What would be the best accent color for a bathroom with original black & white ceramic tile?

I've inherited a sixty-year-old brick bungalow that has a bathroom still in immaculate shape. It has all of the original fixtures, inlcuding a soaking tub and separate shower stall. The fixtures, floor tile and all the surrounds are black and white, as was typical for the era. A tenant who'd been living in the house for some time installed same garish wallpaper that has large black and white flowers in a seventies' motif. It's GOT to go. But I'm at a loss as to what to cover it with. I'm thinking a nice, deep red might work. Advice?

What would be the best accent color for a bathroom with original black %26amp; white ceramic tile?
Red would look great but if the room needs to seem larger


a brighter pastel. A sea green or a medium blue - stay away from yellows they will look like a bumble bee.
Reply:I would paint the walls khaki and then bring in the red with my towels and accessories. Dutch Boy has a wonderful color called, Shingle Tan and it would be the perfect color for your walls. You can pick up the swatch at the Wal-Mart paint center. I would personally recommend for you to take the swatch to either Benjamin Moore or Valspar (sold at Lowes) to get the paint. In the design world, especially when it comes to painting kitchens and baths, Benjamin Moore and Valspar are the best.





I have taken the liberty to pick out something for you. This is ust an idea, but Croscill has everything and you are bound to find something you like. Go here: http://www.dillards.com/endeca/EndecaSta...
Reply:i would strip the wallpaper and paint white...then add my color in linens,shower curtain and rugs....if you went with solid colors you could change it up each season...yellow in summer,red for holidays,orange in fall etc.
Reply:I would put up white bead board half way up the wall with a white chairail...The top half could be painted, maybe a red and put up pictures with white frames..red and white towels.
Reply:Put up heavy crown molding glossy white, white on white wallpaper in a tiny pattern, lots of white towels, white toilet seat, chrome towel racks and paper holder, new light fixtures appropriate to the time period when the bath was built (chrome with white art deco), new medicine cabinet, replace the vanity with a new pedestal sink and not a cheap one. Add a cross handle faucet, update the knobs and escutcheons on the existing bath and shower, white lacy shower curtain with a liner, lace curtains. White moth orchids in a black vase, black rug, black porcelain accessories, (buy quality). Regrout the tile white. Hang an Erte print in a black glossy frame. Forget the red, unless you have a brothel, too garish and common.
Reply:Just about anycolor will go with black and white. The key is to use it sparingly. Darker colors will darken the whole room and emphasize the black. Lighter colors will lighten the room and emphasize the white. Bungalows were often made in the Craftsman style with lots of colors drawn from nature. Pick up some dead leaves and hold them up against the black and white tile and see if you can pick out a few colors you like. If you want a more modern cleaner feel you can go with a pastel color. Architect Michael Graves is very fond of a pastel terra cotta red and a pastel sagey green color (google him for some examples).
Reply:congratulations! it sounds charming.





i would paint the walls white and use either a deep, true red or a bright, vivid yellow as the accent color.





it should be easy to find accessories in either or both of these colors. you may want to have pictures with both colors and additional towels, etc - so if you get tired of one you can switch out and use the other.





hope this helps. :)
Reply:You may find that replacing the wallpaper with a deep red may become agressive. Today, there are much better choices to go with black and white. And let's face it, black is the mixture of all colors and white is the absence of all color so both of these basically go with any color. Yes, it goes with the red you are talking about but as I said, it will make the room stark and agressive. And you may even find that this color mix gives a spanish feel to your room. Have you considered turquoise, burnt orange, silver (not grey, but metallic silver), sunflower yellow, taupe beige, and if you insist on red, lean more towards a mahogony red instead.





Enjoy your new bathroom!
Reply:Deep red would be nice however it will make the bathroom seem smaller. However it could work. You can use black, white and red towels. You could look for a nice shower curtain in those bold colors or just pick one color.
Reply:If you like deep red, use it. I really like deep red-orange and wanted to use it in my bathroom. It's small and people kept telling me it would just look smaller. I did it anyway and am so happy with it. If you love a color do you really care if it makes your bathroom look smaller? (Besides, I don't think mine looks smaller. It looks richer and more comfortable to be in. )


While black and white goes well with almost any color, I generally find it looks better with a deeper, richer color. Pastels tend to be dull in comparison to the contrast of the black and white. Camel looks nice with black and white as well and will offer you more options in accessories.


Have fun. Sounds like a great space!