Burgundy Powder Room IdeasBurgundy works when it wraps the whole room.
Burgundy — oxblood, claret, deep wine — is the most flattering dark colour you can put in a small room. It is warm where navy and black are cold, it makes skin look good in a mirror, and by lamplight it glows. It goes wrong in one way: when it is used on a single wall and surrounded by white.
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Drench it: one colour, everywhere
A colour-drenched room is one colour on every surface — walls, panelling, skirting, door, crown and ceiling. In a powder room it is the difference between a burgundy room and a white room with a burgundy wall in it.
Burgundy against white trim looks heavy, because every white edge outlines the dark and makes it read as a block. Taken over everything, the edges disappear and the colour becomes an atmosphere instead. That is what makes a small dark room feel larger, not smaller.
What to pair with burgundy
- Paper: a large pattern on a burgundy or dark ground, with the motif in cream, slate blue or soft green — the palm above is the model. Or carry burgundy panelling up to a paper whose ground picks up the same red.
- Stone: a white marble with strong grey or violet veining. The cool stone is the one bright, clean surface in the room and it keeps the burgundy from going muddy.
- Metal: unlacquered brass, and only brass. Burgundy and aged brass are the oldest pairing in the book for a reason. Chrome and nickel look cheap against it.
- Floor: black-and-white marble in a checkerboard, or dark wood. Both read as old and deliberate.
The finish
A soft eggshell for a quiet, velvety room. A high-gloss lacquer on the panelling and ceiling if you want the room to glow — gloss bounces lamplight around a small dark space and gives burgundy a depth flat paint cannot. Either way, the same finish on the woodwork and the ceiling.
Light it warm, or it turns brown
Burgundy is unforgiving of cold light. Under a cool bulb it goes brown; under a cold downlight it goes purple. Light it from the sides at face height, with pleated or silk shades, at 2700K, on a dimmer — and the colour turns to claret. No recessed downlights.
Paint colours to sample
Farrow & Ball’s Preference Red, Eating Room Red and Brinjal (the last more aubergine than wine) are good places to start. Always sample on the actual wall, under your actual bulbs, at night — that is when the room is used.
The same palette, in a home bar
Everything above works in a bar, where burgundy is perhaps even more at home: a deep red painted paper over a vaulted ceiling, oxblood velvet, warm stone and aged brass.
Not sure which paper is right for your room?
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Questions
Is burgundy a good colour for a powder room?
Yes — it is one of the best. It is warm where navy and black are cold, it flatters skin in a mirror, and in a small room used mostly in the evening it glows by lamplight. It works best colour-drenched, over every surface, rather than on one wall.
What colours go with burgundy in a bathroom?
Cream, slate blue and soft green in the wallpaper; a white marble with grey or violet veining; unlacquered brass; and a black-and-white or dark wood floor. Avoid white trim and chrome.
Should the ceiling be burgundy too?
Yes. A white ceiling over a burgundy room outlines the dark and makes it feel heavy. Painting the ceiling and crown the same colour removes the edges, and the room feels larger.
What finish should burgundy paint be in a powder room?
Eggshell for a soft, velvety room, or high-gloss lacquer if you want it to glow — gloss bounces lamplight and gives the colour depth. Use the same finish on the woodwork and ceiling.
What wallpaper goes with burgundy wainscoting?
A large-scale pattern on a dark or burgundy ground with motifs in cream, slate blue or soft green, so the panelling and the paper read as one room rather than two.
Why does my burgundy room look brown?
The light. Cool bulbs and overhead downlights turn burgundy brown or purple. Use warm 2700K bulbs in sconces at face height, on a dimmer.
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