50 Dark Bathroom Ideas for a Moody Makeover

Go Monochrome

Using a monochrome palette with a dark color is always a winning look in the bathroom. Use high-quality paint in a matte or eggshell finish for an extra-elegant take on this trend. The soft finish of the paint will make it look more understated and high-end.

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Start With a Shower Curtain

If you're trying to decide whether black is the color for your bathroom, test it out by adding a black shower curtain. This is a great way to dip your toe into the dark bathroom feel before committing to a big bathroom redo.

Use Dark Marble Accents

For a more natural approach to bringing dark color into the bathroom, use stone that has darker colors marbled throughout, like Mary Patton Design did in the space above. It will bring some dark grays and blacks into your bathroom subtly and elegantly.

Paint It Purple

Looking to really make a bold statement with your dark bathroom? Paint it purple. This lush color pick oozes personality and gives your bathroom a unique finish that sets it apart from the rest. Dark purple is a great color pick for half-baths or powder rooms, but it can work well in larger bathrooms too—just make sure you really like the color and paint a sample of it nearby to see how it dries.

Add Wallpaper in Your Desired Style

Wallpaper is a great way to make your bathroom a little darker. It can be added in any pattern to fit your style, meaning that it's just as easy to find a darkly-colored wall covering that's elegant and grown-up as it is to find one that's bold and fun. Pair the wallpaper with dark countertops and cabinetry to complete the look.

Go Minimalist

We love the minimalist take on the dark bathroom look in the space above by Tyler Karu. The crisp lines of the black paint on the lower half of the wall contrast well with the beige-green paint that sits above it, creating a bathroom that both feels serene and dramatic at the same time. The dark coloring continues with the black countertop and the black hardware and mirror frame.

Try Dark-Colored Tile

Patterned tile in deep, dark colors creates a unique look in the bathroom, especially when paired with deep black cabinetry or brass accents. The tile can either be printed with the color, or the color can come from the stone itself, as tile or backsplash made of a deeply-colored granite.

Make It Seamless

For a dark bathroom look that feels practically seamless, try to find a mirror that's the same color as the wall color, as Mary Patton Design did in the hall bathroom above. It's hard to see where the mirror begins and the wall ends, creating a truly unique look that will leave an impression on guests and visitors.

Hang Patterned Wallpaper

Using boldly patterned wallpaper in dark colors not only adds plenty of rich colors but also further amplifies the drama of the space by adding eye-catching art.

Install Dark Marble

Black or dark green marble will always be a winner in the bathroom, thanks to the luxurious and high-end look it brings wherever it's added. Used in a bathtub surround, dark marble brings elegant and dramatic style to this bathroom. For a subtler approach, use it as the countertop in a half-bathroom vanity.

Make It Red and Modern

For a dark bathroom look that feels positively royal, use deep and richly-colored reds. Dark red can be added easily with paint, but you can also add a little more character by using red-patterned wallpaper. For a softer, more vintage look, look for red wallpaper in floral patterns—the more ornate, the better. For a look that's more on the modern side, look for wallpaper with geometric or bold patterns.

Use Dark Paint on Your Walls

Using paint in deep navy, brown, or green is one of the easiest (and most affordable) ways to bring dark color into the bathroom. These can all be paired with a creamy white or beige to soften the look or can be further amplified by pairing the painted walls with other dark colors.

Add an Off-White Countertop for Contrast

Want to add a little contrast to your dark bathroom? Bring in white and light gray through carefully selected countertop colors. A white bathroom countertop and sink will provide an eye-catching addition to any dark bathroom. However, to ensure the contrasting white doesn't feel too stark, pick one with gentle gray undertones to soften it.

Don't Forget Wall Art

Wall art adds the finishing touch to many spaces in the home, including the bathroom. When adding art to a dark bathroom, pick prints in similar colors to the bathroom, but keep the frame gold or light brown—it will provide an easy contrast to the dark tones elsewhere in the space.

Reverse Your Dark Colors

Looking to keep your bathroom walls white while still getting that dark bathroom look? Make everything else dark brown or black for a twist on the stylish dark bathroom trend. Darkly colored bathtubs, countertops, cabinetry, and light fixtures will provide plenty of darkness and depth that will pop well against the white walls.

Use Dark Green

Dark green brings a calm and refreshing presence wherever it's added, and what better place for those characteristics to be than in the bathroom? Use dark green to create a spa-like feel in your bathroom, and add it with paint, tile, or cabinetry.

Install Navy Blue Tile Around Your Tub

For an enclave of dark color, use navy blue tile in your tub surround. For those who are color-wary, a darkly-tiled bathtub is a big enough space that it will certainly make a statement in your bathroom, but it's not so much color that it will make the bathroom feel too closed in or too monochromatic.

