Last week, after our “Save the Pink Bathrooms” fest, I received this sweet letter from Sebastian in Montreal:
Dear Pam,
I‘m a French Canadian living in Montréal. I bought my first house 3 years ago. The house was built in 1955 and I bought it from the very first owner. Not much renovation had been made and the bathroom is still in the 50s look, except from the sink and the ugly vanity…
Being born in 1973, I have not known the era when yellow, blue and pink tiles were “in”… But, after 3 years in my house, I have come to like my yellow bathroom and would like to renovate it respecting the style and color… an idea that pleases you I’m sure!
Attached you will find some pictures of it.
I don’t know really where to start! It seems almost more complicated to fix it rather than changing everything. I saw 
on your site the Olympic Tile store probably have some replacement yellow and black tiles. I would like to redo the window frame in black tiles instead of wood. What kind of sink should I buy? How can I give back some shininess to the floor? What color should I paint the walls? Do I keep the mirror? Do any of your readers have the same kind of bathroom?
Well, any help would be appreciated! 
And I would be happy to start the “save the yellow bathrooms” movement.
Regards,
Sébastien Langevin
Didn’t I say this was a great letter?! Sebastian – I am so proud of you for doing things the hard way – and saving this yellow bathroom. It is the right and noble thing to do!!!!! And, it will make you very very happy.
Well, Sebastian and I have emailed back and forth this week, and I have a bit more information. First – as you can imagine – storage space is actually a big issue. The vanity, as inappropriate as it is decoratively, actually serves this purpose well. But, it also turns out that there is 8″ of depth in one of the walls. This is important, I think.
So here goes in terms of suggestions:
1. Get a wall-mount sink with chrome legs and towel bars. I found this one on ebay for Sebastian, but he is rightly 
concerned about the shipping cost. Even more importantly, he really needs to try to match the Case yellow – this is crucial, as your eye will pick up the difference. So he is going looking today at a salvage place that may have a match. Even if it takes a while to find the right sink — I think it’s the smart thing to do — and now that you’ve put your retro reno vibe into the universe, Sebastian, the sink will come to you! With the bathroom being so compact, having the wall-hung with legs will really make it feel more spacious.
2. The mirror: See this image from 1954. I suggest creating storage space immediately to the left of 
the mirror – extending to the edge of the toilet, “centering” the entire installation on that wall — to provide more storage space along this wall. I think that open shelving like in this photo would look great; but would not be practical; put part of the cabinet (to the far left, shelves in the middle) behind a door of some sort. Everyone: If you have a lot of space behind a bathroom wall – use it. I did, and it’s great. 8″ is a wonderful depth, actually – nothing gets lost by being too far back, yet it’s deep enough for large bottles like woolite.
3. For over your mirror – I love this Rejuvenation Lighting “Rufus” sconce for
you. It is perfect with your black trim and overall deco look.
4. Of course: Wallpaper. I searched and searched and came up with this option from Secondhand Rose. Now, I do have to qualify: This paper is directionally where I would see this bathroom going….but it may not be exactly right (background too pink? Maybe it’s just the internet…). But, I think you need to look for a print like this – one that has a deco feel, a ‘lighter’ look, and includes your core colors of sunshine yellow (in this wallpaper: chartreuse, close enough), black and porcelain white. What I think you want to stay away from is anything that emphasizes the bumble bee look — the harsh tones that this bathroom can evoke if treated wrong. You want to soften it a little. This paper or one like it, would do that. This wallpaper also gives you the ability to work in other colors – blue or merlot towels and fluffy rugs, for example. Again – you must also have some good sources in Montreal, tres chic!
5. Tile around your window? Sure, but please note, it will be difficult to match the ‘mud set’ look of your original tile unless you get someone to do this who really know what you are doing. If you can’t find someone, I would be cautious. If the wood is rotted out, as an alternative, you can replace it and use marine paint for better water resistance. I’m sure a good lumber store will even tell you a wood species to use that’s best for this situation.
6. Polish your floor tiles? Nope. I think they are meant to be matte, Sebastian. They are fantastic, btw!!!
7. Accessories: Once you get the wallpaper in, these will play out. Have fun with towels and rugs. Re the shower curtain, I tend to favor something that blends in rather than stands out, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Find vintage switch plate covers for your electric outlets and light switch. You can also find new models of chrome exhaust fans for the ceiling exhaust that I see in another photo.
So, I hope this helps, monsieur. Retro Renovation readers — what are your ideas for Sebastian?
Sebastian scores a yellow pedestal sink for his Montreal bathroom update 
Vintage wallpaper for Sebastian — Femme1 sends us a great website 
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Sebastian,
Your bathroom is very COOL and has great potential. Definitely make it fit your lifestyle in terms of storage, etc. so you will be happy with it. I think it’s important for retro renovators to have modern conveniences also, and not just a “look” that doesn’t serve their purposes.
