Retro Renovation

Available from deabath.com

These are my two favorite lavatory faucets for 1950s bathroom restorations or renovations. The shape of the faucet escutcheons (the bases of the handles, yes that’s what they are called) are the most reminiscent of the wrecked faucets I pulled out of my original 1951 bathrooms. They are not inexpensive, each around $250 on sale, but I found the quality to be excellent.

available from antiqueplumber.com - and other online sites

A note on the 8″ “Mississippi” lav (the second featured). It is much larger in scale than a true 50s lav faucet. If you are purchasing a sink to go with it, ensure you have adequate “deck” space on the sink. The Kohler cast iron self-rimming sinks recommended in my Jan. 29 blog look great with this sink.

Regarding the 4″ “Deco” two-hole-mixer faucet shown, I have never seen anything to match this one. It was not available when I renovated my bathrooms, and instead, I had the original faucet rechromed for $115. It leaks to this day and is a real pain. I wish this had been available then, and may end up with it yet. Ugh to the brass, though. Go for chrome, for sure, or nickel if you must.

I am a fan of Kohler bathroom sinks - they have styles that will fit right into your retro bathroom, seamlessly.

BTW Mac the Antique Plumber also has some great kitchen sinks.

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