Add Black and White

One of the simplest ways to get a dark bathroom is to stick with the oh-so-classic color pairing of black and white. It's hard to go wrong with this timeless combo, and if you want to bring a bolder take on the pairing into your bathroom, add some dramatically patterned wallpaper in the colors, as Michelle Boudreau Design did in the bathroom above.

Pair It With Bright Accents

Want to make your dark bathroom a little more whimsical? Break out the brightly colored accents. We love this playful take on a dark bathroom by Michelle Boudreau Design, as the pastel pink and blue walls provide a picture-perfect contrast to the black cabinetry and hardware elsewhere in the bathroom.

Use Natural Finishes in Low Light

If you're short on natural light in your bathroom but still want to bring some dark colors into the space, stick with tile and wood. The darkly-colored tile and wood will make the deep finishes look more authentic, and they'll look more high-end, even in bathrooms without natural light.

Use a Dark Purple-Brown Paint

A dark purple-brown is certainly an unusual color choice for most places in the home, not to mention the bathroom. But this deeply-colored brown adds a historic touch to a bathroom, and it's a great pick for powder rooms and bathrooms in colonial or colonial-revival homes.

Add a Dark Standalone Tub

Use a standalone bathtub to bring plenty of dark and elegant style into your bathroom. Choose one in a black or navy blue finish, then pair it with a floor in a similar color. The combination is sure to pop and become the centerpiece of your once-drab bathroom.

Go Ombre

For a subtler take on the once-popular ombre trend, use darker colors at the end of your bathroom—this works really well with a bathtub or shower tile surround—and use lighter ones near the entrance to it. This will create lots of visual interest and the perfect amount of dark color.

Use Dark Woods

Add dark color by picking bathroom cabinetry in deep walnut or ebony. This will bring some subtle style in and make the bathroom feel a little more dramatic too. Or, if you'd rather make more of a statement, pick some flooring for the bathroom that's similar to the cabinetry finish for a seamless cabinetry-to-flooring transition.

Add a Pop of Dark Pink

Who says pink can't be used to create a dark and dramatic bathroom? We love the dark pink tile added to the shower surround in this bathroom by Michelle Boudreau Design. This look will work well with other dark pastels too, like dark blue or mustard yellow. Pair it with cedar and dark oak accents to keep the color palette deep and moody.

Use Wallpaper With a Darkly Colored Background

Use wallpaper with a darkly-colored background, like the navy blue backdrop in the wallpaper above in the bathroom from Studio Peake, to anchor the color of your space and provide lots of dark tones, while still allowing for plenty of room to have fun with brighter colors.

Bring in Glassy Tile

Looking to make your bathroom feel like a high-end hotel? Add glassy tile in a dark color like navy blue or terracotta brown for a bathroom that's deeply colored, richly reflective, and full of visual interest. Pair it with matte finishes elsewhere in the bathroom, like on the floor or ceiling, for a beautiful contrast.

Incorporate Deep Beige

For a low-key and contemporary dark bathroom look, add some deep beige to the walls. Don't dismiss it as boring—instead, look at it as a way to center an often chaotic space and ensure your bathroom feels more like a retreat than a rodeo.

Install the Same Tile on the Walls and Floor

Feeling decision-fatigued when it comes to designing your dark bathroom? Make your flooring and wall choices a bit easier by picking a tile that will work well for both. We love the dark tile Tina Ramchandani uses on the floors and walls in the bathroom above, as it adds a moody—but minimalist—touch.

Add a Little Iron

When looking for dark textures to add to the bathroom, don't forget about iron. Wrought iron brings an industrial and vintage look to wherever it's added, making it a great choice in homes with lots of modern farmhouse styles. It can be added to the bathroom through hardware, shower doors, and mirror frames.

Style Your Walk-in Shower

If you're lucky enough to have a bathroom with a spacious walk-in shower, don't be afraid to use it to give that section of your bathroom a style of its own. We love the dark tile walls and ceiling, the black hardware, and the tile accent wall in this shower enclave from Rebecca Rollins Interiors.

Start With an Accent Wall

Accent walls are another wonderful way to add some dark color to your bathroom. They're a helpful first step if you're worried about how too much dark color will look in your bathroom, and they can be done with paint, wallpaper, paneling, and even tile. Pick the texture that works best with your home, and add it in a dark color for lots of dramatic style.

Make Your Countertops Matte Black

Matte black countertops, often made of quartz or concrete, can be a stunning addition to a stylish dark bathroom. Concrete countertops are an affordable DIY option, while quartz counters can bring with them subtle marbling, adding a little extra oomph to your space. Whatever you pick, pair it with a black faucet to really finish the dark bathroom look.

Make It Timeless With White Tiles

For a dark bathroom look that feels stylish without being too trendy, pair your darker color with a white tile surround or floor. The white tile adds a timeless look that ensures your bathroom will continue to look great in the years to come, while the dark colors elsewhere add a sense of drama and elegance.

