Several readers have sent me notes explaining how sad it was to catch a TV makeover show that ripped out a perfectly beautiful vintage bathroom. Surfing around, I found these examples of perfectly excellent 50s or 60s bathrooms that were disparaged and discarded.
HGTV editors went so far as to call the bathroom, above, a “pink plague.” How ridiculous. While I agree that the wallpaper may not be just right (the whole square theme is taken too far…although you must admit: it has style!), the core of the bathroom is delightful. And the blue bathroom that replaced it (in thumbnail) is fine but an unnecessary expense. Prediction: River rock walls and floors will be out as quick as they were in. Alas.
Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this 60s provincial bathroom. It would be so fun to decorate – and it looks quite high quality. The replacement bathroom is fine…it’s great they kept that floor and awesome mirror… sad sad sad they took out the pink tile…. and overall, again, just…unnecessary.
Update: Another example from HGTV from Brian at Atomic Addiction. Many thanks, B! Super cool blue sink, RIP:
Seems like a bunch of the rest of the world — well behind our curve — actually dislikes vintage pink bathrooms. They will regret what they have done.
Finally, with this post, I declare an all-new category: Pink bathrooms! And, I’ve gone back through all my posts to fill the category up. Have fun reveling in pink pink pink!
UPDATE: This post led to the creation of my Save The Pink Bathrooms micro-site. Be sure to see it here – it is pretty amazing, if I say so myself!
I’m happy to have our tiny half bath in the pink bathroom category. While it is nowhere near as sumptuous as the ones shown here, I am glad to preserve it, because it is such a sweet little surprise. (Still no wallpaper in it, but I did repaint the upper walls in a nice vanilla shade, because I couldn’t stand the lavender-gray paint a moment longer. Now to get towels in chocolate and pistachio, and maybe some cute plaster fish blowing bubbles…)
We watch these shows quite a bit… and we cringe. We wish our bathroom survived the 80′s but it did not. So when we see these major remodels of awesome bathrooms and kitchens we can’t stand to watch the horror. It is hard to think that these on TV are only a fraction of the cool bathrooms being trashed across the country. Everyone looks at their colorful tile an thinks they need a “awesome” stone bathroom…
I hate slate and granite. Mark my words. These will be as dated in 20 to 30 years as the horrible 70′s bathrooms that you see out there. Dark stone seems to bee the “in” thing right now. Nasty in my opinion.
Just type in slate bathrooms on google and you will see the nasty stuff.
Here is another trashed bath…
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_real_estate_selling/article/0,1801,HGTV_3165_5617812_03,00.html
Here you can see some of the horror. Now, given that even for me the blue sink and tub against the pink tile is a little much but… I am surprised to see that they ended up keeping some of the pink tile and the floor. But, being a show about selling, I guessing they didn’t want so spend the money on it. I think the “after” looks stupid. But hey that’s just me.
Sorry for the rant. This stuff just bothers me.
Brian
Atomic Addiction
I just went through the process of taking out a vintage emerald green bathroom with what I thought was really nasty looking mottled green tile, all in hopes of putting in a classic 1950s pink and black bathroom. Unfortunately, I found that salvagers have bought into the modern misguided revulsion for pink bath fixtures. I contacted literally dozens of them all across the US without finding a set in true pink. Lots of taupe and peach, but no pink. Most laughed at me and said they get offered pink pieces all the time, but they refuse them because they cannot sell them … or so they claim. HGTV and others have been so influential in spreading their trendy styles and reviling the classics that they have entirely killed the recycle market for pink fixtures. In the end, I was forced to settle for blue, and was pleased to find an absolutely mint set in regency blue that was actually dated June 11, 1958 (my place was built in late 1958). The odd thing is, my city (Palm Springs) is awash with pink bathrooms from the 1950s that are constantly being ripped out in favor of slate and cultured marble, but I have no idea at all where the pink remnants are disappearing to. The dump, I suppose. Maybe we should all become dump scavengers?
Thanks, all for your comments. Judi – so happy you are proud to be pink! Brian – you said it in the way I really wanted to say it. Stephan – I very much agree with your warning regarding pink vs. pinky beige or taupe. Some of the photos I’ve posted surely are more in the pinky beige taupe family. I happen to like them both – but as per your point, if you want the iconic 50s pink, you are going to have to be vigilant in general, and very careful, specifically, if you are e-buying. I love that you call it Mamie Eisenhower pink. Where did you come up with this?
We also have a pink bathroom in our little ranch and I love it! It was one of the selling points of the house to me. The toilet and sink had been replaced with white porcelain and an oak vanity (ugh) and finding the right pink toilet was indeed difficult, and now we’re looking for the sink. I call it dusty pink, and I’m wondering what Mamie’s pink looks like? One good thing for our color search is that our pink seemed to be a pretty common American Standard color.
And I really enjoy reading about your remodeling progress; it’s very inspiring
Brian,
I have to second everything you said. I dislike much of the fashionable marble and stone that has been going into the MacMansions AND older houses. Perhaps with the economic downturn, some people will actually save some of the good older stuff in their houses and stop tearing out and re-doing everything.
If I don’t see another piece of “tumbled stone” in a suburban tract house, I’ll be happy. Sure, I like that ancient stone look—–in Rome.
