Ask Kylie: How Can I Update My Almond Bathroom Fixtures?
I’ve come across many almond tub surrounds in my day-to-day work, and the first question I get asked is “I can’t afford to replace it, but how can I possibly make it look good…?”
And for those of you with an almond bathroom, let me just say this…”I feel your pain.” In our last home, we had a bathroom with bone-coloured (tan) fixtures, and when we redecorated, the budget did not allow for updating them. However, our budget DID allow for two bottles of wine which helped me come to terms with the fact that we couldn’t afford to replace them.
This is my E-design client’s bathroom – not mine
So, I’ve come up with a list of the most common questions related to almond/bone bathroom fixtures with some straightforward answers to help you update and modernize your space!
(and if you haven’t checked out The Best Paint Colours for an Almond Bathroom, then do so when you’re done with this one!)
CAN I HAVE A WHITE SINK IF MY TOILET & TUB ARE ALMOND?
If you have an almond tub, surround and/or toilet you can have a white sink.
BUT your countertop has to have a blend of white/cream/beige/almond (basically some kind of tone-on-tone blend). The goal is to have your countertop act as a ‘go-between’ between your white sink and almond fixtures.
The above countertop is a manufactured marble with a blend of cream, beige and off-white in it – making it a great ‘go-between’ for the almond toilet and tub and the white sink.
A real or fake travertine countertop is a GREAT contender for an almond bathroom! I love the wood and countertop combination on this vanity here as well as this one.
You shouldn’t do a white sink and almond toilet if…
- You don’t plan on updating your countertop, and it isn’t cream/white. A countertop that isn’t a cream/beige/white blend could further accent the difference between the colour of the toilet (almond) and the colour of the new sink (white)
- If your bathroom has only a toilet and sink in it. Chances are this is an itty bitty bathroom/powder room, and therefore, the space is too small to have the toilet/sink different colours from each other
In the above photo, if you look in the reflection, you can see that there is in fact, an almond shower surround!
CAN I HAVE A WHITE TOILET WITH AN ALMOND TUB OR SHOWER SURROUND?
If you are replacing your toilet YES you can have a white toilet AS LONG AS it is not DIRECTLY next to your tub (as in between 12-24″). It can be approx three feet (or more) away, separated by the vanity or on the opposite side of the room – you just can’t have a white toilet right next to an almond tub/shower (says me…).
Why? When your eye roams around the room there needs to be enough distance between the two so that they are not in the same visual sightline. If they’re directly next to each other it will be clear as day that they’re different, which will only ACCENT your almond tub and make it look dirty compared to the toilet (which seems very hypocritical of the toilet.)
In the above photo, that accent tile is GENIUS. Why? It has almond AND white in it, making a white toilet feel a bit more at home!
The exception: hang a shower curtain that is closed all of the time and hanging on the outside of the tub, rather than the inside.
Click HERE or on the above image to see available packages
WHAT COLOUR FLOORING SUITS ALMOND OR BONE BATHROOM FIXTURES?
Avoid the use of a dominant white in your flooring. Try to find a tile or linoleum that is either a mix of creams (which can include a bit of white) or a tile with other colours and a dominant cream coming through (as shown in the collage below). A tile with cream in it will blend in with your tub/toilet when they meet which will help tie the almond colour into the palette of your bathroom.
If you’re looking for a quick pick, travertine tile (or the look-alike porcelain) is hands-down the best tile to update a bathroom with almond fixtures.
This example isn’t the most affordable, but it gives you a great eyeball on it. Plus, products on Wayfair go on sale ALL THE TIME!
French Pattern Travertine Tile
This silver travertine is a great way to lean toward the gray side of the palette, while still hitting the needs of your fixtures. Most travertines have warmer, creamier colours which are well-suited to almond.
1. Veneto 12×24 tile | 2. Alterna Mesa Stone tile | | 3. Antoni chevron tile | 4. Alterna Tuscan Path tile | 5. Moscow wood-look tile | 6. Hexagon porcelain tile
While you can get away with a touch of white (mixed with cream) in your flooring, TOO much white will contrast directly with your tub when they meet at the base and will only serve to accent the ‘almond-allure’ of it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: How products look online vs how they look when they show up at your door can be TWO different things. Ensure that the undertones/colours in the tile are the SAME undertones as the specific almond/bone fixtures you have.
