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A PLANTER MOLDED RIGHT INTO A TOILET TANK LID? Well, this is a new one to me… found in this ad for a 1964 Eljer Estate toilet. And of course – LOVE it. Has anyone ever seen this? Let’s all be on the lookout. Like spotting rare and endangered species in the (retro)Amazon. Carry your cameras, readers!
UPDATE (Oct 2011): Click over to –> this story to get an update on all three sources for boomerang laminate. Where to find a retro Formica countertop for a red, black and white kitchen? Pamela recently wrote to ask: Hi! I bought a home a couple of years ago … it’s a 10-year-old FL ranch, [...]
I am updating this Retro Renovation “Classic” post for Tiel, her husband, and all readers looking for classic 50s and 60s metal countertop edging. Trust me – this is the real deal: My husband hunted down the only place left — in Astoria, Queens — that still made the exact stainless steel edging on 50s [...]
UPDATE (Oct 2011): Click over to –> this story to get an update on all three sources for boomerang laminate. If you are planning Formica Boomerang countertop in aqua for your kitchen renovation, you’d better order now. Alas, if you were planning the skylark (light blue) or coral, it’s already too late. Following up on [...]
“Fake butcher block countertops” are another one of those original vintage house features that I often hear called “hideous” on other websites. (Crikey, how I have come to despise that word — it is overkill, please refrain.) I, on the other hand, not only have “no problem” with butcher block laminate, I am 100% on [...]
I have been on a tear, of late, researching laminates. Considering how Greige and Granite-y 99% of what’s out there is, I want to provide Retro Renovators with the broadest researched selection possible of designs that have a more historical, retro appeal. After I learned that Formica’s butcher block laminate has been in production since [...]
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Where to get a cover for your vintage toilet tank 
Vintage shower doors, toilet tank lids & more at Second Use in Seattle 
Where can I find a replacement tank for my pink toilet? 
Become a fan
I wonder how long that poor plant would live?
omg I want it! I think a fern or something would last a while in there. Why don’t they design things like that anymore?
I could plant a pothos in that toilet top (and still have room for the tissue box!)
There was some catalog–Miles Kimball, maybe?–that for years offered a replacement toilet tank top that was a planter. Made of plastic most likely, and had some kind of ropy thing that hung down into the tank to “automatically” water the plants.
veg
Maybe a nice fern or something that would like the shower steam?
Not sure about the green with the pink in the example, but, um, I guess the flooring nicely compliments the plant?
Hey…no matter what…it IS surely a hip commode. Wonder what good ol’ Thomas Crapper would say if he could see THAT!
I think this is most surely an advertising shot, not a real bathroom. I think it’s carpet.
*Gasp* – that’s incredible!
is that green lino or carpet on the floor?
Hello,
How kewl!!!
Robert
Hello,
Oh yes.
I pity the poor soul trying to find a replacement for theirs that broke!
Robert
This toilet lid would go well with the combination radio/toilet paper holder that hung on the wall in my grandpa’s bathroom back in the 1970s.
I think I remember being able to get things like that from the Regal book!
I would love this! Actually, many plants thrive in the moist bathroom air – pothos, just like in the pic, would do great, as long as there’s a window for some light.
The planter-top that Veg-o-matic describes with the automatic watering rope = ingenious!
smart
I just had a flashback to high school, circa 1977. I attended a private high school and made friends with Keith, who one day wanted me to see the cool suburban custom development home his parents bought brand new in 1964. What a house! 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. Each bathroom had one of these toilets. Each bathroom had a different color for the fixtures (grey, green, pink, blue, yellow), with complementing 2-tone ceramic tiling. The kitchen was AMAZING! All GE appliances (push-button of course) in pink porcelain enamel, with pink ceramic tile countertops. It had built-in Nutone 5-in-1 appliance center and Intercom system and AM/FM Stereo 4-track music system. There was an adjoining laundry room that really was a laundry room! GE washer & dryer (in pink) with the push-buttons, built-in ironing board and a standing ironing machine (in pink enamel). There was custom cabinets and countertops to match the kitchen’s. The other side of the kitchen was the casual dining area (separate from the formal dining room). The laundry/kitchen/dining area was terraced, in that the kitchen was lower level and you had to “step up” to get to the laundry or dining areas (with wrought iron railings running across). Oh, the kitchen was equipped with EVERY CONCEIVABLE electric kitchen small appliance and gadget known (in either pink or chrome). The entire back wall was floor-to-ceiling glass the entire length and had a fantastic view of the woods and stream. The living room was “sunken” and just said “cocktail party 1960′s style” with a huge windowall and fieldstone wall opposite with a huge fireplace (which was “open” to be viewed also from the dining room). I never forgot that house! I understand it was the “talk of the town” and very envied. I heard several years ago that the parents decided to downsize to an adult community in the same town and really didn’t want to sell to an outsider, because the house was a perfectly preserved time capsule. Their youngest daughter charmed them into selling it to her and her husband for practically nothing, promising to maintain it just like they did. No sooner than the ink dried on the bill of sale, her and husband gutted the house and tossed all “that dated, tacky, crappy stuff” and remodeled it to reflect “current trends” circa 1996. Dumb, dumb, dumb!
Hi – Anyone know where to get a more conventional replacement tank lid for a light blue toilet? Ours broke today.
Or how about a match on the toilet color light blue paint to paint a replacement cover with?
Thanks,
Phil
Phil, look at the Fast & Easy Bathrooms page – we have a source for these.
Joe, that story just breaks my heart,what a crappy thing to do!!~Karma~
Hi! I actually have one of these toilets in a pale yellow color. Had no idea what the tank lid was used for before now. Found this website trying to find replacement seat in color close to commode color.
I have this Eljer toilet with planter but it’s in olive green. Looking to renovate my bathroom so this toilet and matching sink and tub are soon on their way out. They are still in good condition, but really not wanting my bathroom to look so dated anymore.
I had a tanktop planter and loved it. A friend gave it to me in the early 70s. Believe me, plants flourished because of the steam from the shower. Because it was plastic, and I was having to take it off freqently due to my toilet running constantly, it broke. I have looked and looked for another. How beautiful it was with all the plant-life in the bathroom. Help. Does anyone know where I can find another one. (Mine didn’t have space for books.)
my mom’s bathroom has a plastic planter lid for the tank! I recently refurbished it by buying new wicks (like for kerosene lanterns), giving it fresh soil and new plants. The wicks keep it watered. Nobody has added any water for 6 months and the plants are flourishing! Looks wonderful and I would love to find one for myself. I think my mom bought it through one of those “gadget” magazines.
Sounds very cool, Judi!