Deb
I have a vintage pink bathroom and while I used to hate it( I was in my early 20′s when we moved in), now that I am nearer to 40, I find it charming and stylish. I am so grateful we never renovated it into one of those tacky spa/quasi Asian zen themed bathrooms that seem so poular these days.
I just watched another horrible remodel of a cool bathroom. Now the wall paper was a bit much, however thats a easy fix. They had a really cool vanity and pink recessed soap and toilet paper holders. Don’t they know what those go for now? Idiots…
Boggy Bathroom Burnout:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_bathroom/article/0,1793,HGTV_3365_5090511,00.html
While looking for this episode I found these other episodes that my be just as gut wrenching. I have not seen these and may not want to…
Funky ’50s Facilities:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_bathroom/article/0,1793,HGTV_3365_4836867,00.html
Blindingly Bright Bath:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_bathroom/article/0,1793,HGTV_3365_5197846,00.html
Overbearing and Outmoded:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_bathroom/article/0,1793,HGTV_3365_5417421_03,00.html
Looks like there are a lot of these bathrooms that have some snappy pink tile. This “designer” Krista Watterworth his killed more than her share.
Brian
Atomic Addiction
I’m guilty! We made a big mistake when we re-did our bathroom, 10 years ago. We had the powder blue bath, basin & toilet. Unfortunately the toilet need replacing anyway because it had a crack in it, (that’s my excuse) but our bathroom is still blue but with white tiles, & admittedly looking very dated. I’m growing to hate those big “salad bowls” that sit on benches!!! x
Just to remain on the up & up: I gutted three 1951 bathrooms. My excuse: They all had plastic tile including in the bathtub/showers – which completely rotted out the walls. In two cases, the previous owners had actually pasted vinyl over some of the shower walls. No exhaust fans; mold accumulated. Floors also rotted. Original sinks dinged. I went with white fixtures, colored tile walls, white pinwheel tile floors, laminate counters with simple white vanities, one vintage sink with chrome legs, vintage or vintage-style wallpaper. Five years later, they still look fresh. Proof that if you want/need ‘new’ – you CAN have your retro cake and eat it, too.
Regarding “Mamie Eisenhower pink” … I thought most ’50s fans knew that term! First Lady Mamie Eisenhower was a huge fan of pink, and any or most of her dresses for presidential occasions throughout her husband’s term as president (1952-1960) were in a particular shade of vibrant pink. It was her signature color. People started referring to that shade as “Mamie pink.” And obviously I still call it that. But it is definitely not the rosy-dusty-taupey pink that lasted into the 1970s. It is a true P-I-N-K!!!
Wow, the topic of pink bathrooms, and bathroom renovations in general, really strikes a chord with many people. We all seem to have the same attitude toward the trend in “spa/quasi Asian zen themed bathrooms” as Kimberlygem so aptly put it. When we were house hunting last year, we saw quite a few that had undergone recent granite-and-earthy-tile renovations. Our reaction was, great, we’re expected to pay extra bucks for something that will scream circa 2007 in just a few years.
Surely the TV renovators know this, and they are planning ahead for the next decade of programs in which the granite and tile will be ripped out and replaced with whatever is the new trend. Hey, maybe it will be back to Mamie pink tile, and manufacturers will start producing it again.
You know, Pam, I’m kinda curious if anyone has successfully “saved” those plastic 50s tiles. We also tore them out of our main bathroom; they were gray and black and I loved the look, but the “grout” was all yellowed, and some of the plastic tiles were cracked and even melted (who know what sort of accident someone had with a hairdyer). It’s funny, though, the smaller bath had real ceramic tiles (the white with gold flecks); we redid it using the same tiles.
I have a fondness for those old plastic tiles. We had them in various houses that I grew up in (always gray and black).
Hi Femme1, I’ve had a reader or two tell me that they had ripped plastic tiles out, and had them available – but I’ve never pursued it. The better idea, I think, it to watch ebay for them. I have this as a saved search but haven’t seen anything special enough to post. Note, you need A LOT to do a bathroom including the walls!
On the subject of plastic tiles…we had them too! white pearly ones. I’d never seen anything like it! Now I’m realising they were more common than I thought. As you said Pam, same problem as you, most of them gradually fell off, rotted walls & lino floors that had to be replaced, mouldy walls etc., etc., It was the vanity unit we had I cry for. It had a speckled laminate top with angled drawers & tapered black pointy legs, blue sink with chrome edge, what a ning nong I was! I do remember going over & over the decision at the time though, oh well, it went to bathroom heaven like the rest of them I suppose. x
Ohhhh, every time I see this happen on HGTV I want to cry! Only a handful of times have I seen the bathrooms saved (sometimes the tile is re-painted, which is a tolerable alternative to destroying it). One time, in fact, I saw the mother-daughter team tell someone to absolutely, positively keep their vintage pink tile bathroom as “it’s classic” and “they’re coming back”. I nearly cried with joy.
Having seen several gorgeous vintage ones destroyed, though…ugh. These designers and homeowners apparently have little sense or are too concerned with the latest style.
