navy and dark grey with cream accents would be my way to go masculine but not fully bland.

How about some green?? Good color for the bathroom and you can choose from a wide range of tones.

I would not at all be happy if someone surprised me with any makeover whatsoever! And, especially green in a bathroom. Green reflects poorly on one's complexion. Thus we have Greenrooms backstage, that are never painted green.

Why don't you find out his favorite football team and buy a bunch of team memorabilia?
Just kidding!
Seriously, here is my real suggestion: you can find vaguely "tribal" bathroom rugs and shower curtains all over the place now, I guess it's sort of a trend. They're sort of vibrant earth-toned colors with some interesting patterns that are kind of masculine and funky at the same time. Kind of natural, kind of "modern art"-ish.
If you wanted to get really classy you could hang a little framed Cubist print on the wall (message: "hey, I took Art History in college.")
By the way, I would involve him along the way -- surprising people with newly decorated rooms seems pretty risky.

Surprise him - especially if he's all about beige. A cool-shaded neutral in the grey family would look nice. Can't really tell the color of the floor tiles though so be careful. Good luck.

don't make over your man's bathroom.

it is a horrible idea.

love the man. love the beige.

All due respect, but stay away from the browns in a bathroom. A bathroom is *cough* brown enough.

The other comments are on to something with the blue/green thing. A bathroom should rightfully be a refreshing place, and these colors fit the bill.

My concrete suggestion would be to buy a nice small rug, hand and body towels and a soap dispenser in various shades of turquoise, sea foam or cobolt. They'll work well with the materials already in the room, and they're pretty much uni-sex colors.

Then find some motif with the same colors, buy three in the same size and frame them for the walls. A good spot would be to hang them vertically over the toilet paper.

A bonus, if possible, would be to find a small open cabinet in the same light wood, paint only the insides the same color as the towels etc. and hang it on a bare wall as a resting place for cuff links, incense, matches, shaving stuff....

Thank you all for the helpful comments! And I know it seems a little intrusive to some, but he moved in August and hasn't done a thing to his bathroom yet (no shower curtain!). He said at some point he'd give me a budget and just let me deal with it. So I figured as long as everything is returnable, I would surprise him with a few things. Thanks again everyone, keep the comments coming! :)

I would recommend finding a shower curtain you like first then choosing a paint color from there. If you get a curtain with a print on it, then it will be easier to match with complementary paint rather than trying to do the reverse.

paint the walls light blue*
that's what I saw the second that picture came up

*one that goes with floor, whatever that is

anyway, you can make the big step
and see how great it looks
and if he really Is Beige you can always go back

Speaking as a guy, I think your "brown and metal things" idea is not a bad one at all. And I don't think beige is totally bad either. Crate and Barrel has some nice wooden bath accessories he might like (the "Canyon" line). You might also try some black and white photos in wood frames. Angela Adams sells lovely cotton rugs that are not expensive; I like the brown version of "Islands", but most of her designs are hip and reasonably man-friendly. He might also like her Lulu/Dusk bath accessories (but not the Cinnamon ones!). I agree with Jennie K. that turquoise could be a good way to add a little color without freaking him out.

Hey Lisa, check out the colors in this room setting from West Elm. There are several colors there that I think would go well together and with the wood and tile tones in already in the bathroom:
http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODf599&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1FRNSAC&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1FRNSAC

I think the grey of the sofa or the navy on the wall would make a good wall color with the brick color and polished aluminum all around as accents. If it isn't too much, you can add a solid colored shower curtain outside the bath spanning half the bar and have a patterned liner span the entire bar. That will add an easily changeable block of color to the space.

Regardless of what you decide to do, If you topped off the bathroom suprise by mounting an iPod dock stereo somewhere in there and a masculine modern poster (60's b/w "Rat Pack" image maybe?), you'll have all your bases covered.

we have this fabulous dark grey/purple in our living room that goes great with brown and black. very manly. i think it's their "autumn purple" but it's been a few years since we painted. it's close!

How about doing the ultimate accessory and getting a stainless steel door. With dark-toned wood essentials, you wouldn't need much more "decor" per se, and you'd end up with a really cool mod, minimalist bath instead of a theme-water-park.

I like the idea of keeping it really simple. I would purchase a high quality white shower curtain and accent with teak pieces, something like that, maybe a bit of an oxidized steel. As long as the additions are returnable, go for it!

two more questions! (thanks everyone still for taking the time to post ideas)..
is this too feminine?
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1630&f=24944
and..
would that shade of brown and dark grey go together? i know greyscale and earth tones are kind of a no-no most of the time.. but wondered what you think!

it sounds as if he leans towards the simple, monochromatic. there is nothing wrong with that - as a matter of fact, don't fight against it! brown is an excellent accent color next to beige and creams. in small areas less is definitely more. consider, keeping the beige - it could work to your advantage.

i actually think that shower curtain from c&b is the perfect shade of chocolate. it is modern, with a feminine touch - without being "girly", of course. (looked at it myself the other day...)

perhaps, instead of pictures (due to extensive humidity) - you could explore wood wall relief art. www.westelm.com has some modern wood wall art that would be great for accessories. something else you might consider is lining up some block wall shelves and accessorizing those with some of his "treasures" or brushed nickel/chrome bathroom accessories: toothbrush holder, razor stand, soap/lotion dispenser, etc.

towels are easy, a mix of beige, chocolate and cream will be an inexpensive blend. maybe chocolate towels with beige monograms or whimsical sayings. get creative this could be fun. these are fun too:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&sku=111812

a rug can go two ways - hard or soft. i like the wood block rug from west elm. since you have picked a patterned shower curtain, maybe a chunky loop rug or one with a subtle pattern:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&sku=14779329

a cream vase (to repeat the contrast color of the queen anns lace) filled with high-gloss, chocolate, stained curly willow branches (recommend Design Choice Spray Tints, floral department at hobby stores) will bring height and drama to the vanity.

Just make sure that it is not in the way - function over fashion.

after all, a bathroom is utilitarian.

good luck with your makeover – btw, i'm incredibly jealous(!)

I was recently tipped off that Thomas O'Brien stuff at Target is amazing and cheap, so I went with his mushroom brown towels and some beige floormats (both less than $10). I must say, it's a great bargain; very plush and tasteful and a third the price of the normal Thomas O'Brien bath line.