DOES A WHITE TUB OR SHOWER SURROUND GO WITH AN ALMOND OR BONE TOILET/SINK?
If you have an almond or bone-coloured tub with a tile surround and want to retile, you’ll need to pay homage to that almond tub with a tile that follows a similar premise to the tiles suggested above. However, if you’re going to the effort of re-tiling (which always involves re-drywalling) then you should spend the extra moula and get a white tub. This also means that EVENTUALLY, you’ll want to get a white toilet and sink, but those can come later. However, with having a white tub, you have a cleaner slate to work off of should you want a more updated tile around the shower.
However, things add up FAST when you’re updating/renovating, so if you’d rather keep your budget at a dull roar, check out these tile-choosing tips…
These almond/bone-coloured subway-style tiles are a great way to modernize an almond tub as they’re a few tones darker than almond and add some visual depth to the space.
A MODERN LOOK
- 4×12 or larger tiles. Staggered layout or stacked
TRADITIONAL SUBWAY TILE
- 3×6 or 4×12 tiles. Staggered/brick pattern
LOW MAINTENANCE
- Large, 12×24 tiles (less grout to maintain/clean)
A FEW MORE ALMOND BATHROOM TIPS & IDEAS
- Don’t do a white shower curtain. Follow the same guidelines for tile – layered neutrals are the way to go! A large expanse of white will accent the almond/bone colour of your tub and make it look murky/dirty in comparison. Choose one that is cream or has a pattern on it that suits the rest of your space – it’s that easy!
- Do a tile baseboard instead of traditional moulding; this way you can eliminate another white product that could enhance your almond fixtures
- Any metal finish suits almond fixtures – EXCEPT BRASS. However, you will find that polished nickel/chrome are the lowest contrast, whereas black or oil-rubbed bronze will contrast/pop
The Best Hardware to Update Wood Cabinets
6 Budget-Friendly Home Update Ideas
THE BEST PAINT COLOURS FOR BATHROOMS WITH ALMOND OR BONE FIXTURES
To check them out, click here…The Best Paint Colours for an Almond Bathroom
See more of this project here
Well, I hope that info helps you on your journey to update your almond bathroom and helps you choose products that will take it to the next level!
READ MORE
The 6 Most Budget-Friendly Home Update Ideas
How to Update Your Kitchen On a BUDGET!
E-Design: An Updated Almond Bathroom
The Best Paint Colours for an Almond Bathroom
Do you still need help?
Check out my affordable Online Decorating and Colour Consulting Services!
Chat soon,
Originally written in 2017, updated in 2022
Comments 33
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I loved this article (and the paint color article as well)!! We just bought a house with almond fixtures and I’m trying to figure out what to do with it. We are going to refinish the tub because it is peeling and I’m debating on if I should go with almond or white.
It really isn’t a terrible almond, it is very light (bone maybe?). We won’t have the budget to replace the sinks, toilet, and tile floor for about 5ish years. I’m trying to decide if it would look terrible to have a white tub and surround with other almond fixtures? What are your thoughts on this?
Hi April! Hmmmmmmm, that’s a tough one….My worry is that if you do the tub white you will REALLY hate the toilet/sink/etc… as it could really make them show more than before.
However, the problem is that in 5 years it is going to be a lot harder to get almond toilets/sinks – other than special order (Which is usually more expensive). Any really at that point I can’t see you really ‘wanting’ to buy another almond toilet!!!
So, if it were me….I think I’d do a white tub. I would buy a shower curtain that had some ‘almond/cream’ in it as well as white to kind of ‘blend the 2 worlds’ – and then I’d just watch for a sale on toilets/sink 😉
Does that help at all???????
~Kylie
I was so happy to find your site- I have a long, narrow kids bathroom with no window- I am putting frameless mirrored medicine cabinets above existing double sink plain cream corian vanity top with maple color wood base cabinet. and yes standard almond floor tile, one piece tub and toilet ugh. I thought the same thing to treat the almond as a color in the scheme- I was thinking to paint the bathroom cream so I could keep it open and bright (no windows) then add color with accents/décor – but I want alittle color ( not dark ) – I thought about a pale blue/ neutral color?