It makes us SO GLAD the man we bought our ’51 Cape Cod bungalow from left the aqua-and-black tile bathroom ALONE other than painting the walls white…he did get a new vanity sink, but I gathered that the original was chipped beyond repair. I LOVE our bathroom. It practically sold the house.
You know, Construction Junction in Pittsburgh has TONS and TONS of vintage bathroom stuff, primarily sinks and toilets in nearly every 50s colour imaginable. It’s like walking into a candy shop.
I also have to say to Sumac Sue that I’ve been watching for those plaster bubble-blowing fish…!
Oh my gosh! I LOVE YOU! Or at least, your site.
I just stumbled across it while searching for vintage photos of toreadors. (Not quite sure how that led to you….)
I have a vintage 1952 bathroom that is salmony pink and black. I’ve been looking for a new co-op, and everything now has those awful travertine or whatever bath renovations where everything is huge slabs of beige, beige, or beige. Most NYC bathrooms aren’t large enough to do the soaking tub and glass-walled separate shower combo you see on the home renovation shows, though.
There was once a trend of having a separate tub and shower stall, but of course that was in the thirties and they were beautifully tiled. I keep hoping I’ll find an apartment with one of those, but most of them are being torn out in this frenzy of travertine renovations.
Welcome, Beth! Send a photo of your bathroom!
Hi again, Beth. You have given me my favorite new phrase of the day: Travertine Frenzy! Hey, can I get one of those at the Dairy Queen?
LOL! My bathroom is really not that impressive. It’s original but there are some patches of replaced tile that are the wrong color. (Why would someone put white tiles on a salmon floor? At least it’s behind the toilet….) And I desperately need a new sink! Maybe after I get that I’ll take a picture.
Help! I am scared!! We are about to renovate our ranch style home built in 1948. It has a “Jack and Jill” style bath with well preserved pink wall tiles with a black border and pink and white hex floor completing the two 1/2 baths which are connected to a tub area adorned with mint green tiles and black border. The tub area is a disaster and we are planning to turn it into a stand alone shower. I am trying to find a tile that complements the pink tiles and flooring in the 1/2 baths which I love. Any photo suggestions or weblinks would be appreciated.
Di Di
Di Di, thanks for your passion regarding maintaining what sound like incredible bathrooms. For tile, I’d start with B&W…. you can find the link there along with other potential resources in my category: Bathrooms / Tile.
Meanwhile – send some photos if you’d like help from me and our retro renovation community if you get stuck in choosing a color or style.
Hey, can I rant about the irreversible damage HGTV has done to homes across America? My husband and I are absolutely terrified that by the time we can afford an older home, there won’t be any older homes with the original bathrooms and kitchens in tact. We’ve been to some open houses of formally fabulous 50′s homes that were gutted and remodeled according to the HGTV “How To Sell Your Home” aesthetic. I’m sure people think I’m nuts but I’m constantly trying to educate realtors and home owners that not everything pre-1980 is dated! In fact, “dated” to me means anything that looks cheap, was poorly crafted and is just downright ugly! I’ve never seen a 40′s/50′s kitchen or bathroom that looked dated! Anyways, I’m so happy I found this website and like-minded individuals who know that to keep things cool, you’ve got to keep it vintage!
Dear 50sPam,
Thanks for your support and encouragement. After searching the web and picking up a copy of “Atomic Ranch”, I am resolved to keeping my pink bath pink including the mint green tile and tub surround. Convincing my husband will be a challenge. The B&W Tile contact is great! Do you know where I can find replacement faucets for the classic white Kohler sink with chrome legs. The faucets mount vertically on the front of the sink (instead of on top). Also the sink drain stop and plumbing underneath needs to be replaced. I am thinking about sandblasting the pink and white hex flooring and re-grouting (good or bad idea?). I have photos on my computer but can not seem to attach/upload them and will try to get help doing this tomorrow.
Thanks again,
Di Di
I’ve noticed that the 1950′s cabinetry used in most of these bathrooms is site constructed and will last forever. When it is damamged, it is easy for a homeowner to restore it to like-new condition. New bathrooms don’t give this advantage as the cabinetry is usually made in a factory with hard-to-duplicate materials, so when it gets damaged in the future, the homeowner will have to replace the cabinets rather than fix them.
I have a 1950′s pink bathroom that I am restoring and I’d love to find some replacements for the vertical-surface-mounted chrome cross handles and stubby little faucet in the huge pink pedestal sink. They have corroded badly and become difficult to tighten/replace washers to stop the dripping. Also, I’m having trouble finding replacement tiles for the pink 4″ ceramic squares. I’m in the Los Angeles area. Any help in locating vendors would be greatly appreciated.
flycalataoldotcom
The house I just moved into was built in the 40′s but the bathroom was obviously redone (and horribly I might add) in the 80′s. I am going to completely redo the entire room in pink and black, based on an amazing vintage pink, gray and black shower curtain I found at an estate sale a couple years ago. I’ll be sure to take plenty of before and after photos.
Save the pink bathrooms!
