Palm Springs Stephan finished his bathroom – it looks great! – and sends us this complete report, which includes a couple of new sources that I for one need to check out:
Dear Pam,
Your posting regarding sink legs reminded me that I needed to send to you some photos of my bathroom, now that the remodel of it is complete and the wonderful sink legs you sent to me are installed.
I am including a few “before” photos as well as a few “during” photos, in addition to the “after” photos. I will split them up into several emails.
The bathroom started out with a hideous mottled green tile and green fixtures in a shade that reminded me of a hospital from the past … in a bad way. It was sickening. And much as I love metal cabinetry, the existing “Vani-Lav” made the room feel smaller and more cramped than it already was. And the 1970s acryclic countertop with molded-in sink was awful. It all had to go.
So I gutted the entire thing, to the wall studs and sub-flooring. And I did this while already living in the condo! I do not recommend that, as one must then rely on the kindness of neighbors for showering and serious toilet matters and empty paint cans for less serious relief. And if one is as unlucky as I was and the contractor suffers a stroke during the project … actually keeling over IN the bathroom while installing concrete backer-board! … the whole process can get delayed far longer than expected. I was without a functioning bathroom for over a month.
I wanted desperately to do the bathroom in classic 1950s true pink, not “rose blush” or one of those beigey-pinks that were common in the 1970s. I searched for about three months without finding fixtures in a true pink, however. So I instead settled on a great matched American Standard set in blue posted on eBay by City-Girl-In-The-Country, a wonderful dealer in Antrim, New Hampshire (citygirlinthecountry.com). The set was date stamped: the toilet was manufactured on 11 June 1958, and the cast iron tub on 25 March 1958. Since my condo building was constructed in the summer of 1958 and I was keen to do an authentic restoration, the dates were perfect. The set cost $400, with an additional $800 to ship it in two wooden crates from New Hampshire to Palm Springs.
Removing the existing tub and installing the new one in such a small space was a MAJOR chore, one that I do not recommend to any but the most adventurous. But while removing the old one, we found newspapers from 1958 that had been stuffed into the wall for some unknown reason. That was entertaining!
The tile is a combination of two brands. The walls are Dal-Tile 4×4-inch high-gloss glazed porcelain in Arctic White with 6-inch black trim pieces. The floor is in a pattern that one of your contributors had in her all-original 1950s bathroom, and she had sent in photos just in time for me to duplicate the pattern in my own bath. The Ocean Blue and Black tiles are 1×1-inch Dal-Tile Keystone Color-Body porcelain, while the white ones are 4×4-inch Interceramic matte glazed ceramic tiles. The floor grout is Polyblend Sanded in a color that I mixed myself from two standard colors, Captain’s Blue and White, to match the fixtures.
The ceramic accessories, including the three soap dishes, toothbrush holder, and toilet roll holder, all came from Eclectic-Ware.com. They matched the Dal-Tile Arctic White perfectly and are authentic 1950s shapes.
You were kind enough to locate a set of sink legs and attached towel bars at a local Re-Store for under $20 and send them to me. I had them re-chromed at Palm Springs Plating for about $400. And while that may seem pricey, they did an outstanding job of removing the pitting and restoring them to “like-new” condition. I was and am very pleased with them, and they generate lots of comments, mostly gasps and dropped jaws and “OMG, I remember those from when I was a kid!”
The other hardware … tub/shower faucet and handles, shower head, and hand-held shower attachment … are Kohler’s Memoirs Classic line. Solid, heavy, and well made, but far more expensive than I would have liked. But the line has matching accessories … for a price! … so I was able to get a matching wall-mounted towel bar and glass shelf for above the toilet. Caution when buying Kohler hardware: the stems will not adapt to non-Kohler valves. I had to replace the tub/shower valve within the wall before I could install the Memoirs hardware, at a total cost of over $800 for just the valves and new copper piping. The actual Memoirs hardware, includuing matching towel bar and glass shelf, came to over $1600.
The mirrored cabinet above the sink is another eBay “find.” It was in mint condition and did not require any restoration, and it was inexpensive. The shelves along each side provided a great display space for some of my 1950s toiletries, all purchased on eBay, of course.
The light fixture above the mirror came out of the apartment I had just moved out of. The landlord there wanted to remodel and modernize the bath, removing all traces of 1950s design and replacing it with modern beige cultured stone (sacrilege!). So I “appropriated” the light fixture when I moved out, with his permission.