I think in the not-so-distant future, the masses will start to appreciate the vintage nature of such bathrooms, and it will add to your bottom line. Unlike the cookie-cutter bathrooms with 90s granite tile, etc. Of course, contemporary bathrooms can be very beautiful, but they are a dime a dozen compared to the character of true vintage.
Reading Pam’s blog, I think she is kind of a girly-girl (KIDDING HERE, Pam!
) so hopefully you can keep it vintage-guy-ish, without birdies or other stuff. I will be sure to contact Pam if I am ever faced with a retro bathroom myself. Because this is the place to visit for info!
Oh yes Maddy123, every night I dream of lollipops, puppies and rainbows, I admit it. LOL
To your point, though, Maddy: the wallpaper, Sebastian, will really be the thing that dials your look one way or another – call it feminine/masculine, louder vs. softer…whatever. I would just be careful about adding paper that’s geometric. With your tiles and floor – and considering it’s a small enclosed space – more geo would be too much, I really think.
Wow! That tile floor is incredible. I am so glad you are saving this beauty. I would check with your local tile dealers. There are lots of products to return the luster to your tile. They will have some great options for you.
Try carefully stripping the paint back in an unseen corner. That’s how I found out my bathroom was originally pepto bismol pink with white fixtures. Just a little too much for me. I have not returned it to it’s former glory.
Wow, what a great bathroom! So glad to hear you want to keep it, Sebastien. I love the floor tile, and I agree it should be a flat finish, not shiny. As for accessories, I think this happy bathroom needs a smiling black Kit-Cat Clock in it, to make sure that Sebastien gets out the door on time.
I agree with Pam that the floor was almost certainly intended to be a matte finish. I am installing matte tiles on the floor of my own bath re-do, which is beginning to look an awful lot like the “Good Morning” photo! In trying to match the color of the sink, note my earlier suggestion on this blog about using paint chips from the local paint store. Grab some and find the one that most nearly matches your existing yellow fixtures, then take that sample with you when you hit the salvage yards. As Pam says, if the match is not pretty darned close, you will definitely notice it. And since the same color will appear very different in the lighting of the bathroom vs the lighting of a salvage yard, it is easy to make a costly mistake. Also, for a sink, you might try http://www.CityGirlInTheCountry.com. She has a large inventory of vintage sinks, some of them yellow. She is great to work with, very reliable, and she is in Antrim, New Hampshire. Rather than deal with customs issues in shipping something across the border, maybe she is close enough for you to drive down and pick one up?
Well, thank you Pam, and thanks also to all of you for your comments! It will definitively help me. I’m not sure yet about the Kit-Cat clock, but I like the ideas of enlarging the existing cabinet to the left and putting a wallpaper that, without being “birdish” will soften the very geometrical feel of the room. You won’t believe it, but when I bought the house, the bathroom was still with the original paint, some sort of dark pinky-beige… don’t know what this color must have been 50 years ago, but wasn’t really pretty anymore!
I guess I’ll be yellow-sink-hunting in the coming weeks!
Sébastien
Sebastien, here’s the URL for Canadian ReStores. These salvage stores are run by Habitat for Humanity; here in the states they are a great place to find vintage bathroom stuff at bargain prices. There aren’t any in Quebec, but perhaps you could even call some in nearby provinces and see if they have any yellow sinks.
http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx?place=can
Hi. My suggestion when trying to match the toilet is to just take one of the cap things that go over the bolts on the floor with you. That’s what I do. I’m going to be sending in pictures of my bathroom soon for your help, so put on your seafoam green thinking caps! Oh, and amazing site. I love it.
Hi
just wondering with the black and yellow… what would a black sink look like and would it be easier than matching the yellow?
Hi, Lisa. Should we recommend a black sink to go with the yellow tub and toilet? I certainly thought about that — white, too. My only concern was that, the yellow is SO strong, that to choose another color, even one that ‘blends in,’ would itself call undue attention to the sink. Put another way, I guess I’m so trained to see the tub, toilet and sink match, that changing out any one of them would be very noticeable. And with that strong yellow color, even more so. One possibility – a decorative vintage, undermount sink that is white, with yellow and black scrolls — kind of like these from a previous post; but that would add even more pattern; might work though. I tend to think the best possible scenario: Now that Sebastian has put his vibe out into the universe — the retro decorating gods will send him his yellow Case sink.
Kristinski: Thanks for the great idea about taking the cap thingy from the toilet out to look for a new sink. I guess in a pinch, you could take the back of the toilet water-top thingy, as well.