I just found this site–hurrah! I can’t watch HGTV anymore. The way they rip everything out for granite and marble and that awful–going-to-be-dated-so-fast dark tumbled stone, blech!. And if one more person sneeringly calls ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that doesn’t fit into their narrow ‘vision’ as ‘granny’–I am going to reach into the tv and rip their throats out! I want to yell to America–’clean lined’ furniture with solid colored fabrics is CHEAP to manufacture yet they can still charge high prices. By calling everything else ‘granny’ and ‘dated’ and ‘old-fashioned’ they are selling you products you don’t need and aren’t as good as the things that you are replacing. Ever watch the show Clean Sweep?–I have watched them coerice a home owner into selling a classic, traditional styled, solid wood dining room set to be replaced by a ‘vastly superior’ Ashley set.
I wish people who watch HGTV shows and other of their ilk would understand that these aren’t so much design shows but rather 30 minute commercials.
Sarah Arthur, welcome. You have found kindred souls.
I stumbled upon your site this New Year’s morning, and I became so enthralled that I never changed out of my (pink skating elephant) jammies! I feel like I’ve come home!
First of all, my pink bathroom is a victim of HGTV! My home was on Designed to Sell, and they painted over the pink tile in my pink and grey bathroom! Fortunately, they did such a cruddy job that the “updated” white paint started to chip off after our first shower! Restoring the pink is on our perpetual “to do” list, and I get the feeling that it won’t be all that difficult to accomplish (thank g-d!).
Thankfully, HGTV spent most of their budget on IKEA furniture instead of actual “home improvements”, or I may not have kept the amazing 40″ Flair Oven in my kitchen. Not only is it a showstopper, it’s the best oven/stove I’ve ever used! Our kitchen cabinets were another story; solid MCM carpentry, but stained a horrid dark brown and adorned with cheap trim pieces. No longer! My husband went to town on the trim work with a chisel, and painted the cabinets the most amazing shade of turquoise! A dumpster-salvaged chrome tulip table base was topped with a Formica aqua boomerang top, estate sale chrome chairs were re-upholstered with aqua vinyl, and I made fabulous drapes (sorry, I’m not talented enough for pinch-pleats) with Melina-made boomerang fabric. My kitchen is a June Cleaver paradise, and I even love doing my (Heavenly Days) dishes now!
I’d tell you about all of my Heywood Wakefield furniture, but this post is long enough already! I’m just thrilled to find other enthusiasts out there – let’s save the pink bathroom!
Welcome home, Sputnik Sandi! Send me some pics for sure – pam at retrorenovation dot com.
Hey all you retro-lovers! Happy New Year!
I’ve been online absent for a while, but lurking from time to time, and re-reading this post got me going….
I feel soooo lucky that we decided to buy our house with the untouched bathrooms – one blue and one pink! They need work, but they are there!
When I saw my b-i-l and s-i-l’s house several years ago (vintage 50s neighborhood), I was envious that the seller was redoing everything before they moved in (luckily, I never saw what was being replaced). Their house is very nice, but has no mid-century charm left at all. What I would like to know, is who decided that tumbled stone, in shade of BROWN, of all things, is a good idea for bathrooms and kitchens?? How does it ever look or feel CLEAN? I’ll take my lovely aqua kitchen tiles any day over dark stone!
And I even have two complete sets of vintage chalkware bubble-blowing pink fish and sea creatures! Yay! Keep doing your good work everyone – we will have the last laugh, for sure!
Tikimama / Lisa in Upland, CA
Luckily my father owned a plumbing shop in the 60′s so I had access to all the old stuff. I installed an unused Crane vitreous china bathroom set in my new house. The bisque color and heavy chrome knobs are gorgeous. I live in Bozeman, MT and have seen enough stone bathrooms. They always feel dirty and smell like a cave when they get wet. I’ll take my dad’s old porcelain any day. My mom’s house has 4 vintage bathrooms: pink, peach, yellow and burgundy with all the chrome fixins. Like previous bloggers, I cry real tears and shout “NOOOO!” at the TV when these “renovators” bastardize the old bathrooms and kitchens. It hurts my heart that they aren’t nostalgic over the quality and freshness, the clean look and feel of the 40′s and 50′s. I bookmarked this site and sent my sister the address. Thanks for preserving memories.
Pam I wish I had photo’s of my great grandmother’s origingal 1949 pink bathroom. I will have to dig through some photo boxes and see if I can find any. The family sold the house in the mid 90′s so I don’t know if it has been ripped out or not. The entire house was a fantastic late 40′s/early 50′s time capsule at the time. I find it funny that all these people on the tv shows make everything look the same. Stone tile this and granite that………enough already. It breaks my heart to see wonderful vintage items literally destroyed and cast into the dumpster as if no one could ever want them. Btw Tikimama, my family had a set of the fish, mounted on framed black velvet, they got lost in a move, I so wish we could find them!
Oooohhhhhh……I have found my people
. We bought a house this summer, built in 1957, that had not been updated since day one. The aqua green guest bath and pink and brown master bath absolutely sold the house to me. I ADORE my tile bathrooms!! Our friends think we’re crazy–we’re all in our early 30′s, and they are all about the marble, granite, and travertine–but we just think our retro house is so cool. I love looking at all the pictures here!
Yes, young Whitney, you have found your people. Welcome. Send me pics at pam at retrorenovation dot com.
All I can say is that I bought an early 60′s midcentury modern ranch with the full intentions of ripping out the generic 90′s updates in the kitchen and bathrooms and bringing this house back to its original beauty. It was a huge task but well worth it to us! I love my pink and blue bathrooms.
