Make a pledge to Save the Pink Bathrooms, and you never know: You might become the lead story on Retro Renovation. Sheila’s story about her vintage pink bathroom was so perfect (and her bathroom, so dreamy) that I just had to feature it.
All photos are of Sheila’s updated bathroom. Her Pledge:
When my husband and I bought our 1950 ranch-style home in Michigan, we had a definite consensus on one room being that “the pink bathroom has got to go”. The bubble gum pink tile with burgundy trim; the floor that gives some a sense of vertigo if it is stared at too long was the epitome of a bathroom that I could not picture myself owning, let alone liking. I am a practical person though. That pink bathroom was obviously built to last. The tiles and floor were solid. It was hard to justify ripping this room down first as our house was one fraught with “opportunities”. Many more pressing projects were higher on the agenda. So dropping the bomb on the pink nightmare was postponed.
I pondered this bathroom for several months, confounded. The previous owners had given it battleship grey cupboards and trim; grey wallpaper with a burgundy floral design. It had gold metal glass shower doors that were impossible to keep clean, a door and a ceiling with obvious mould issues. It had two hideous glass light bars on either side of the mirror, also impossible to keep clean. Still I was completely stumped on how to tone down what felt like screaming pink. Inaction was really my only option, figuring one day the solution would come to me, and barring that a wrecking ball was an option.
After a kitchen renovation, new furnace, basement waterproofing, basement makeover and 2 kids later, my attention turned once again to fixing up what my daughter calls “the Barbie Dream House bathroom”.
Still, dang it — that tile was solid as the day it was installed. Then it occurred to me that I should just learn to love this bathroom, play up how incredibly campy it was and stop thinking about ways to tone it down or minimize it. I turned to the internet.
The day I Googled “fun pink bathroom” was the day that I found this website. Suddenly I began to think that maybe I actually owned something kind of cool. You can be the judge on the final product but I honestly am so proud of how it turns out. Bright, clean, unique and above all, PINK. And I’m finally more than OK with that.
Thanks Pam!Sheila, Defender of Old Pink Bathrooms
Of course, I had one more question for Sheila, to which she responded:
My dog’s name is Maggie, rescued from the pound on Memorial Day weekend this year. She is very sweet and being a JRT, she is a handful.
And, Sheila confirms that is indeed a fluted (reeded?) piece of built-in glass between the bathroom countertop and adjacent dressing table. Yowza. Serious Love. Now that I look, Sheila, where did you get the new light bars that flank the mirror? I love the effect…very glamarama Hollywood backstage dressing room-like. Works really well to light up the bubble gum pink.
Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that there is pretty much nothing that makes me happier than pretty pastel bathrooms – saved… and their owners, converted. Sheila, your bathroom is spectacular! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
I love your bathroom! Sometimes it pays to wait. I am curious about your shower doors. I have some I would love to remove, but am afraid there will be marks from where they were attached. What was your experience?
I learned to love my 1940s pink bathroom. This cheerful fabric from Ikea — although not period-correct — looks great in my pink palace.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90150919
Aw, Sheila, that’s such a heartwarming and wonderful story to read! I love your pink bathroom and I definitely covet your perfect, solid tile! Since I’m dealing with a screaming, taxi-cab-yellow laminate countertop in my main bath, I’m especially encouraged to hear your thought process regarding color: I hope the retro renovation gods gift me with the understanding they obviously imparted to you! Thanks for sharing with Pam and all of us.
Great bathroom and wonderful blog! I have blogged about this site here- http://tartdeco.blogspot.com/2009/12/pink-bathrooms.html. I am hoping some friends of mine with a 50s pink bathroom will send you pics
Thank you, Steph, and welcome to our little community.
mcmeg-I have removed the doors before, and yes, there will be marks on the tile where they had to drill sinkers & screws. The bottom that attachs to the tub portion should be easy to remove as it’s just a sealer that will scrap off. So, after removing the doors-you may have to replace about 4 tiles.
I did all of it myself–only took one day, pretty easy fix.
Gorgeous bathroom. Great save. Love the lighting and double sinks! Can I ask, what is the white bin under the window? Very curious.
dahlila xxoo
dahlila, I had asked Sheila about this, too, and here is what she told me: “Our house has steam heat, at the end is an example of one of the groovy heaters that is in each room of this place.”
I agree: Very cool! errr, hot!
Absolutely gorgeous bathroom! The detail is amazing.
I gotta get new pics of my Mom’s pink br, ones I took didn’t turn out, she has the most amazing and perfect 50s wallpaper ever, pink with darker pink and gold starbursts, sigh. My grandparents did it.
mcmeg: the removal of the shower doors turned out to be really easy! The two screws on each side of the frame left two small holes on each wall. I opted to fill the holes with a white silicone caulking to save the existing tiles and carefully scraped the adhesive from the flat surface of the tub edge with a razor edge. I do feel fortunate that there was no big surprises after the removal.