What’s wrong with the white walls? I like them, they go with the white in the floor. And, I’m completely jealous of the floor!! Yellow/black/white is one of my favorite retro combos. I think the white walls will look quite sharp once the tiles are regrouted or bleached. We have a friend who just dremmeled out all the grout in his bathroom and regrouted. It takes a long time, but it does look good! Get a nice white shower curtain with a black strip along the bottom…perhaps like this: http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1026046&navCount=1
Hi Laurie. I am a wallpaper proselytizer. You have entered the Church of Wallpaper. May I offer you some Wallpaper Kool-aid?
Especially for little 50s bathrooms. I just think they really hit the ball out of the park in terms of finishing them off. If you get the wallpaper just right, they play off the tile so beautifully. I have three bathrooms – and the wallpaper made a huge difference in terms of making them utterly delightful.
I have practically the same bathroom! I was considering refinishing the tiles, but I LOVE the B&W basket weave floors.
Hey I have that same problem but the bathroom is very veryyyyyyy small, and the tile are like White i cant seem to match yello with anything
I’m so happy Sebastien scored the yellow sink. My toilet and sink were black and it was AWFUL. You couldn’t tell when the toilet was dirty or clean and you’d brush your teeth and the sink looked dirty. I found myself cleaning them ALL the TIME. I will admit the old toilet was an American Standard classic though. The front of the stool was pointed like the bow of a ship. (alas, it only got one good flush in five even after replacing all the guts in the tank so it had to go…needs to be functional) The sink and vanity weren’t original, but when I tore them out I found the holes in the tile where the original wall mount sink was. I bet it was black too.
My walls were originally painted gray (I think I like that better than the dark pinky-beige he mentioned he had, but the gray had to have closed in the small room 4ft X 10ft), and I chipped two pieces of the “drunken tile” the former owner put over the original tile to find out what it was. It was all yellow in a pattern, matt with the color all the way through. His floors are AWESOME. (I hate that they tiled over mine.)
Pam, did Sebastien ever send a photo of his finished masterpiece?
Amy, Depending on the yellow…I like it with blue and green. My bathroom yellow has an olive green tinge so I may pair it with that and a light italian Orvieto terra cotta (has a yellow-honey-orange instead of the usual terra cotta red). If you have a piece, take it to the store and put it up next to the other colors (tile and paint) and see what looks good to you. If you don’t have any you can take with you, bring home a couple sample tiles and bigger paint chips to get an idea what colors look good with it.
Colleen, Sebastian has not sent a finished photo. He also wrote in to say that the yellow sink he found was too big – too wide – for the space. This is certainly something to watch for – take your measurements (as well as your color chips) with you when you shop!
Oh, and if Sebastien is still listening…and it is probably way too late…but my window sill IS tiled. It has a very deep ledge covered in the same original yellow Romany tile that the walls and arched shower enclosure have on them. The window is glass block surrounding a tilt in vent window that I am sure is also original.
Send me photos sister! retronovation at gmail dot com
Pam, did my email/photos make it to you? I tried the address you gave “retronovation at gmail dot com” but it got kicked back for a nonexistant address so I tried “retrorenovation at gmail dot com” thinking it is like the website.
Colleen, I don’t think I have them yet. Sorry, yes the proper address is retrorenovation at….
Hi Pam! Well, I couldn’t seem to get the pictures to go through to you (files must have been too big), so I did make a Flickr account so that you could see them. They are under CAOscape, but like I said before I’m not trying to do a restoration…I am, however, trying to preseve and add (I hope I’m adding and not taking away…) to the character that is there. I love the chandelier (although I really need to dust that!!!), the magic eye in the front door, and my Winco window. The original bones of this house are great and I knew I wanted to live here the moment I walked in. To me it is simple and classy, home. A work in progress like me.
For those of us with circa 1950 bathrooms with USQTCO Romany 44-121-5 yellow tile I have bad news…neither of the yellow B&W sample tiles match. (Thank you to B&W Tile though. They were very helpful and quick to respond). I did find some pieces of yellow tile (not flat field tiles though) at my local Restore, in a box stamped Monarch Tile and the yellow was very close to matching. (Most people would probably find the Monarch yellow a close enough match.)
Hi Pam!
I can’t seem to get my pictures through to you…so I put them under a flicker account (CAOscape) and put you on as a contact (I think that is you…) so that you could look at them and, hopefully, give me some suggestions/opinions on the decorative tile area I need to install above my sink. I just put the tile sample pictures together quickly so…don’t judge my ppt skills PLEASE! Oh, and since I looked up that Winco Ventilator window I’ve been looking around at the homes around here and they are all over the place. Garages, bathrooms, various sizes and block styles, etc…
Thanks!!! And SableMable, if you see this I would love you to weigh in on the tile too!
I am so happy sebastien wrote in, because I have the SAME thing going on in my bathroom. Except…wait for it….I have a black tub, toilet and sink on top of it! Before I saw this post I had no idea what to do with the walls, but now, I have been healed! Pale pink wallpaper, just like what is above! I also live in nyc, so this shouldn’t be too hard.