Those people who want to rip out those cool bathrooms should go buy those cookie cutter homes. They would be much happier and leave the cool looking 50′s/60′s homes to people who know style.
56fireflite, I’ll be contacting you – we need to see your before & after shots – everyone is very eager for these…and your retro renovation sounds fantastic!
HGTV had moments when the hosts of “Design On A Dime” would glorify and play up our wonderful bathrooms, most of those folks are into the great old stuff. Granted, that show was strictly refreshing of living/sleeping spaces, not renovations. Leave the stone and goofy mixing bowl sinks and other 2009 junk in the brand new houses, give us our real chrome, porcelain, and ceramics, maybe a little glass block thrown in for good measure. I yanked my ‘cross the street neighbors perfect 1960 American Standard sink off the swale, unfortunately in the meantime, someone broke a chunk off the bottom. It’s light green, like my bathroom. Habitat For Humanity in Ft. Pierce, FL is offering salvaged real pink fixtures from the ’50s. That’s the hottest thing they’ve come up with here yet.
i need pink tile for my bathroom, i am going to use it as an add-in for my backsplash in my pink polka dotted bathroom….where can i find some?
Laurie, here is the post on B&W Tile: http://retrorenovation.com/2007/12/14/50s-pink-tile-for-your-retro-bathroom-available-from-this-california-company/
They also can do liner tiles: http://retrorenovation.com/2008/12/22/liner-tiles-add-personality-and-quality-your-retro-bathroom/
Good luck!
Hi, I’m PugFreek’s twin.
WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY GET RID OF THAT BATHROOM!?
I love pink….
AND THE NEW BATHROOM IS SO….
bleh
So, yes….
SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS
Please dont hate me but I love that new basin.
Help…….bath tub is pink, toilet is off white, counter top is white with gold speckles and sink the same. Cabinet is white with gold hardware. Walls are tiled with aqua and burgandy ceramic tiles. Carpet on floor but underneath is little round tiles that are all broken. What can I possibly do with this room?
Day, send me photos at retrorenovation at gmail dot com. This one certainly sounds interesting. One thing to be grateful for: You have a bathroom! We recently discussed how our grandma’s often didn’t! See comments here: http://retrorenovation.com/2009/01/20/1955-time-capsule-bungalow-in-st-louis-upstairs-never-lived-in/
I LOVE the ranch homes built in the Fifties! We have two of them; the one we’re living in now was built in 1958 and we bought the house across the street that was built in 1955. The 1958 bathroom is done in light blue and pink (all original) and the 1955 bathroom is done in mint green ceramic tiles and yellow-beige fixtures. All original and all in impeccable condition. I have no intention of gutting either bathroom as it goes with the era in which the homes were built. The only problem I have with the 1955 home is that the second owners added a gas fireplace made of river rock and it does NOT go with the house!
Welcome, Jan. Send photos of the bathrooms to me at retrorenovation at gmail dot com. We’d love to see them!
Thanks, Pam! I sure will send photos once we finish painting and such.
Anyone who has a Fifties built ranch home and wants to gut the kitchen/bath that has perfectly good original fixtures is NUTS and doesn’t deserve to have a retro home! LOL, just my opinion, as I feel very strongly about keeping things original if they are in great condition. One of my neighbors has a blue bathroom, all original and it looks terrific!
We looked at a house once that had a wonderful pink bathroom! The tiles were done in a light pink and darker pink (kind of a pink-brown). I would have bought the home for the bathroom itself it was so beautiful!
My husband and I are buying a 60′s time capsule ranch that has everything original, as far as we can tell. The main bathroom has beautiful lavender tub, sink and toilet. The toilet is made by Rheam and as far as I can see the company stopped making toilets in the the 70′s or 80′s, I think. If anyone has any info on replacement toilet parts (mechanical) for Rheam toilets, please pass it along.
Thanks!
We bought a 1963 split level in Birmingham, AL, with only two owners, the second of which had owned it since 1973, and hadn’t changed much at all. The master bath is all pink – and we love it! Anthony is from Florida, so we went with an all vintage Florida motif, with vintage motel accents. We love the house, and hope any renovations we do only enhance the way it was when it was built.
Hi Jonathan & Anthony, sounds fabulous. We need to see your bathroom decor – and what else do you have going on in that Alabama split? Can you send me photos at: retrorenovation at gmail dot com? Thanks!
Only a hue off base here – no pink here – but I have burgundy and peach baths. Actually originally burgundy&grey, and peach&grey&black. I watched hgtv rip out a perfectly gorgeous (& huge) burgundy bath a couple of weeks ago – it hit home for me as I’m in the (slow) process of fixing up my smallish (5′x4′) burgundy fixtures bath.
Bathroom originally had burgundy & dark grey 4″ aluminum tiles for wall tiles as well as tub/shower. That grey was too dark in my tiny bathroom, so I painted the grey wall tiles white but left the burgundy trim tiles. Tub tiles had dried out and cracked – I’m in the process of tiling tub/shower walls right now. It’s a pinwheel design: white 6″ ceramic tiles and 2″ squares made of four 1″ glass tiles in a variety of colors. (I know 4″ field tiles would have be more accurate, but the 6″ just plain looked better to me after a gazillion trials.) I got an awesome deal on end lot sheets of mixed glass tiles. It’s my gesture to the 21st century in my decidedly 50s bathroom. Color “dots” are shades of mauve/burgundy, grey, teal, pink, light blue, purple, yellow (only a little bit of yellow).