Hi Jen, I think it’s a GREAT idea to look towards a pale blue colour (and I was thinking of doing that myself with my good ole Almond fixtures (argh…). Anyways…these are the ones I’d look at as there actually aren’t many that are ‘just right’…I also tweaked you to ones that have a spot of green in them as if they are ‘too blue’ it can look off in an almond bathroom with no natural light.
1. Palladian Blue – but have it lightened by 1/2 as it’s a wee bit intense – totally the right ‘colour’ though. Ben Moore might not be able to lighten it for you, but if you take the colour chip to H.Depot you can get it done into a tester pot (CIL or Behr) to see what it looks like!
2. Green Tint – Very lovely and a nice ‘tone’ too.
3. Gray Wisp – definitely the ‘bluest’ of the bunch. Just a tiny smidge of green in it. This is another one that you might want to have lightned so that you get the ‘colour’ without the depth.
Okay, I want you to look at those and tell me what you think. I know it’s only 3, but I’d rather give you 3 good ones than 4 terrible ones!
Oh, of course your other choice is to go with something like ‘Cloud White’ and then accessorize with the blue/green colour with towels, detail on your shower curtain, artwork, vases, etc…
~Kylie
What a great help you are! I have an almond countertop, and an ivory shower curtain that I like a lot. The floor, newish, is oversized tile that has a lot of “movement”–it’s brown, gray and cream, set on the diagonal, we like it a lot. I have my heart set on a gray paint but don’t know what color. The bath has no windows. Nickel fixtures. We can change the countertop but what color? And we’ve tried several samples of beige paint which is why I’m going the gray route–all the beige paint samples are too dark or too light. The gray mist looks a little too light, although I haven’t tried a sample yet. And if I did go with gray paint, what about accessories? Thanks a whole bunch!
Oh Toni, I’m sorry to leave you waiting! My Decorating Business has been booming lately as has my Online Consulting, so between those 2 my time has been limited! I have your question in my roster, but can’t guarantee when I’ll be able to get to it. If you’d like answers sooner (like within 3 days) you’re welcome to check out my Online Consulting (your question would just be a 1 hr consult at $30). However, if you’re happy to wait I promise I will get to you eventually!!!!
I’m sorry I can’t get to it right now!!!
~Kylie
Kylie,
My master bathroom has a black marble floor, and the shower, sink, cabinet, counter and jacuzzi are all almond…ugh! And although I’m more comfortable with neutrals, I’m thinking I need another color to draw attention away from this almond colored nightmare.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Karen
Hi Karen! Quite often a nice deep red is a great accent colour for black and almond. Charcoal gray is also dynamic. Depending on the size of the space you could do 70% of your accent in Charcoal and then 30% in Red. If your homes more earth toned, you’ll want to tweak the red to be a deep rustish colour.
I hope that helps, thank you for asking!
~Kylie
Am so glad I found your info about almond (bone?) tubs and toilets! We are updating our small hall bathroom and I was considering a white vanity, because I want a casual look. How can I get a casual feel to this small bathroom with no windows and still use a darker-stained cherry or maple vanity? Thanks!
Hi Karen, yes it is harder to get a casual look with a darker vanity in a bathroom like yours. You’d really need to make it a tone-on-tone palette and add some nice texture through baskets, shower curtain and a vase with some twigs in it perhaps. But really, a better bet is going with a white vanity OR….paint a vanity! You can choose any colour that you like this way (and it’s really not that difficult or expensive!).
Hope that helps!
~Kylie
I want to renovate the fixtures (tub, toilet, countertop and sink) in my main bathroom that are all almond (or bone depending on your point of view) and are all 80ish, but like a lot of people I don’t have a spare $5000-$6000. I have resigned myself to only the toilet, countertop and sink, as honestly there is nothing wrong with the tub. I am willing to keep the almond theme (especially since the tub isn’t going anywhere and is right next to the toilet), and I’m definitely not afraid of painting, plumbing (okay, so my husband isn’t afraid of the plumbing) or the shopping (I’m kinda looking forward to that part). Can you suggest some paint/decorating ideas for the vanity (wood and definitely 80s) and walls? The bathroom is small and money is DEFINITELY an issue, so reno’ing on the cheap is definitely in my budget (preferably $1000 or less).