Fabulous! I love the “bubble” motif of the lights and the shower curtain. The pink and rust combo is one I have been seeing a lot of in houses I am looking at- very cool!
Thanks! Now all I have to do is work up the nerve!
This is at least the third house featured recently that’s in Michigan. Great retro reno stuff going on there. Am I seeing things correctly — is that wavy glass above the sink actually a divider between two sinks? It’s so pretty. Sheila and her pup look so content. That’s great.
Jane (aka Elvis): When the time is right, your solution will hit you like a thunder bolt! I think acceptance of the element that gives you the most heartburn is the key. Taxi-cab yellow sounds like it could be very fun conundrum to solve.
Sumac sue: only one sink in this bathroom; on the other side of the fluted glass divider is a three drawer dressing table (in front of the toilet) which I imagine at one time had a fancy tuck-away chair that the lady of the house sat upon to apply her makeup. Probably June Cleaver.
BRAVO, BRAVO to Sheila for saving that bathroom!! How sad it would have been to destroy such a beautiful piece of history. Yes, to some it may seem silly to place such importance on saving an old pink bathroom, but in today’s stressful, crazy, rat race of a world it’s the act of remembering those terrific days gone by that get us through! Rock on retro renovators!
What a gorgeous bathroom – so clean & sparkly! I love the lights and the glass divider. A big congratulations to you for waiting and thinking about this make-over. It’s absolutely perfect.
Thankyou for saving this glorious pink empowered room! My only suggestion would be some barkcloth curtains!
No joke, my bathroom sports those exact tiles in those EXACT colors. I love it! It’s so cute!
angie — lucky you!!!!!
Great bathroom! I am also in Michigan and our tile looks a lot like yours! We have two original tile bathrooms in our 1952 ranch house. Had to laugh because I have the same shower curtain in one of my bathrooms.
Just found your site and I LOVE it! I will definitly be voting for you in The Homies! When I saw this pink bathroom post I got so excited. I don’t live in a mid century home (well, kinda, mid 19th century) but I’ve always adored them. I went to an estate sale at such a home this fall and it was decked out floor to ceiling in that opulent mid century glamour/glitz Hollywood style. The hallway had gold foil wallpaper with black velvet damask print and two bathrooms were pink, one pink and gold and the other pink and black. A third bathroom was purple, gold and white, with damask wallpaper on the ceiling. It was glorious! Over the top, yes! But so wonderful! As I kept gushing over how great it all was, the other shoppers were looking at me like I had two heads. I couldn’t help but worry that someone was going to move in, tear it all out and paint the walls all beige and sage green,( No offense to those colors!) I’m so happy to see that there are other people out there who treasure these styles as part of our architecural legacy. Happy New Year!
Love it! My Boston-area home had the same decorator as Pam & Angie. I even have steam heat, too! I was fortunate to find a pink & brown striped shower curtain which complemented the pink tile and 1970s faux walnut vanity in my bathroom, so I’ve decorated around that… removed the burgundy flowered wallpaper older than my husband and the most hideous light fixture ever seen, installed a new stainless light fixture and coordinating stainless door handles for the vanity, and my bathroom is totally presentable. I have learned to embrace the delicate cameo pink tiles!
I loved your pics, reminds me alot of my bathroom, I live in a vintage European style cottage and I LOVE it!!!
THESE ARE MY COLORS!!!! HELP HELP!!!! BUT…..my bathroom is much smaller!!
It has only a mirrored medicine cabinet over the sink. There is not even room for two people in this bathroom, so the shower curtain is important, and I cant tell what is on the wall! White?? PLEASE someone help and suggest shower curtain, paint color??
Does anyone know the names of these colors of tiles (the pink field tiles and the darker trim), and/or where I can find them? We have a tub enclosure from the mid 50s that needs some repair in what appears to be the same colors as are in Sheila’s bath. So far, I have not had any luck with either color names or manufacturer names and I have visited the largest tile stores/distributors in this area.
KE, see my category Bathrooms / Tile for all the tile suppliers we have identified. B&W and Anne Sacks may be your best bet — but study the posts.
I am starting a bathroom restoration of a 1960s style with pinky beige fixtures. I want to keep the same vintage look. The toilet and tub are in good shape but the sink and tub surround need replacement. Although my fixtures have a pink hue they are really a light beige. Can you give me ideas where to find a beige sink and tiles? Mary
I have a pink bathroom with white sink and white bathtub that is very difficult to clean. Can you give me any advise? yours looks very clean and shiny.
Brenda, I have become a big fan of these ROG products: http://retrorenovation.com/2012/08/06/how-to-clean-the-bathtub-slip-resistant-bottom-omg-its-like-new/
I also want to know what is the best way to clean the pink tile in the walls and floor, I have exactly the same tile.