Floor had originally been 8″ white-ish linoleum. After a plumbing leak, I redid floor – also in a pinwheel pattern – 12″ ‘white streaky’ VCT “grocery store” tiles, with 3″ squares in a variety of colors (see above). Colors were selected from a VCT sample box – the guy at the floor store got so tired of me looking at the colors that he gave me the sample box – he said nobody had ever looked at that flooring before except for me! I owned that box of color samples for almost 20 years before I got the opportunity to use them! So flooring materials were cheap as dirt – although it took longer to lay because of design, small space, and my color map.
I’m hoping to get my aluminum blinds retaped & reinstalled in bathroom window. I’m searching for just the right fabric – maybe a little window valance or a skirt around my tiny sink (burgundy wall hung with chrome legs). I’m still looking for just the right shower curtain – rod is L-shaped and curves about my little 4 ‘ tub. I cornered the market on replacement burgundy toilet seats – and buy them whenever I can.
I really like my little bathroom, despite what HGTV thinks.
Beth, can’t wait to see some photos of your bathroom – sounds like you are doing a very interesting reno. I laugh at the thought of opening a cupboard in your linen closet and seeing a stack of burgundy toilet seats!
I’m sorry, I don’t share your enthusiasm for my uber pink bathroom with gray blue trim.(basically the same colors as the first pic listed). I grew up with one and just moved into a house with the same exact colors. I would be thrilled to have a white bathroom and just switch it up with wall color when i could.
However, if and when I redo my bathroom, my salvaged tiles are all yours.
I love love love the vintage colorful 4″ tile bathrooms, but I have to admit that pink is not the color I would want. Fortunately, when we bought our 1968 ranch, it still had the original tile and fixtures in both bathrooms. One is a light olive green and the other light brown. Obviously colors more popular in the 60s, but the fixtures have the same shape as those in the photos up there. I’m also happy that the speckled laminate countertop still looks great!
We’re thinking of adding a master bath later down the road, but I’d like to go with white and black subway tiles for that one. Do you think it would still work with the period and style of the other two?
Thanks for having such a fabulous website!
I just stumbled upon your site in my search for “pink bathroom sink”. Love your site and the movement to save pink baths.
I have a little gem myself that I would love to save but I need some help. My small, pink, Crane Oxford sink is cracked and broken at the drain. I tried glueing it with superglue knowing it was a temporary measure. I would love to be able to find the same sink and replace it, but who knows how long that may take or if it will ever happen. My question is, is there a method of fixing this break? Can a professional restore the porcelain break and maybe refinish/reglaze the basin? In pink? I’ve heard about people having tubs redone (in white) but I don’t know if it can be done in colors. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Oh yeah, I’m learning things the hard way about a retro bath. I now know that if I ever see round pink toilet seats available I have to stock up on them. Beth has the right idea with her stash of burgundy toilet seats. If I can save this pink bathroom I will have to stock up on my toilet seats too.
Thank you for a wonderful site, thanks for your effort. Every time I see the HGTV types rip out perfectly good old stuff I have to cringe. I will stay “green” by keeping my old pink bathroom!
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I love, love, love my old pink bathroom! In fact, I just hosted a wedding shower in a “Retro Housewife” theme and everyone said that they thought it was cool. I will never tear out anything from it! Save the pink bathrooms is so right. Shere
I just renovated my pink bathroom in my 1965 condo. Although I LOVE retro, this retro bathroom was not well constructed. My bathtub surround tile was glued..not thin-setted right onto the plaster walls. Several of the tiles were loose and fell off because of the damage to the underlying wall. My pink bathtub was in great shape, however…the original floor was tiled over and the pink toilet had a crack inside of it, though
Replaced everything…went with a white cast iron tub
I just found my new favorite website! I just rented an apartment with green tile counters in the kitchen and pink tile in the shower/bath area (it is a little cottage). I was looking for ideas on what would look cute with it and typed in “pink tile bathroom”. I love vintage bathrooms. I actually am in a place that is all beige and realized that, while I am normally creative, it has actually been stifled by being around beige all the time (and no, I am really not kidding).
Tanya Sue, a big welcome to you!
My (grown) daughters and I watch a lot of HGTV and we’re constantly calling each other when we see another crazy “update” to a wonderful old kitchen or bathroom. I just watched another one yesterday and that bathroom was really, really nice before the reno. Afterward it looked like every other reno. I grew up in a house that had one plastic pink tiled Jack and Jill bathroom and one ceramic blue tiled bathroom. The guy that bought the house from my parents in 1978 ripped them both out. Such a waste.
One the other hand, my best friend’s bathroom at the time (late 60′s) was covered in silver and blue wallpaper. Now that’s a look we can probably let go!
