
Brown is having a real moment in 2024 and is a popular colour choice for lots of different interior design lovers. It is a truly versatile shade that can suit many different styles including a maximalist space as well as a minimalistic one.
Brown is inherently a neutral shade and works wonderfully in a calm and serene bathroom. But, you may be wondering what the best ways to incorporate it are? We’ve got you covered with these innovative ideas.
Brown Bathroom Ideas
1.Softly Does It With Taupe And Beige
Soften a brown bathroom with lighter neutral shades to create a sense of calm.
Grazzie Wilson, Head of Creative at Ca’ Pietra says ‘like every colour, brown is a sliding scale. From the 80% cocoa depths of walnut brown to the mellow neutrals of taupe, beige and putty. If you’re into lighter tones then create yourself a brown bathroom that blends the lot’.
2. Layer With Brown
Rather than painting the walls brown and leaving it at that. It’s important to create different layers and textures so that your bathroom doesn’t feel dull and flat.
Choose brown tiles with an irregular glossy texture for a splashback and contrast this with loud patterned wall tiles.
3. Defining Half Wall Tiles
Brown can run the risk of feeling quite dark and if you’d prefer for that not to be the case in your bathroom then opt for a half and half effect.
Tile the bottom half of your wall with brown metro tiles and lighten things up by painting the upper half of the wall a warm neutral shade.
4. Go To The Dark, Indulgent Side of Brown
Alternatively, if you love darker spaces then fully embrace this with a dark chocolate brown bathroom.
It creates a beautifully rich scheme that feels sumptuous and luxurious. Opt for a dark brown shade for the walls and create a show stopping splashback with miniature tiles laid vertically.
5. Brown Parquet Perfection
Parquet patterns for wall tiles and flooring in bathrooms is a trend that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Grazzie agrees and says ‘a tile formation that is a forever trend, parquet walls and parquet tiled floors are always a winner. Some of our favourite brown bathrooms of all feature brown parquet tiles whether it’s a speckled finish or our Pottery tiles that give rise to a multi-tonal brown palette on bathroom walls’.
6. Don’t Forget About The Fifth Wall
You may be asking yourself, what is the fifth wall? It’s the ceiling! It’s a good way to think of it as it ensures that you don’t just forget about it and paint your ceiling white without any thought.
A brown painted ceiling, especially in a bathroom, creates drama and makes the space feel ultra cosy.
7. Carry The Colour Up & Over
Elongate the length of your walls in your bathroom by bringing your paint colour up and over into the ceiling.
Be inspired by the bathroom pictured above and use a mid-tone brown contrasted with mottled white tiles.
8. Use Nature Inspired Multipanelling
You don’t have to use tiles in the bathroom, consider using wall panels instead. These create a seamless look and are just as practical as regular tiles.
Choose a design that’s inspired by nature to make you feel cool and calm.
9. Add Wooden Cladding For A Bold Impact
If rustic design is your thing then you may want to consider adding wooden panelling into your bathroom. Lay your panels horizontally to trick the eye into thinking the room is wider than it actually is.
Use a light or dark stain to manipulate the colour of the wood to your desired finish.
10. Create Interest With Ribbed Wooden Panelling
Wall panelling comes in lots of designs that will suit different spaces. Thin, ribbed style panelling feels contemporary and will suit a Scandi-inspired bathroom.
Pair dark ribbed panelling with a concrete style basin and funky ceiling lights for added personality and an industrial edge.
11. Fake The Look With Wood Cladding Multipanel Sheets
A more affordable and arguably more durable alternative to wood panelling is using multipanel sheets that create the same effect.
Consult your local bathroom fitter and see what the costs will be to see if this is a viable option for you.
12. Brown Schemes Packed With Personality
Brown doesn’t have to be boring. Introduce other colours to make it a truly interesting mix.
Grazzie claims ‘brown tiles add character and charm to any bathroom, whether you’re decorating a tiny downstairs loo or have a whopping family bathroom. But, when it comes to brown, it doesn’t have to mean playing it safe. In fact, we think this colour scheme works just as well when you pack it with personality as it does when you colour drench the room in the same tile’.

13. Opt For A Deep, Rich Shade of Brown For A Luxurious Feel
Perfect for those that lean towards masculine inspired spaces, dark brown bathrooms feel rich and luxurious.
Pair brown painted walls with a matt black sink and tap to bring added depth to a brown bathroom.
14. Lean Into Warm, Terracotta Shades of Brown
Rusty tones of brown are perfect for boho inspired spaces. Create a warm terracotta bathroom design by including classic terracotta floor tiles, a roll top bath and vintage style accessories.
15. Use Herringbone Tiles From The Floor To Walls
Choose to cover your walls and floor in wood, laid in a stylish herringbone pattern. Wood is a traditional material to use in a bathroom and creates a warm and rustic feel.
Bring a modern touch to a wood cladded bathroom with a slimline sink and a plant or two.
16. Create A Feature Wall With Wood Slat Panels
Keep things neutral with an all-white bathroom but construct your own feature wall to make a stylish statement.
Clad one wall with thin MDF panelling and install an LED strip light at the top to create an ambient setting.
17. Get Creative With A Scallop Edged Paint Design
Scalloped edges are a huge trend for 2024 and you can create your very own scallop paint effect in your bathroom.
This doesn’t have to be precise, be brave and freehand it. We recommend contrasting your brown scalloped wall with pink furniture to introduce a pop of pastel.
18. Take Inspiration From Vintage, Recycled Floor Tiles
Don’t just rely on the high street when it comes to sourcing your bathroom flooring. Look in your local antique shops and reclamation yards to see if you can find any reclaimed flooring that would suit your brown bathroom design.
19. Mix Shades of Brown Tones For A Stylish Look
Try not to stick to one shade of brown and instead mix in lots of different tones to add dimension and visual interest.
Use wood as a unique shade of brown and play with the different finishes of this natural material.
20. Vintage, Eclectic Patterned Floor Tiles Are In
Be brave with your choice of bathroom flooring and opt for funky patterned tiles that will make your bathroom the talking point of the house.
The retro inspired tiles pictured below would look fabulous in any 70s inspired home.
21. Utilise Wood
If you want wood to be the main focus of your bathroom, then listen up. ‘Starting with the floor, a wood effect bathroom floor can feel comforting and charming in a period property or style it differently and place it in a modern setting and you can create a blonde wood Scandi bathroom that transports you to Stockholm with every shower’, says Grazzie.
‘Or use wood effect porcelain, like our Beach Hut tiles up your walls as well as the floor to really encase the bathroom in the warmth that shades of brown bring’.