How to Achieve a Dark and Moody Setting in Your Bathroom

13/07/2017 13:27

With July in full swing and the days getting hotter, summer style is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Recent heat waves and muggy evenings have seen us turning off our towel rails and taking lukewarm showers to banish that after-shower - ahem - glow. So with all this in mind, you’d be forgiven for thinking SS17’s décor tips would only revolve around tropical themes and how-tos on brightening dark bathrooms. Well, think again.

Contrary to general recommendations, dark and moody bathroom designs have grown increasingly popular in everyday homes. Originally made mainstream because of their association with the Hotel Chic trend (think decorative wooden panelling and antique gilt mirrors), this year’s resurgence has seen them evolve into so much more. Still, adding brooding hues to your bathroom’s design can be risky, which is why we’ve come up with three ways to help you get the right result.

Here’s how you can achieve a dark and moody setting in your bathroom.

Going dark may feel intimidating, but it’s actually a clever way to add layers to your home’s persona. If you want to furnish it with attitude, navy blues, dark greens and even black will give bathrooms a confident edge. Those who fall more into the moody camp can channel slate greys, mocha browns and sultry plums for moodiness minus the doom and gloom.

Tongue and groove panels have been added to match the floor in this bathroom, allowing the contemporary design to look spacious despite its dark setting. Note how other tones from the damask curtains and chrome brassware offset the look and provide even more sophistication.

Get the look: Wetwall Tongue and Grooved Panels in Opulence, £185 per sheet, Fusion Porcelain Floor Tile in Matt Graphite, from £60 per box.

Accent light interiors

Even light interiors can have their fill of drama. You simply have to use dark pieces strategically. This tinted shower door and side panel invite privacy into the below bathroom, transforming it from an everyday white interior, to one with character and mystery at its core.

If your bathroom already evokes your favourite style, you can use dark and moody accents to heighten its effect. Here, Moroccan tiles, floating shelves and black steel have been used to darken this industrial interior — enhancing it with added depth and dimension.

Get the look: Aquaglass+ Sphere Tinted Sliding Shower Door, £685, Aquaglass+ Sphere Tinted Side Panel, £340

Say it with lighting

You wouldn’t plan a romantic dinner for two without mood lighting, right? Well, the same applies to your dark and moody bathroom.  Lighting has a huge effect on how we feel in our homes, making it perfect when it comes to instilling a moody vibe. Swapping standard switches for dimmer controls will enable you to flick between different shadowy settings, whenever you wish.

Layering your bathroom’s lighting with colourful LEDs is another way to add a dynamic ambience — like an illuminated shelf for plants and trinkets. But dark and moody lighting doesn’t have to be bold, an electronic tap with built-in LEDs will turn a dark basin into a place of calm and tranquillity.

Get the look: Illuminated LED Floating Shelf, from £85, Spa Electronic Basin Tap with Pop-Up Waste, £1,155

Author: Frontline Bathrooms
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