I was looking for a simple way to make my all-white bathroom less clinical – Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' unexpected use of green is the answer

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' injection of green is one of the cleverest uses of green I've seen in the bathroom – and it's so easy to follow their example

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
(Image credit: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Los Angeles LGBT Center)

In all their beauty and versatility, all-white bathrooms risk feeling clinical. When using this color, it's essential to consider varying textures, luxurious hardware, and unexpected pockets of vibrancy to keep your space alive. When it comes to the latter, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos just provided the ultimate blueprint.

In their Upper East Side townhouse, the couple enlisted William Sofield of Studio Sofield to design an Art Deco-style home that's as functional as it is stunning. Among their achievements was their ability to make a white bathroom more interesting, with the secret coming in the shape of unexpected green accents.

In their bathroom, Mark and Kelly introduced the perfect amount of green, seen primarily through their velvet ottoman/footstool and colored glass accessories on the countertop. It adds just the right amount of vibrancy without detracting from the clean, all-white space. Better yet, it's replicable in small bathrooms, starting with the glass jars that are pefect for storing cotton wool and other essentials.

Shop the look

A bathroom like Mark and Kelly's is classic enough to transcend more fleeting trends. However, as Jorge Hernandez, the product and design manager at Bathroom Brands Group, explains, their colored accents have never looked as fashionable.

Although muted and serene spa bathroom spaces remain popular in the world of bathroom design, Jorge notes that modern bathrooms are shedding their neutral palettes as homeowners gravitate towards the more fun and bold tones to add personality to the space.

'Color is making a comeback in bathroom design and consumers are now embracing bold choices, incorporating colourful furniture units and ceramics into their homes,' he says.

'Primary colour accents are coming back following their presence in interiors for some time. We will see a resurgence in individual pops of bold accent colours that no longer have to match featured in homes.'

Will you follow Kelly and Mark's example by introducing green, or do you love another color even more? Let me know how you'd introduce a bolder hue in your white kitchen below.


Megan Slack
Head of Celebrity Style News

Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens, where she leads the celebrity/ news team. She has a history in interior design, travel, and news journalism, having lived and worked in New York, Paris, and, currently, London. Megan has bylines in Livingetc, The Telegraph, and IRK Magazine, and has interviewed the likes of Drew Barrymore, Ayesha Curry, Michelle Keegan, and Tan France, among others. She lives in a London apartment with her antique typewriter and an eclectic espresso cup collection, and dreams of a Kelly Wearstler-designed home.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.