Hey Colleen, don’t agree with you regarding 60s metallic wallpaper in a bathroom. This one (scroll down) is one of my favorite bathrooms of all time! http://retrorenovation.com/2008/10/06/a-1966-rat-pack-time-capsule-house-in-vintage-las-vegas/
this doesn’t just go for household bathrooms in my mind. i remember dinstinctly how delighted i would be to use the ladies room in one of my college buildings and step into a mamie-pink-tiled slice of the past. since i graduated 2 years ago (i’m a young’un) the building has since been renovated and the bathroom looks like every other glossy, soulless vanilla building on the rest of campus.
Welcome, Barbie. There are some really truly wonderful institutional pink bathrooms. Look here, 3rd and 4th rows down, magnopere’s photos, in our SaveThePinkBathrooms flickr group: The Queen’s residence on Vancouver Island. There are even ballet dancers in the wallpaper: http://www.flickr.com/groups/savethepinkbathrooms/pool/page12/
Hope you also know about http://savethepinkbathrooms.com !
How do I put pictures up of my bathroom so I can get advice on color choices? Dont want to do plain white, but i have NO idea what to do.
html?
Rest assured, on 50 years on whatever passes for a “blog” at that time, there will be people yearning for the river rock and the raised basins.
Yes, Wayne, you are surely right. We have nothing against any particular decor here. Save The Pink Bathrooms is fundamentally about: learning and understanding this color — which is emblematic of the entire decorating period, including other mid mod pastels — before just gutting the bathrooms because they are not the “current mode.” I hear from owner after owner after owner of mid mod pink (and yellow and blue and green, etc.) bathrooms who, once they read more about them, decide they are great — and keep them. Saves money, hassle, the environment, and a little piece of architectural history. That said, if contemporary offerings are your cup of tea, go for it.
Hello everyone!
I think that if you love mid century/ retro design–that great.
However, I think its a little over the top to ostracize people that don’t.
You have to think that, back in the 1950′s-60′s, when the families redid these bathrooms, they too had to rip out what was “outdated” at the time and fit it with what was the norm (the norm being pastels and candy-colored tubs and sinks). Now, many people are just doing the same–ripping out what they don’t like and putting in whats more normal or something they DO like. It doesn’t make them stupid or “behind the curve”.
I just wanted to put that out there
Don’t mean to be rude.
Kaitlyn, thank you for writing. In general, I think we work hard not to “ostracize” folks for their decorating decisions — it is only decorating. With regard to pink bathrooms — and anything “old and weird” in our vintage houses that we are just accustomed to seeing today — we just want to make the point that beauty is in the eye of the beholder — and it’s not necessary to ostracize these bathrooms, either. Many many people are shocked at first by pink bathroom and say they *hate* them. Then, they learn about their colorful history, and come full circle — to LOVE them. Many many many examples — read all the comments on Save The Pink Bathrooms. By the way, what is “normal”? “Today’s fashion?” But: Today’s fashion will be tomorrow’s…*hideous*. Do you see how the cycle never ends? Love The House You’re In… and save some money for… paying off the mortgage… becoming debt free… retirement?
That Mitchell and Webb Look had a great take on this: Avocado Bathroom.
Damian, I love you. Even though this is racy for this site, I must feature it. Thank you, you get an exclamation point!
I hate to admit, on this site, that I just gutted a 1950s bathroom. I just couldn’t make it work with the expansion that was done. Yellow tile with black trim, white tile-in towel rod holders & tile-in TP holder. Also 3 old toilets with the large rectangular tanks & a 1/2 bath with gray plastic tile. I don’t want to trash this stuff. Can you recommend anyone that buys these items or should I just list them on Craigslist? Ebay is out due to shipping costs.
We bought an early 60′s ranch house 3 years ago. It has a pink bathroom and a lavender bathroom. I was especially thrilled with the lavender bathroom, because all of the fixtures, tub, tile, toilet and double sinks were lavender, and like new! Sometime between our last visit to the house, and the closing day, someone STOLE the lavender toilet, and replaced it with a white one. (Our money is on the slimy realtor the seller used.) Anyway, we had no proof of the lavender toilet’s existence, (who takes pictures of toilets when house shopping?), so it is long gone. I have searched high and low. Anybody got one they don’t want?
Kathy — that is a wild story. In some cities, you cannot get approval to exchange a house if the toilet is not low-flow….maybe someone thought they were doing you a favor? If you are looking for a lavendar toilet head on over to our Forum, where Scathing Jane regularly scours craigslist all over the nation for mid-century treasures like this. I think that she just posted on yesterday. That said – all lavendar toilets are not created equal. You might want to post a pic of the tub and sink to see if we can identify it, then, if possible, you are going to look for the same brand. Also: check your local Re-Store/Habitat for Humanity or salvage place…you sound like you are a devoted and humble servant so the retro decorating gods may have one waiting for you nearby. Good luck. Would love to see pics — send ‘em to me at retrorenovation {at} gmail {dot} com.
My husband and I faced the same dilemma when shopping for our home. I wanted a mid-century ranch with knotty pine. The more the better! In face, if I could find a home that had been owned by the same couple for decades – and who hadn’t updated anything – that would be perfect!
Despite telling this to my realtor, she kept showing us house after house that had had the knotty pine painted over, the kitchens shoddily redone.. you know, that horrid after effect of too many people watching those shows like “Sell this house” where they slap crappy paint over everything, including the brick and stone fireplaces. Ugh!
