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?
lisa says
Hi
just wondering with the black and yellow… what would a black sink look like and would it be easier than matching the yellow?
Kristinski says
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.
Femme1 says
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
Sebastien says
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
Palm Springs Stephan says
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?
Sumac Sue says
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.
Kay says
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.
50sPam says
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.
maddy123 says
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!