Get a Little Gilded

For a look that feels right at home in the roaring '20s, get a little gilded. Look for a wallpaper that combines a richly-toned black with gold accents, and add it to your bathroom alongside gold and brassy accents, like the gold mirror in the space above from Tyler Karu.

Paint Only an Accent Wall and Trim

Another way to give your bathroom a darker look without having to go all in on wall paint is to paint an accent wall and the surrounding trim a dark color, like deep navy or rich forest green. This will bring in a stylish, unique touch, while still allowing for some calming neutrals elsewhere in the space.

Pair Navy and Gold

Navy blue and gold are one of those color combinations that just work, no matter where they're added. The same is true for the bathroom, where a base of deep navy blue provides the perfect palette for gold accents. This color combo works especially well in homes with a historic or vintage look.

Embrace Color Variations

Handcrafted tile that has slight color variations throughout can be a great way to add dark color that still feels down-to-earth. The homespun look of the stunning tile brings nuance to otherwise standoffish dark teal. This tile look can be paired with silver or chrome hardware to complete the dark bathroom look.

Use Handcrafted Textures

We love the look of the hand-hewn gray tile in the dark bathroom above from Tyler Karu. It makes the space feel like it's straight out of a countryside cottage, and it adds plenty of character to an otherwise normal bathroom. To mimic the look yourself, look for darkly-colored textures with a handcrafted touch, like statement pottery, wrought-iron lighting and vintage cabinet hardware.

Opt for a Dark Vanity

Ready to take a step beyond black or navy cabinetry? Consider adding cabinetry in a navy purple, as Whittney Parkinson Design did in the bathroom above. This faintly-purple tinted finish adds a fun touch to your bathroom, while still ensuring it feels grown-up and elegant. Install brass hardware and faucets alongside the navy-purple vanity to give it a vintage touch.

Use Forest Green and Dusty Pink

The forest green paneling and the sage green and dusty pink of the wallpaper in the bathroom above from Whittney Parkinson Design add tons of style and character to a bathroom that already has such great bones (looking at you, hardwood doors and trim). It's a great demonstration of why a dark bathroom doesn't need to be all black or navy. Instead, plenty of color can still be incorporated while still maintaining a sufficiently moody look.

Give It a Botanical Touch

Looking to add a moody and botanical touch to your bathroom? Add some floral wallpaper in dark greens and yellows. The combo will add a vintage touch, and it will make your once-lowly hall bath look like it's straight out of the jungle.

Don't Forget Decor

Decor can be the finishing touch your dark bathroom needs to really bring it to the next level. Try adding a vase of flowers, either faux or real, in dark colors to add a touch of nature and plenty of style. The addition in the bathroom above by Whittney Parkinson Design brings the moody space together.

Use Gray

Classic gray is a great addition to any bathroom, especially with cabinetry or decor. Add gray to the bathroom installing gray shelving, painting gray walls, or hanging gray wallpaper. Either way, it's a calming neutral that's a classic for a reason.

Use Beige as a Base

Use beige as the base for your dark bathroom by adding darker colors throughout, like Becca Interiors did in the bathroom above by using deeply-colored trim, black marble, and a reflective bathtub. Doing this allows for lots of moodiness and elegance to come through the dark colors, while still working off of a simple and subtle color palette.

Paint It All

Conventional wisdom has it that trim should be a different color than the paint in the rest of a space—preferably white. But tired of sticking to tradition? Try painting everything in your bathroom black, trim, paneling, walls, and all. This show-stopping technique makes your bathroom feel one-of-a-kind and oh-so-elegant. Just make sure the paint you pick is high-quality, as it will be everywhere.

Use Deep Green Tile

Dark green tile adds a fun pop of color while still making your bathroom feel calming and spa-like. Consider adding it to your walk-in shower, as Emily Henderson Design did in the bathroom above, or add it as a backsplash elsewhere in the bathroom. Either way, it's sure to make your bathroom feel a little grown-up and a whole lot more stylish.

Add a Black Stain

Who says wood needs to have a finish that looks natural? Go for the more jaw-dropping approach by using a deep black stain on your wood, especially in the bathroom. As a helpful bonus, many stains are water-resistant, giving wood in a mildew-prone space a little extra protection.

Paint Your Door

To add a pop of black or deep navy to your bathroom, consider painting your bathroom door. The black door adds color and style in the perfect amount. And if you hate it, all you need to do is repaint the door or refinish it—both are a whole lot easier than repainting a wall.

Look to the Night Sky

Looking for inspiration for the dark bathroom of your dreams? Look to the night sky. We love this galaxy-inspired bathroom from Erin Williamson Design with its Milky Way-esque wallpaper and space-age light fixture.