Black Bathroom Paint: Three Shades and What to Pair With Them
Black bathroom paint comes in warm and neutral versions, and all three shades here are very dark, with an LRV of 1 or 2. Each was measured from a painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Below them are sand, brown and tan colors from the same paintings to keep the room from feeling flat.
Quick answer
Use the neutral blacks #13171A or #181310 on walls with chrome and white fixtures, and the warm black #2E2819 where you have wood or brass. Add sand #E0CAB1 on the ceiling or trim and brown #705642 on the vanity.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of black
#2E2819LRV 2
Warm River Black
A very dark black with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 2. Use it on bathroom walls beside wood and brass, or in towels and a bath mat. It comes from Charles-François Daubigny's "A River Landscape with Storks" (1864).
A very dark, neutral black with no clear undertone and an LRV of 1. It suits walls in a bathroom with white fixtures and chrome. It comes from Rembrandt's "Christ with a Staff."
Also neutral with no clear undertone and an LRV of 1, so it is very close to the Ink Black in depth. Choose between the two by sampling them beside your tile. It comes from Paolo Veronese's "Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Prison" (ca. 1585).
A light, warm sand with a yellow undertone and an LRV of 61, so it bounces light back into a dark bathroom. Use it on the ceiling, trim or a second wall. It comes from Alvaro Pirez's "The Presentation in the Temple" (ca. 1405-15).
A deep brown with a warm red-orange undertone and an LRV of 11. Use it on a vanity or cabinet so the furniture reads as brown, not as another black. It comes from Veronese's "Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Prison" (ca. 1585).
A mid-tone tan with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 34. Use it for one bold piece, such as a stool, shelf or mirror frame. It comes from Veronese's "Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Prison" (ca. 1585).
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
Color
Neutral daylight
North light
South light
Evening lamps
Pale Almond Sand
Mid Golden Tan
Try these colors in a room
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is A River Landscape with Storks.
Which black wall paint for a bathroom should you choose?
Start with the undertone, not the depth. All three blacks here are very dark. Two have an LRV of 1 and one has an LRV of 2, so none will bounce light around the room. What changes is the temperature.
The black from Daubigny's "A River Landscape with Storks" (#2E2819) has a warm yellow undertone. It sits well beside wood, brass and the sand and tan colors on this page. The blacks from Rembrandt's "Christ with a Staff" (#13171A) and Veronese's "Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Prison" (#181310) are neutral with no clear undertone. They read as plain black and suit white fixtures, chrome and cooler tile.
No close commercial match was found for any of the three. Take the hex value to a paint counter for custom matching, and ask which finish suits a bathroom wall. Good ventilation matters with any wall color.
What goes with black walls: trim, ceiling, floor and furniture?
Pair black with one light color and one warm mid-tone, and keep the rest quiet. The light color here is #E0CAB1, a warm sand with an LRV of 61. Use it on the ceiling, on trim or on a second wall. Close matches are Sherwin-Williams SW 9101 Tres Naturale and Behr N260-2 Almond Latte (both near-identical), and Farrow & Ball No. 264 Oxford Stone (very close).
For a vanity or cabinet, the deep brown #705642 has an LRV of 11 and a warm red-orange undertone. Sherwin-Williams SW 6146 Umber, Behr PPU4-20 Ancient Root and Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth are near-identical.
Use the tan #BF966D (LRV 34) for one bold piece. Sherwin-Williams SW 7680 Lanyard and Behr HDC-CL-15 Burnished Caramel are near-identical, and Valspar 3004-7B Lariat Tan is very close. For the floor, choose a warm wood tone or sand-colored tile so it does not merge with the walls. Towels in #2E2819 tie the scheme together.
How does black paint look in bathroom light?
Black reflects almost none of the light that reaches it. At an LRV of 1 or 2, the walls will not brighten the room, whatever the window size. Expect a small bathroom with black walls to feel snug and to depend on its lights.
Plan the lighting before you paint. Put light at the mirror from both sides or from above, and use bulbs of one temperature. Warm bulbs deepen the yellow undertone in #2E2819. The neutral blacks, #13171A and #181310, have no clear undertone to bring out, though you may still see a change between daylight and evening.
Balance the dark walls with light surfaces. The sand #E0CAB1 has an LRV of 61, so a ceiling in that color sends light back down into the room. Mirrors, glass and light towels help too. If the room has no window, the lights you choose will decide the whole look.
How do you test black samples in a bathroom?
Test black on large boards, not small chips. Paint two coats on white poster board or primed card, about two feet square, so the edges do not blend with the wall. Let it dry fully before you judge it.
Tape the boards to the wall you plan to paint and to the wall opposite the window. Look at them in morning light, in the evening and with the bathroom lights on. Hold a towel, a tile sample and a piece of wood beside them. The two neutral blacks both have an LRV of 1, so you may struggle to tell them apart. Choose the one that makes the surrounding colors look cleaner. If you prefer the warm #2E2819, check that its yellow undertone suits your tile.
For the sand, brown and tan, order sample pots of the near-identical matches listed above and compare them with the hex value. Check them next to the black boards, since that is how they will sit in the room.
FAQ
What is the best black paint for a bathroom wall?
It depends on your fixtures. The warm black #2E2819 suits wood and brass, and the neutral blacks #13171A and #181310 suit chrome and white fixtures. All three have an LRV of 1 or 2.
Will black walls make a small bathroom look smaller?
They can, because an LRV of 1 or 2 means the walls absorb nearly all light. Good lighting at the mirror and a light ceiling, such as #E0CAB1 at LRV 61, help balance the room.
What trim color goes with black bathroom walls?
Use the sand #E0CAB1 for a soft contrast, or repeat the wall black for a continuous look. The sand has an LRV of 61 and a warm yellow undertone.
Is there a commercial paint that matches these blacks?
No close commercial match was found for #2E2819, #13171A or #181310. Ask a paint counter to custom match the hex value, then compare it with a sample board.
What vanity and accent colors work with black walls?
A vanity in the deep brown #705642 stands out against black without clashing. Add one accent in the tan #BF966D and towels in the warm black #2E2819.
Save these colors
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
From A River Landscape with Storks, Charles-François Daubigny
