Right, so I’m having my morning coffee and looking at our bathroom through the open door, and it still makes me smile a bit. Not because it’s anything fancy – it’s literally just grey and white, which is probably the most predictable colour combination known to mankind. But getting it right took me three proper attempts and about six months of living with what can only be described as a decorating disaster.
When we first moved into our little terrace, the bathroom was this grim magnolia and brown affair that made you want to hold your breath while brushing your teeth. Standard rental property special, you know? Danny kept saying we should just leave it since we don’t own the place, but I couldn’t stand looking at it every day. Plus, I’d been watching all these YouTube videos about rental-friendly bathroom makeovers and got a bit carried away with myself.
My first go at grey and white was absolutely terrible. I’m talking corporate office canteen levels of soul-destroying. I’d bought this medium grey paint from B&Q – can’t remember the exact name but it was something like “Urban Sophistication” or some other nonsense – and paired it with the brightest white tiles I could find. Thought it would look all sleek and modern. Instead, it looked like a hospital toilet, and not even a nice private hospital.
The problem, I realised after living with it for about two weeks, was that I’d treated grey and white like they’re just two colours instead of understanding that each one comes in about fifty different moods. That bright white made the grey look muddy and depressing. The grey made the white look harsh and clinical. They were basically having an argument on my walls every morning.
Started again with what I now think of as “not-quite-white” – you know those shades that look white until you hold them up against actual white and realise they’ve got this subtle warmth to them? Found one called “Pointing” by Farrow & Ball, except I couldn’t afford Farrow & Ball so I took the sample to Dulux and asked them to colour-match it. Cost me eight quid instead of forty-five, which left more budget for everything else.
For the grey, I went much softer this time. Less “concrete block,” more “morning mist.” Got this lovely warm grey that changes throughout the day – looks almost blue in the morning light, proper grey at midday, slightly purple in the evening. Magic of undertones, innit? Though I learned that the hard way after painting the whole room before checking how it looked at different times of day.
But here’s what really made the difference – texture. My first attempt was all smooth surfaces and it looked completely flat, like a showroom nobody wanted to actually use. This time I mixed things up properly. Kept the walls painted because we’re renting, but added this gorgeous peel-and-stick wallpaper with a subtle linen texture on the wall behind the toilet. It’s from this company called StickTILE – cost me about thirty quid and took me half a Saturday to put up, mostly because I kept measuring twice and sticking once.
The shower curtain was another game-changer. Replaced the horrible plastic thing that came with the place with this waffle-weave fabric one from Dunelm. It’s white but with loads of texture, and it actually looks intentional rather than just functional. Plus it doesn’t stick to you when you’re having a shower, which is always a bonus.
Floor situation was trickier because obviously I couldn’t rip up the existing tiles. But I found these amazing peel-and-stick tiles that create this soft checkerboard pattern – not the harsh black and white chess thing, more like gentle organic shapes in different shades of grey and off-white. Got them from a company online after spending way too long scrolling through options. Installation was actually quite therapeutic once I stopped obsessing about getting every single tile perfectly aligned.
Storage becomes crucial with grey and white because every speck of dust shows up like it’s under a microscope. That beautiful white floating shelf I installed? Became a monument to every water droplet and stray hair within about three days. Now I use loads of baskets and containers to hide the inevitable mess. Found these lovely woven rattan ones at TK Maxx that add warmth without clashing with the colour scheme.
Lighting nearly ruined the whole thing, actually. That harsh ceiling light made everything look completely flat and unflattering – not exactly what you want first thing in the morning when you’re already questioning your life choices. I couldn’t rewire anything obviously, but I could add layers. Put a small LED lamp on the windowsill (yes, I know, lamp in the bathroom, but it’s got the right IP rating and honestly the bathroom police haven’t arrested me yet). Also added these battery-powered LED strips under the floating shelf that create this lovely soft glow in the evenings.
The mirror was another unexpected win. Replaced the standard rectangular builder’s mirror with this round one I found in a charity shop in Beeston – nothing fancy, maybe fifteen quid, but the circular shape softens all the hard lines from the tiles and fixtures. Sometimes it’s the simplest changes that make the biggest difference.
Plants took some trial and error, by which I mean I murdered several innocent houseplants before finding ones that actually survive bathroom humidity. Turns out pothos and ZZ plants are basically indestructible – they just sit there looking green and alive without requiring any actual gardening skills from me. The bit of greenery stops the whole space feeling too sterile and adds life without overwhelming the colour palette.
Had my sister and her family stay for a week last month, which was the real test. You stop noticing your own space after a while, don’t you? But watching other people use the bathroom, I properly saw what I’d created. The way the morning light catches that textured wall just right. How the soft grey makes the white look clean rather than stark. Everything feels pulled together without being too matchy-matchy or boring.
My mum still thinks I should have gone with “a proper colour” – she’s obsessed with this sage green at the moment – but this grey and white combination has grown on me in ways I didn’t expect. It’s not trying to be the star of the house or make some big statement. It just quietly makes brushing your teeth and having a shower feel a bit more pleasant every day. And really, isn’t that what good decorating should do? Make the ordinary stuff feel just a little bit better without you having to think about it every time you walk through the door.