Hi Angela, I would LOVE to help as I feel your paint with the almond bathroom! At this point I’m so busy with my Online work and day-to-day business that I’m having refer questions to my Online Consulting. If that interests you at all, here is the link… https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-consultation/
Hope to hear from you!
~Kylie
Kylie, Your articles were so helpful. Thank you for writing about almond fixtures. I am going paint shopping tomorrow! A few questions. My almond-fixtured bathroom is small, no window. It has a full size pasted mirror. I would like to get a new vanity top, quartz if I could find the right color, and a wood framed recessed medicine cabinet. Because of the size, is it okay to get rid of the large mirror for a smaller, wood framed medicine cabinet? Do you have a recommendation on Cambrian Quartz or Corian colors that you think work with almond? I like fabric and enjoy changing the shower curtain with the seasons. Is it better to go with a solid cream color shower curtain and get color from towels or work on the paint color and shower curtain together and try to find compliments?
Thanks so much, Barb
Hi Barb, I’ve been quite swamped lately with my day-to-day decorating and Online Consulting and have been referring most questions to my Online Consulting as an affordable way for my readers to get answers to their questions. I hope to deal with all questions at some point, but have to give priority to my Online Consulting clients at this time. Thank you for asking! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-consultation/
~Kylie
Thank goodness for this! I have lovely Kohler tub and toilet (in almond) that I don’t want to replace but I HATE the almond. Plus the bathroom was pink with a pink ceiling when my husband and I moved in. It was heinous.
We’re looking to update without breaking the bank. Thank-you for sharing your remodel!
Thank you Tobi – I’m so glad you found it helpful! Once you embrace the almond you might find that you even fall in love with it – good luck!
~Kylie
Hello Kaylie
Love your site
I have a small bathroom with floor to ceiling wall to wall 4 x 6 tile with a hideous pink/peach flower.
Fixtures are all almond … tub and tub surround (not tiled – one piece) toilet and sink. This is a very small room.
The countertop is the Formica “wave” from 1980s its textured but the countertop is too small to really see the wave.
But it has a pebbly not smooth finish.
the mirror is wall-to-wall frameless but does not go to the ceiling
The light future is a Chrome bar with globe light bulbs
The floor has a blush pink 4 x 4 tile.
The cabinet is a knotty yellowy pine …sigh!
Short of a sledgehammer I cannot see any way around this other than with paint
Have you ever painted wall tile?
Floor tile?
Countertops?
I’ve seen several sites with various products that people have used to paint floor tile and wall tile however, I’m afraid to pick the colours for this project and screwing it up – then I’m left my first option and a empty pocket book.
The flooring in the adjacent bedroom is a chai latte laminate flooring …from Costco – it has a creamy/milky back ground with a light grey that highlights the grain. It’s a oak look flooring.
This is in a log cabin house so the walls in the adjacent bedroom are a mixture of dry wall (interior walls and log for the exterior wall).
I could go to the local tile shop and get some samples to see what might work and try to copy those colours but I’m a bit nervous of doing a blend or some sorts of faux travertine …
Thoughts ?
Thanks
Eileen
Hi Eileen, thank you for visiting my site! Now I usually refer your type of questions to my Online Consulting so that I can see photos as well as a questionnaire so that I can get a good feel for where you want to be. If this interests you at all here is the link… https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/ From there, you can email me at [email protected] and we’ll make a plan!
Hope to chat soon,
~Kylie
I have beige tub and tolite I want to paint it creamy color I have a 3in chair rail down one side what color would go with cream. For rail and baseboards I have pine cabinets. Small hallway bathroom
Author
Hi Billie, thank you for your note! When it comes to personal questions I do refer to my E-design. I try to give as much complementary info on my blog as possible and if that doesn’t work, it might be time for a closer look!
~Kylie https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
I love your website! SO much information! I see almost every dated color, except “fawn beige “, a pinky tan left over from the sixties. My sink, my toilet and accent tile all have it. It’s not the worst at I’ve seen, but it needs help. I’m hoping you’ll address it on your blog in the future.