The other decorations and accessories, including the pink Detecto bath scale and chenille bath rug and toilet lid cover set are from eBay, of course. The Irmi children’s step-stool is from my own childhood. “Wash Hands And Face And Do It Well, When You Step On This Carousel.” The Palm Springs poster is a modern reproduction that is sold here in PS, giclee on tin, of a poster from the 1950s. It features tourists in and around a swimming pool with the legend “California’s Hot Spot! Palm Springs. Discover a new life … vibrant, gay, relaxed … Plan to visit California’s Desert Shangri-La!” Because I ended up with blue fixtures, I decided to design the bath around the poster. The photo above the toilet, another eBay treasure, is an original 1950s American Models Guild black-and-white of two physique models perched on the side of a swimming pool with aluminum lawn furniture visible in the background. I’m still looking for more poolside photos from the 1950s, but they are rare and unexpectedly expensive when they do appear on eBay.
The project took longer than I expected and cost far more than I had anticipated and budgeted, but the end result is much better than I could have imagined. I am really very happy with my little 1958 bathroom.
Stephan
So I also quizzed Stephan on the hunks in the photo above the toilette. Could those be naked-nudies? Stephan advises:
Yes, they are naked men, posed without the “boy bits” showing. The photo is an original from the late 1950s or very early 1960s, back when physique magazines served prurient interests under the guise of “art” or “physical culture.” The legal catch was that no genitalia could be shown. If you want to get some idea of the variety of such photos and magazines available in the 1950s, do an eBay search under the keywords “vintage beefcake photo” or “vintage physique.”
Oh how I love retro renovation, there is always more to learn around every corner… or in this case, behind every bathroom door. Thanks, PSS, you are the best!
dee says
Can you tell me how the towel bars are connexted to the wall? i am having difficulty removing mine to have the rechromed. one side had a set screw on the escutcheon….the other did not..but they wont budge.
thanks for any help you can provide….
your bath looks lovely. our sink tub and commode are a yellow color om excellent shape….just need rechroming…bath was done in 1952…found newspapers in the wall
Lou Lower says
Excuse me. A more careful examination and reading tells me that Palm Springs Steven’s sink is blue, not minty green. Otherwise it is very like my brother’s sink. So the inquiry still holds. Thanks
Lou Lower says
I saw e article in the NYTimes today and spied the green sink in Palm Springs Steven’s bathroom. It looks very similar to one in my brother’s 1958 house in Indiana. It has the faucets mounted flat against the back of the sink, and he has been living without one faucet handle for a long time, because he cannot find a faucet designed for this kind of sink nor a plumber who knows how to install it properly. Do you have any ideas where he may find appropriate hardware for his sink? His wife wants to end the search and find something at the home store. That would be too bad because the bathroom is otherwise an original green and pink bathroom. The current sink is perfect for the space except for the troublesome faucet.
pam kueber says
Try deabath.com — they are an advertiser. I am bettin’ they can get you just what you need! Let me know how it turns out!
Janis says
I would like to know how the daltile colorbody tiles are working. I am concerned that the texture will cause them to capture grit and look dirty all the time. Have you had problems keeping them looking nice?
Janis says
Great job! I love it. Could you post a close-up of the step stool. It looks adorable. Good for you for saving it.
pam kueber says
Janis, this is quite an old post, I don’t expect to be asking for a photo of the stepstool…
doug Gold says
I am serching for 44 whilte tiles for my 1940’s bathroom remodeling project. Any suggestions for places to find them?
Doug Gold
pam kueber says
doug, check on the navigation on this site to get to the Bathroom / Tile resources identified.
pam kueber says
Hello, Lugine, I am sure that Palm Springs Stephan can add his info if he sees this (I know he checks the blog daily, if he’s able.) Meanwhile, you should know that we have two sources for recessed porcelain ceramic fixtures like soap dishes. They are listed along with other, key bathroom recommendations on the Fast & Easy Bathrooms page here: https://retrorenovation.com/bathroom-hardware/
Good luck, and send me photos of your bathroom when it’s finished!
Lugine says
I love this bathroom and am in the middle of remodeling our own 1940’s bathroom that is black and white. I would love to find a mirrored cabinet like the one you have. Can you give me the dimensions of the cabinet? Thanks for the info on where you found the toothbrush holder and soap dish.
Deb says
Stephen,
Nice job!
We have the blue and yellow in our master bath. The sink and toilet appear to be the identical color and the model is quite similar – I think ours is from early 1950’s. Do you know the actual name of the blue? I need to replace the toilet seat and I’m having trouble identifying the color name. I’ve made that mistake with the pink in our main bath and would prefer a not to have another mis-match!
Thank you.
sablemable says
Stephen! Nice, nice job! Absolutely beautiful!
Love the flamingos!