Please save the knotty pine, people!
SO HAPPY to have found this site!!! My RE agent laughs at me, because I LOVE finding a house w/ original (especially pink) tile! My husband and I found an awesome house with original tile in all 3 baths (1 pink, 1 blue, 1 gray) and the kitchen (yellow & maroon.) The pink bathroom was dubbed “the nipple bathroom” because of the lady etched on the shower door.
Sadly, we didn’t get the house — tried and tried and tried, but it went to someone else w/ more $. I only hope they don’t rip out the wonderful old touches that house has.
We ended up in a redone 1950′s 2 story (I’d call it a ranch, but for the 2nd story.) Unfortunately, either the grown kids of the former owner or some flippers got ahold of the house and tore out all the wonderful old tile, (elderly next door neighbors described it — I wanted to cry!) replacing it with Home Depot honey oak cabinets and granite counters. ICK!!!
I’d much rather have been in a kitschy old place, but will have to try to kitsch up our new home (restoring the kitsch, actually.) Do people actually tear out new and put in old? I watch the house re-do shows and SCREAM with I see them ripping out wonderful old tiled bathrooms! STOP!!!
Glad to find kindred spirits here!
Also, found an awesome book at a thrift store yesterday about 50′s decorating by Armstrong (the floor company.) LOTS and LOTS of pictures! Yum!!!
when I found this website I beleived I was in heaven. oh my gosh!! how beautiful!!
I have a partial pink bathroom, I am working on restoring the rest of it.
Thank you, thank you!!!
That last one with the blue sink is heaven!! It’s devastating
OMG – I’m about to buy a 1955 Ranch Style with a PINK Bathroom and honestly just don’t know if I can take the pledge.
Interesting concept… take it back to retro.. Hmm…
Hi Leatha, spend some time here on the site… and maybe we’ll convert you!
I didn’t grow up with a pink bathroom. My mother in law had one and she gutted it (black and pink!). My childhood bathroom was a delicious aqua color. However, in my first out-of-the-house digs, I rented a room with a smallish PINK refrigerator. It was a Westinghouse, I think, and a delicious pale pastel pink. I loved it. Regrettably I do not have a photo; wish I did.
OH AND, I desperately want a Jack and Jill bathroom!
I have just saved my pink and grey bathroom and will be sending you photos soon! Three cheers for saving pink bathrooms! Hiphip horray! Hip hip horray! Hip hip horray!
I quit watching home remodeling shows. Too depressing! I’m glad to find a stie where I am not alone in appreciating pink bathrooms!
What a riot! Love this. I have a 70′s pink bathroom. Have been trying to decide what to do with it since I moved in five years ago. It’s not quite as fabulous as the one above and the fixtures need to be replaced and the toilet seat has faded to a strange color, etc. I have put off, perhaps indefinitely, replacing the pink toilet all because of my 4 year old niece. Here’s a direct quote said while sitting on said toilet. “Auntie Angie, this is my favorite bathroom because the toilet is pink.”
The make-over is OK, but totally unnecessary. The original pink bathroom could have been made glamourous with some “corrections:”
1. The wallpaper was too much.
2. The shade of the gray tile is wrong. It’s got just a tinge of green, which clashes with the pink fixtures.
3. The shower curtain is the wrong shade. How about one of those plastic folding shower doors?
4. What’s with that white trim at the base of the tub?
Losing the sink, vanity, faucet & mirror were a crime that should be prosecuted!
Bravo to you for leading the charge to save the pink bathrooms. I have a 1930′s pink and black bathroom that I LOVE. I wouldn’t trade it for a boring beige and travertine bathroom ever. I also have an absolutely charming pale yellow vintage tiled kitchen (tiles are floor to ceiling with wonderful tiled archways to the breakfast nook and fridge nook), the craftsmanship is amazing. I am having to relocate for work and I am in the process of looking for another home with a pink bathroom. It makes me so sad to see all these old homes that have been remodled to the point that all their charm is lost. Hopefully I will be able to find another untouched vintage beauty. Wish me luck.
When I was a teenager (1978) my parents bought a 1950′s ranch with a pink and maroon bathroom. I LOVED IT! Even then, I knew I was a retro girl at heart, and wanted to wallpaper it and make it even more wonderful (outvoted by mother though).
Now I live in a 1950′s stone cape cod, and I have an original blue tile bathroom that I am keeping as-is!
I saved my pink bathroom from my circa 1967 house. But, the floor tiles could use some sprucing up. They are dull and the grout (not white but sort of black) is not uniform in color. Some grout is lighter. If I wet the floor, looks good. What can I use to really clean the tiles and brighten them up? What can I do to make the grout more uniform in color throughout the floor. The floor is just worn but not falling apart.
Right now, this is my go-to cleaner: http://retrorenovation.com/2012/08/06/how-to-clean-the-bathtub-slip-resistant-bottom-omg-its-like-new/
I have a retro pink bathroom about to be renovated and want to sell the pink 1950-60s sink, toilet, and cast iron tub. Do you know of anyone interested in buying items like these?
Cynthia, I have several stories on this — see Bathrooms/Sinks etc.