion, where a palette shifts every season, a bathroom renovation represents years of commitment. That makes the trends that actually stick worth understanding.

Here's what Australian designers and homeowners are gravitating toward right now — from warm neutrals and sage greens to dark moody ensuites — plus what's quietly fading and how to pick a vanity colour you won't regret.

Trends

What's Happening With Colour in Australian Bathrooms Right Now

Bathroom colour trends move slowly. Unlike fashion, where a palette can shift in a season, bathroom renovations represent years of commitment. Most people live with their choices for a decade or more. That makes the trends that actually stick worth paying attention to, not the ones that peak on Instagram and vanish within a year.

Here's what Australian designers, builders and homeowners are gravitating toward in 2026, and what's quietly disappearing.

Warm Neutrals Are Still Winning

The single biggest shift in Australian bathrooms over the last three years has been the move away from cool greys toward warm neutrals. And in 2026, that trend isn't slowing down; it's deepening.

Think soft creams, warm whites, sand tones and greige (the grey-beige hybrid that photographs beautifully and feels calm in person). These colours create bathrooms that feel welcoming rather than clinical. They work particularly well in Perth and WA, where the natural light tends to be warm and bright. Cool greys can feel flat and cold under Australian light, while warm neutrals glow.

How this translates to vanities: Timber-look finishes in light to mid-tones are the most requested colours right now. In the Luma range, Natural Oak Matt is the perfect expression of this trend, warm, textured and natural without being rustic. Pair it with a Blossom White Matt benchtop and matte black tapware for a look that's current but won't date.

Green Is the New Statement Colour

If warm neutrals are the safe choice, green is the confident one. Sage green, olive, eucalyptus and deep forest tones are appearing across Australian bathrooms, in tiles, paint and accessories.

Green works in bathrooms because it's inherently calming. It connects to nature without being literal about it. And unlike blue (which dominated for a while), green pairs easily with both warm and cool tones.

A word of caution: green is a trend with staying power, but the specific shade matters. Very saturated greens, think Kelly green or emerald, tend to date faster than muted, desaturated versions. If you're bringing green into your bathroom, the easiest approach is through tiles, paint and accessories rather than permanent fixtures.

Dark and Moody Bathrooms Are Growing

At the other end of the spectrum, dark bathrooms are having a moment, particularly in master suites and powder rooms. Deep charcoals, rich darks and black cabinetry paired with dark tiles and warm metallic hardware create a dramatic, luxurious feel that's very different from the bright-and-white standard.

This trend works best in bathrooms that are either very well lit (natural light prevents it from feeling oppressive) or deliberately designed as cosy, enclosed spaces, like a powder room or ensuite that doesn't need to feel open and airy.

How this translates to vanities: A dark vanity colour like Luma's Cinder Matt is striking as a centrepiece. The key is contrast; pair a dark vanity with lighter walls and floor tiles so the vanity stands out as a feature rather than making the room feel like a cave.

What's Fading

Trends don't die overnight, but a few things are clearly on the decline.

Cool grey everything

The all-grey bathroom that dominated 2015 to 2020 is ageing quickly. Grey isn't disappearing entirely, but it's moving from cool (blue-grey) to warm (greige, taupe). If your current bathroom is cool grey and it still looks fresh to you, don't panic, but if you're renovating now, warm is the smarter bet for longevity.

High-gloss finishes

Ultra-glossy cabinetry is being replaced by matte and textured surfaces. High gloss shows every fingerprint, water spot and scratch, which is the opposite of what you want in a bathroom. All Luma finishes use a matte surface for exactly this reason; more forgiving and more sophisticated.

Stark white bathrooms

Bright white tiles plus a white vanity plus a white benchtop was the go-to 'safe' choice for years. It's not wrong, but it's starting to feel sterile. Designers are introducing at least one material or colour with texture, a timber vanity, a stone-look tile, a coloured grout, to give the room personality.

Matching everything

The perfectly coordinated bathroom where every element is the same colour family is giving way to curated contrast. A timber vanity with matte black hardware on white subway tiles. A dark vanity with a light benchtop and brushed nickel taps. Intentional contrast makes a bathroom feel designed rather than assembled from a catalogue.

Colour Combinations That Work Right Now

Light Timber + White + Matte Black

The most popular combination in Australia right now. A Natural Oak Matt vanity with a Blossom White Matt benchtop and matte black tapware. Warm, clean and works in any size bathroom.

Dark Vanity + Light Floor + Brushed Nickel

A step up in sophistication. A Cinder Matt vanity with light floor tiles and brushed nickel hardware. The dark vanity grounds the room while the light floor keeps it feeling open.

Matte White + Feature Tile + Chrome

If you want the vanity to recede and let a statement tile do the talking, a Blossom White Matt vanity is the right call. Chrome keeps things classic without competing with the tile.

Warm Grey + Neutral Tiles + Brass

Oyster Grey Matt paired with warm neutral tiles and brass hardware creates a bathroom with real character. Best suited to larger bathrooms or powder rooms where you want to make an impression.

One Rule That Never Changes

Trends come and go, but there's one principle that always holds: choose your most permanent elements in your most neutral colours, and add personality through things that are easy to change.

Your vanity, tiles and benchtop are permanent (or at least, expensive to change). Your towels, bath mat, soap dispenser, artwork and paint colour are cheap and easy to swap.

Design Principle

If you love sage green right now but worry it might feel tired in five years, put the green in your towels and accessories, not your vanity. Let the vanity be warm timber or clean white, and layer colour on top. Confidence in your own taste beats trend-chasing every time.