Author
Hi Julie, thank you for the note! I would LOVE to touch on that, but unfortunately, I haven’t consulted with any clients on it! It’s the before and after photos that really do the trick for a good blog post 🙂 My best advice is to focus on slightly softer, feminine tones. This doesn’t mean they need to be taupe, but they can’t have blue or green in them at all. Think greige with a feminine undertone 🙂
Thank you for writing this blog! We’re moving into a home where the main/guest bathroom is huge! Apparently the owners had a thing for beige (EVERYthing) including all the cupboards and almond jacuzzi bath/tub/sink/separate shower, etc. (Yuck) Needless to say, they threw a wrench into things big time by putting in BLACK countertops. :/ we likely can’t afford much other than paint. I may try to convince my hubby to replace the countertops to a neutral colour…any advice on paint or otherwise would be so appreciated! Thank you!!!
Oh my god what is this so much burned a lot but I still need help I don’t know what to do with my guest bathroom it has beige marble tile is 12 x 12 on the floor and in the tub/shower currently I have a dark brown vanity with a beige counter top. I don’t have the funds to replace the vanity for the tile but I could paint the vanity and the walls can you please recommend a suggestion thank you. Would love to send you a picture of my bathroom
Author
Hi Marina, I have E-design service, so that I CAN look at your photos! I try to give as much complimentary info on my blog as possible, but if that doesn’t work, it might be time for a closer look! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
Kylie
Awesome blog! I was trying to redo my kids bathroom with almound fixtures and you gave me the best paint color ideas. Do you have any thoughts on white crown moulding in an almound bathroom?
Pete
Author
Oooo Peter, that makes me darned nervous as that much definitive white could showcase/highlight the almond of the fixtures…
Hi Kylie,
First, I love all your suggestions. and was wondering if you could quickly help me with a decision for my bathroom remodel. I have a very traditional style home and my house has a warm color palette. I am not replacing my tub but having it reglazed and purchasing a new toilet. The tub section and toilet are in a separate section from the double sink vanity. The remnant quart piece I got is Viatera quartz, Symphony. It is warm tones of cream, caramel, and some black. My cabinets are cream …so I am wondering if I should use white sinks and tub or biscuit color. I am feeling like the white will be too stark. My marble for the shower is cream tones with glass shades of brown and caramel random pattern border. The reglazer and bathroom remodeler feel we should do white because everyone is doing white. But my house is not tones of gray’s or modern in design like many new homes today. I have rich oak tone 6 panel doors in room and we picked a porcelin wood look floor with those tones (but lighter) to tie in quartz and woodwork. Can you help? We plan to sell our home in a couple years so am worried that a biscuit color (more of off white/cream) will be offensive to potential owners. Thanks so much!
Hi Kylie,
I love your website, you make some of the scary decisions, like choosing colors, much simpler! So Thank you for that. We just bought a home that is reeking in 1980’s and we have done some updates, but have now started on the guest bath. We can’t afford the tear out and replacement of all the fixtures, so I am stuck with my almond bathtub and toilet. We are going to paint walls and cabinets, replace countertop, mirror and light fixture. We will also add a tile backsplash around the countertop. I love the picture in this blog of the bath with the dark brown mirror and there is a purple leaf picture on the wall. I would download the picture if I could, but I am wondering what color the walls are painted in that picture. I think that would absolutely work in my bath. Again, thank you so much for the information you provide. It will be a big help in our remodel!
Author
Hiya! I’m thinking you must be talking about the one that has BM Revere Pewter on the walls and Kingsport Gray on the vanity! There’s one kiiiiind of similar lower down with a purplish print, but I think it’s this grayish one you’re talking about – I’m so glad you’ve found the blog post helpful!
Hello Kylie,
Stumbled upon your website and I’m dead on when it comes to updating our main and only bathroom. With my husband doing all the renovation and with sticking to a budget we find that subtle variations were necessary. With an updated white soak-er tub and white water conserving toilet. We’ve unexpectedly came upon a contour solid surface vanity top in blend of white/cream/beige/almond’. My wall tiles are what your article tile-choosing tips…recommend. My concern is should I opt for a white under mount washbasin?
Your professional opinion please,
Laura
Author
Hi Laura, because the tub/loo are white, I would definitely do a white sink 😉