Colorful Toilets Are Making a Comeback, but Don’t Drop Cash on One If You’re Looking To Sell Your House Soon

Colorful toilets have been popping up everywhere—on social media, design magazines, and in many design-forward homes. But could they be a good addition to your bathroom?

Real estate agent Ebonee Johnikin says she’s seen many houses with colorful toilets in her Mississippi markets, noting that they can be a unique selling point—especially for buyers who love midcentury style and retro charm.

“Features like this can certainly excite buyers who are looking for a home with personality and flair,” she says.

But experts also warn that these trendy toilets likely aren’t a good investment for those looking to sell in the near future. Some predict the colorful additions could actually turn off most buyers—and will likely go out of style faster than you can say “flush.”

Here’s everything to know about the toilet trend.

The history of colorful toilets

While we’ve generally come to accept plain white toilets as the norm, interior designer Alison Giese, founder of Alison Giese Interiors, says the stark white fad came into the picture only 30 or so years ago. In fact, colorful toilets were a staple in U.S. bathrooms for decades before.

“Porcelain fixture colors were popular in the post-World War II 1950s,” she says. “Think pastels: pink, baby blue, butter yellow.”

Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, Giese explains that earthy colors, like goldenrod and olive green, became more popular. By the 1980s and 1990s, black, almond, and biscuit-colored bathroom features were common.

Now, many designers are using colors like teal, green, and peach.

Color toilets might not impress future buyers

Giese says that color toilets aren’t for everyone.

“A homebuyer seeing a suite of colorful fixtures in, say, a primary bath, might be off-putting, especially if they don’t like that particular color,” she says.

Alyssa DeBoo, a real estate agent based in San Diego, adds that if you’re planning to sell your house in the next few years, a color toilet probably won’t impress buyers.

Most people want a traditional look and a clean slate, she explains. These trendy toilets are likely “just another weird trend that’ll get old.”

Granted, DeBoo says one colorful toilet won’t be a make-or-break for a buyer. (After all, toilets are fairly cheap and easy to replace.) But if you’ve renovated the whole bathroom to match the potty—with a matching pink shower, pink sink, and pink floor tile, some buyers might be turned off.

At the same time, Johnikin points out that resale value isn’t at the front of mind for many homeowners. With rates and property values high, many can’t afford to move, so many homeowners are renovating for their own taste.

“With many homeowners choosing to stay put, we are seeing a shift toward renovating for comfort and personal joy rather than resale,” she says. “Aging in place or simply making a home feel more ‘you’ could be driving bold design choices—like colorful toilets or statement tile.”

While she says a smart homeowner will always consider resale value, she tells buyers who are planning to stay put that it’s OK to design a space for their specific tastes.

“The best investment is one that makes you love where you live—every single day,” she says. If a colorful toilet will make you love your bathroom, so be it.

Better bathroom investments

Rather than jump on the colorful toilet trend, there are plenty of ways to upgrade and personalize your bathroom in a way that will indeed add value.

“Our clients are asking for designs to incorporate wellness components to their primary baths: steam showers, saunas, floors warmed by radiant heat,” says Giese. “Any of these feel extra-luxurious.”

Still, she says that the upgrades don’t need to be luxe.

“Making sure lighting is balanced and flattering is a great way to upgrade a bathroom,” she says. She also suggests replacing large plate-glass mirrors with single mirrors, which can add decorative interest.

Incorporating a color in the bathroom

If you’re still set on having pretty porcelain in the bathroom—here are some tips for bringing the look to life in your home.

Make the colorful addition look intentional

Some homeowners love color, so a pink or green toilet might seem like a must-have. But experts warn that colorful toilets won’t look natural in just any bathroom: A whole bathroom redo may be in order.

Giese explains that a colorful toilet should seem intentional and ideally, would match or complement the color palette already in the space.

“Historically, you’d see the colorful toilet as part of the suite of fixtures, so the tub and sink were the same color,” she says.

“If I were going to do a colorful toilet, I’d do the whole bath suite and build a design around that color,” Giese explains.

Use color in a secondary bathroom

Giese points out that the color pop doesn’t have to be in the primary bathroom.

She says that if she were designing bathrooms in a home that she knew might be up for sale in the next few years, she’d stick to a simpler, crowd-pleasing look in the primary but might consider using a color toilet in a powder room, which she describes as “a space that can be more design-forward without too much risk.”

Think beyond the toilet

Giese says that while colorful toilets may be on trend, other bathroom features may be a better choice for a pop of pink or green.

“It’s really a personal preference, but if I wanted to inject color in a single fixture, I’d probably make it the tub,” she says.

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