Retro bathroom faucets for your 40s 50s or 60s bathroom – Update

by Pam Kueber on January 30, 2006

Available from deabath.com

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.

Buy the 4″ above from deabath.com

Buy the 8″ from mac the antique plumber or other sources online – it’s called the Mississippi.  (Sorry I cannot get the link to work for antiqueplumber.com.)

available from antiqueplumber.com - and other online sites

available from antiqueplumber.com - and other online sites

A note on the 8″ “Mississippi” lav (the second featured). It  larger in scale than many 50s lav faucets — although I am pleased to add (Oct. 15, 2008 update) that it has a clear antecedent in the lavatory in the 1956 photos below:

Do note, though, that if you are purchasing a sink to go with the Mississippi – ensure you have adequate “deck” space on the sink. The Kohler cast iron self-rimming sinks recommended look great with this sink – again, just check the deck space.

Regarding the 4″ “Deco” two-hole-mixer faucet shown, I have never seen anything anywhere else 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.


Related posts:

  1. Four, 4″ faucets for your retro bathroom sink Do you need a new faucet for your vintage...
  2. Nathan approves of the retro style Gerber 4″ bathroom faucet Reader Nathan ordered three of these Gerber 4″ lavatory...
  3. Vintage Kohler 4″ lav faucets for sale on ebay For those of you looking for 4″ bathroom sink faucets...
  4. Retro bathroom faucet with shampoo sprayer Most midcentury bathrooms have a sink with a 4″...
  5. Dishmaster faucets: Dishwashing the easy way Dishmaster kitchen faucets are not only stylish — they...

Want to stay on top of all Retro Renovation news? Subscribe to our Saturday email newsletter.

{ 2 trackbacks }

Retro Renovation » Retro bathroom sinks, toilets — and a new choice for a current day faucet — from American Standard
December 5, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Retro Renovation » Bathroom sinks that fit that 50s retro groove
December 5, 2007 at 1:44 pm

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Lisa Jones-Raymond July 8, 2009 at 4:48 pm

Hi,I’ve got a faucet set like the one above – have searched the web for a long time and never able to find ——- my sink came out of the Notre Dame School for Girls in the mid 50’s when they were remodeling. It will leak – you have to use stuff called ‘packing’ – and there are no threads on the faucet so you can’t hook up a carpet steam cleaner or other appliance. I always thought the escutcheons were called “Bell” and I think for some reason my handles aren’t 4 sided, just one. I still use the sink but the faucets are in storage.Thanks for sharing this great pix.

No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane August 29, 2009 at 4:56 am

Question-I was just looking at Mac the Antique Plumber and loved that faucet for our new bathroom. I have a problem figuring out what all of the colors offered look like. What is the difference between brushed nickel/chrome etc? Any help would be great! Thanks!

Leave a Comment