I Caved and Painted My Small Bathroom a Chic Dark Color – But Here’s What No One Warned Me About Before I Followed the Trend
It looked perfect on Instagram, but living with it taught me a crucial lesson about small, dark spaces
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Twice a week
Homes&Gardens
The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.
Once a week
In The Loop from Next In Design
Members of the Next in Design Circle will receive In the Loop, our weekly email filled with trade news, names to know and spotlight moments. Together we’re building a brighter design future.
Twice a week
Cucina
Whether you’re passionate about hosting exquisite dinners, experimenting with culinary trends, or perfecting your kitchen's design with timeless elegance and innovative functionality, this newsletter is here to inspire
When I decided to paint my small bathroom a dark, chic color, I knew I was leaning into a bold trend. Chic, moody bathrooms had been filling my feed for months, promising cocooning comfort and hotel-level drama in even the most compact spaces.
So despite my small bathroom and its limited natural light, I caved and reached for a rich, burgundy red shade instead of playing it safe. What I didn’t realize at the time was that while the dark bathroom trend absolutely delivers on style, it also comes with a bit of a learning curve.
At first, this small bathroom color idea felt like a design win. The room instantly felt more cocooning, more impactful – a tiny space with big personality. But here's the thing: dark paint amplifies mistakes just as much as it elevates a space.
What I Wish I'd Known Before Painting My Small Bathroom Dark
In this compact red bathroom by Studio Duggan, the glossy red and white checkerboard tiles help to bounce light around the room.
As Helen Shaw, director of marketing at Benjamin Moore, explains, compact bathrooms, like a powder room or petite master bathroom, can actually benefit from going dark.
'In small bathrooms that don’t have much natural light, dark, rich colors like plum, deep green, or navy blue can create an instantly immersive, cocooning effect,' she explains. 'Painting walls, cabinetry, and even bathroom furniture in the same hue amplifies the drama and gives the space a seamless, sophisticated look.'
'Don’t be afraid to embrace the proportions of a small room by using darker shades in a color-drenched scheme,' agrees Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director at Little Greene. 'Whilst color drenching can’t make a small room larger, it can embrace the size of the space and create something that feels intimate and cocooning,' she continues. 'By painting the ceiling, walls, and woodwork in the same shade, there are no stark color contrasts to draw the eye to the ceiling line, creating the illusion of space and height in a room, providing a beautiful, cohesive backdrop.'
So, as Helen and Ruth suggest, instead of making the room feel smaller, color drenching the walls and woodwork in a rich color blurred the edges of my bijoux space and helped to create a sense of calm. Just the impact I was trying to make.
Purple is making a big comeback in 2026, and looks super chic in this richly styled bathroom painted in Farrow & Ball.
Patrick O’Donnell, brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball, echoes this, noting that 'Dark shades are surprisingly effective in a poorly lit room, as darker walls tend to recede. It can also create a wonderful backdrop to pictures on the wall, allowing them to register in a new light.'
He adds that even nuanced blacks, such as Railings by Farrow & Ball, and deep browns can feel smart and sophisticated, while earth tones bring warmth and tranquillity without overwhelming the space. 'Browns as a color family are making a comeback and will make a beautiful, elegant statement in any room, but especially smaller rooms. Often, they add warmth and work effortlessly with pinks, greens, and blues,' Patrick recommends.
In short, my burgundy paint choice itself wasn’t the problem – it was how that paint behaved that I'd not been forewarned about.
While the footprint might be small, this bathroom makes up for in big personality thanks to the dark blue hue and vintage styling.
Here’s the part no one really talks about: once you go dark, lighting becomes everything. Suddenly, my single overhead light wasn’t cutting it. The room looked flat in the morning, overly dramatic at night, and wildly different depending on where the light hits the walls.
Plus, the lighting highlighted every imperfection in sight, which was all down to my too flat choice of paint finish. Instead, I should've gone glossy.
'For a truly luxurious feel, opt for a semi-gloss or high-gloss paint finish,' Helen recommends. 'The reflective quality of these finishes adds not only highlights architectural details or panelling, but also adds depth and enhances the sense of space.'
'While selecting the perfect color might seem like the ultimate factor in achieving your desired look, choosing the correct finish is equally important,' Ruth adds.
'When painting small spaces, carefully consider how natural light interacts with your color palette,' she advises. 'Our Intelligent Gloss, with its high sheen level of 87–90%, offers a glamorous, high-gloss finish, will dramatically transform a space with unique light-reflectance and fabulous richness of color.'
Painted in Etruscan Red by Farrow & Ball in a high-gloss finish, this space exudes elegance that wouldn't be the same in flat matte.
Additionally, pairing bathroom lighting thoughtfully with different paint finishes can completely transform how the room looks and feels, as Hollie Moreland, creative director at David Hunt Lighting, explains.
'Gloss finishes will catch light and reflect it, bringing a sense of glamour to the space, while matt surfaces will absorb light, creating depth and calm,' Hollie explains. 'For glossier surfaces, position spotlights that lightly skim the walls, as opposed to hitting them directly, which will softly illuminate the surface for added drama.'
'For matte surfaces, consider installing double wall lights with frosted bulbs that will gently bathe the matte surface in light, creating a cocooning and ambient effect,' Hollie advises. 'And in color-drenched spaces, considered use of light is paramount.'
Another purple moment, this unique bathroom layout has been cleverly manipulated to create a sink nook with so much personality.
'In a small, dark bathroom, carefully considered lighting can create a gorgeous interplay of shadow and light, delivering a beautifully intimate setting,' she continues. 'Layering different light sources, such as wall lights, pendants, or flush ceiling lights or illumination on either side of your mirror, will create a soft, atmospheric effect.'
In the end, painting my small bathroom a dark color wasn’t a mistake – I was just missing a few key ingredients to really make it shine.
The shade itself delivered exactly what the trend promises: depth, drama, and a cocooning feel that makes the space far more inviting than it ever was before. But it also reminded me that bold choices demand a little more thought, especially in compact rooms.
Dimmable, cordless, and requiring no major DIY, these cordless brass pleated lamps from Pooky remain a favorite for a reason. While they're not wet-rated for bathrooms, they'd work great to light up a powder room.
This is my solution in a bottle. You simply paint over your existing wall emulsion or woodwork with this decorator's varnish to give it a high-shine, glossy topcoat that seals and protects your paint, too.
I currently have one of these retro star-shaped lights on the ceiling of my bathroom, but I'm going to look to add a second, as I love the unique shape they add, but am in need of further illumination.
Despite the learning curve, I don’t regret going dark. If I were to do it again, I’d plan my lighting scheme better before opening a paint tin and consider my paint finish more carefully. The good news is that in hindsight, I can repaint with a glossy top coat and add in some rechargeable sconces to really lift the space without any need for new wiring.
