Restaurant bathrooms and public restrooms are usually utilitarian spaces where people would not exactly want to spend much of their time. After all, they’re bathrooms where people relieve themselves and do a lot of preening. Even though they aren’t the favored area in a restaurant, the best painters in the Bay Area know how to help restaurant owners pick the right color
A restaurant bathroom or a public restroom should always be kept clean and hygienic, and that is a given. But just like in the other areas of a business establishment, a restaurant bathroom should also look good. It should be a place where people would be delighted to step in, and perhaps, would linger a bit longer than usual (that is, if the space is not too crowded).
As the years and decades go by, business bathrooms and public restrooms have gradually gone from being mere functional spaces to stylish places with the incorporation of the latest bathroom design trends. If you decide to give your restaurant bathroom a makeover but you’re in a budget, keep in mind that renovating a business bathroom doesn’t always have to cost a lot. Sometimes, it simply takes a new coat of paint and the right color scheme to dramatically transform it.
The following are some pointers that will guide you to the right direction when choosing the right paint colors for restaurant bathrooms and restrooms.
1. Balance neutral colors with vibrant ones
As commercial bathrooms are normally smaller compared to the other areas of an establishment, the walls are normally painted with neutral colors to create an illusion of an increased height and space. Neutral colors are also practical as they make cleaning and disinfecting the bathroom much simpler. However, painting a plain-looking commercial bathroom or restroom with some vibrant colors is not a bad idea at all, as it creates balance and exudes a welcoming atmosphere.
2. Choose paints with gloss
Commercial bathrooms and restrooms see a lot of traffic, so choose paints with a glossy finish because they are more durable (compared to flat paints) and are easier to clean. Glossy paints are specifically made to be highly resistant to moisture and humidity. They also reflect light, making spaces such as bathrooms to appear brighter.
There are many types of paint finishes, by order of their gloss and durability: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and glossy. Flat paints are not usually recommended for painting bathrooms as they have a poor resistance against moisture and humidity, thus making them difficult to clean.
Depending on the level of traffic a commercial bathroom receives, many painters choose eggshell or satin for the walls, while reserving semi-gloss and glossy paints for doors, window frames, cabinets and any other fixtures. Some painters, though, choose to paint the walls and even the ceiling with semi-gloss and glossy paints for a touch of luxury and drama.
3. Avoid “clinical” colors
Colors influence a person’s mood, emotions and way of thinking. There are certain colors that make them feel uplifted, while there are other colors which make them feel dreadful. Avoid painting the bathroom walls with stark white, dreary gray or sterile blue as such colors. While these are practical colors, they will otherwise make your guests feel like they’re in a clinic, hospital or institution – certainly not the reaction that you’re looking for!
4. Keep a common theme
What if you haven’t decided on a certain color scheme yet? Consider this great bathroom design idea: take the elements from the rest of the interior and incorporate them into the bathroom or restroom for a more coherent, consistent and seamless look. Perhaps you should go a number of shades lighter on the walls so that your patrons will recognize it as a bathroom or restroom, but still in keeping with the theme of your restaurant or other business establishment.
Despite restaurant bathrooms being usually smaller compared to other commercial painting projects, this is by no means an easy task. In fact, many of the best painters in the Bay Area think that bathrooms are even more challenging to deal with. But such challenges compel them to tap their creativity in turning a basically functional space into a space that is also pleasing to the senses of the guests and patrons.
