I was admiring my friend Sarah’s bathroom tiles last Tuesday, when it dawned on me — her shiny black subway tiles weren’t making her bathroom feel like a cave at all. Not anymore. They were making it feel luxurious.
Like a jewel box. Exaggerated? Sure.
But also high-class AF and I could.not.stop.running.my.hands.along.her.tiles. Sarah’s bathroom was perfect example of what you can achieve when you go dark in the bathroom. *I was standing on Sarah’s bathroom floor gawking at her tiles like someone who never noticed them before, when it dawned on me… The problem with going dark Let me backtrack: you guys know I’m pretty obsessed with creating moody interiors at home.
Dramatic furniture.
Dark walls. Goth-inspired accessories. However, there is a misconception when it comes to dark bathrooms that they automatically equal dungeon.
Bathrooms painted in dark colours = bad idea. Trust me, I used to think this. Every.
Single. Year. My mum swears by painting tiny rooms like bathrooms in light colours to make them feel bigger.
And for a long time, I listened. My bathrooms have historically been painted white or a pale shade of grey. Regular paint.
Safe choices. Until Sarah. Dark like the dialy?
Sarah had painted her bathroom walls in a deep charcoal (that read almost black depending on the lighting) and installed matte black fixtures. As a result, her white marble vanity top appeared to be glowing like a beacon of brightness. It had an air of luxury that made you want to light candles and take long, relaxing baths.
Fast forward to the weekend when I found myself aimlessly wandering around B&Q’s bathroom aisle… …the marble aisle. Tile aisle. Spotlight section (hello new vanity lights).
You get it, I was at B&Q, obvi. I flipped through tiles after tiles of dark colour samples. Midnight blue subway tiles.
Charcoal hexagon tiles. Matte black marble looking porcelain that was probably more expensive than my monthly rent but felt ridiculously luxurious under my fingers. Going dark isn’t just slapping black paint on your bathroom walls.
Trust me, I learned this rookie mistake when I first painted my powder room dark years ago. I picked the darkest shade of grey I could find and painted the walls, without considering the lighting. Spoiler alert: it looked like crap.
And by crap, I mean cave-esque where you want to hide from your problems. The real key to going dark isn’t the darkness itself, it’s what you do with it. Take lighting, for instance.
When done right, dark walls in bathrooms can actually create a beautiful space you love spending time in. Sarah had three layers of light in her bathroom that worked in harmony with one another: dimmable recessed ceiling spots, statement brass pendant above the vanity that pooled light onto the counter, and finally LED strip lights installed directly behind the mirror that bathed my entire face in bright, shadow-less light when I was getting ready in the mornings. Speaking of lighting, let’s talk about my colorful lighting mishap… My lighting situation ended up costing me a pretty penny (we’re talking £400 for a bathroom that’s six feet across MAX), but hey, it was worth it.
The recessed dimmable spots (Hue by Philips, because I’ve officially jumped on that train) offer versatile light for task-work in the mornings before work, but dim down to ambient lighting for those nighttime bubble baths. And don’t even get me started on the LED mirror strips — straight up game changer for putting on makeup. Trust me, I should have done my research BEFORE painting my bathroom… When going dark, not all colours are created equal.
I’ll say it again for the people in the back: not all dark colours are created equal. The instagram worthy black that I picked out online was actually flat black paint. Like, the driest, most low maintenance paint you could imagine.
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Which, don’t get me wrong, was perfect for most of the house. EXCEPT the bathroom. It showed every.single.water.drip that landed on the walls.
Nightmare. Needless to say, I repainted the walls. In semi-gloss which made them way easier to clean, but it took me about two full coats to get rid of the ugly color underneath!
Same goes for bathroom fixtures. Something I didn’t take into consideration was the water spots that would accumulate after daily showers. You know when you buy that cute coffee table, but the varnish is so gloss that water leaves gigantic circles behind?
Yeah, it happened to me with my matte black faucet. Needless to say, I returned them. And may or may not have cried a little at the goodwill returns desk.
Don’t judge me. Ok, but when you do dark right, it’s worth it! One thing I LOVE about my charcoal bathroom (Ok, black.
But who’s counting?) is how inviting it feels every.single.day. Don’t get me wrong, the dark walls pop the white fixtures throughout the room, but there’s just something about the dark backdrop that makes every accessory feel more high-end. As far as paint goes, I used Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe in a matte finish.
Yup, expensive. But their colors are so rich and dramatic, you know you’re getting quality paint. While it’s more expensive than your run of the mill bathroom paint, it truly is washable paint.
It’s been two years and there are zero signs of it bubbling or fading from daily moisture. White towels instantly feel more luxurious against dark walls. Same goes for gold or brass fixtures.
Bonus points if you can find white accessories that feel expensive against the dark backdrop. I actually found these adorable white ceramic containers at TK Maxx that perfectly hold cotton pads and ear buds. They’re only £8 each, but against the dark paint, they instantly feel like they’re ten times the price!
The biggest difference I’ve noticed since repainting my bathroom dark? It feels bigger. I know, right?!counter-intuitive.
But for some reason, having dark walls makes the room feel all-around cocoon-y. Private. Luxurious.
Not confined at all. It’s the first thing guests comment on when they come over. They always say it feels more relaxing than my old powder room and want to spend way longer in there than necessary.
Warning: if your bathroom is an enclosed room with no windows, you may want to reconsider going TOO dark. Mine has a small frosted window that faces the neighbors and an *okay* extractor fan. I always make sure to open a window after taking a steamy shower to avoid any moisture build up that may happen with dark paint in the future.
Maintenance is key with dark bathrooms. Because the dark paint makes dirt and water spots so visible, I find myself wiping down my bathroom more frequently.
Not sure if I’d go back to weekly cleaning if my bathroom was a lighter color.
It’s become such a part of my evening routine that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Would I do it again? Yes and yes a thousand times over!
The moody bathroom trend isn’t going anywhere and you guys know I love a good bathroom makeover. Dark walls in the bathroom create a calm, intentional vibe that I now crave every time I step foot in my “regular” paler bathrooms. Just remember: lighting, lighting, lighting.
And invest in a good finish. P.S. Sarah’s moving out next month.
And friends, I’m seriouLY considering putting in an offer on her flat just to own her bathroom. JK, kinda.
