The crash project to create a vintage style black-and-white bathroom is: Done! And oh my gosh, did we have fun. One of the highlights, for sure, was at the very end, when Aunt Mary Anne and I were decorating. I remembered that I had just seen a bag of vintage costume jewelry in another bedroom, which Mom had picked up at an estate sale. We used it to bling-ify the bathroom, giving it a sparkly girly-girl lift. Aunt Mary Anne thought to put the vintage earrings right onto the shower hooks. We created: Shower Curtain Rod Ring Bedazzlers! LOVE!
Aunt Mary Anne rocks! She is the the most AMAZING decorator in the world. I learned SO MUCH from her. Note the shower curtain. It — and the pink sculpted towels — are both from the Target Shabby Chic collection. As part of my “get this bathroom done in 7 days” constraints, Target and one nearby antique mall are the only places I shopped for decor. I went right for those sculpted Shabby Chic towels. She also guided me to buy the deeper pink towel (“Home” collection, I recall) and to layer them. She then draped a costume pearl necklace over — clipping the earring at the bottom.
Target Shabby Chic sculpted pink hand towel with costume jewelry. Aunt Mary Anne sees this photo and says, “What happened to the earring?” At left: A peek at the $98 white vanity countertop from Lowes. Cultured marble = plastic, but I like it!
We initially thought that we would use a sliding shower door. I actually have it, and am stuck with it — Lowe’s will not take it back because it was a “special order” (even though it was very simple and was in a stockroom waiting somewhere. This annoys me to no end. Shame on you, Lowes, you lose mega points off your otherwise near-perfect score for overall wonderfulness for this ridiculousness.) We changed our mind to go with a shower curtain, rather than a sliding glass door, to give my mom more space to maneuver in the relatively narrow shower area.
Above: The Lowe’s vanity that I painted black using Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations — the whole project turned out great. I want to paint everything using the Rustoleum kit process! New pulls and knobs from Home Depot. Kohler Fairfax lav faucet from FaucetDirect.com. Soap dish: Vintage, from a rapid-fire shopping trip to Peddlar’s Mall in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Wastebasket: Old popcorn tin that Mom had saved. Aunt Mary Anne is mortified that we did not have “real” wastebasket liners, available from Bed Bath & Beyond, and that we had to use an old Target bag instead. She is a totally convincing role model about “do it right.” Vintage bracelet around the hand towel. Paint colors: Regular Gray (wall) and Alabaster (trim), both from Sherwin Williams. The gray has a bit of pink in it – when the sun comes through in late afternoon, it even looks a bit lavendar.
Jeremy laid the tile. The grout is Delorean Gray, from Tec – a wonderful grout color. The threshold of the shower is Carrera marble. Yum yum yum.
We even styled the top of the toilet. I found the big, heavy round vintage shaving mirror at Peddlar’s. Mary Anne and I are both super detail-oriented. She totally approved of the fact that I replaced the stock toilet flushing lever with a satin-nickel one from Moen. Toilet is American Standard, comfort height – the complete kits from Lowe’s. We actually replaced the toilet in the hall bath, too. However, they IMMEDIATELY started exhibiting problems. BOTH of them. IMMEDIATELY. They run after you flush and you have to jiggle the handle to get the tank to fill. This is also Ridiculous and will have to be remedied. Shame on you, American Standard and Lowe’s, for selling piece- of-crap crappers.
Rug also is Target Shabby Chic. Mom had the infuser around. She loved the bathoom. She said it was “just what I dreamed of.” 
More learnings to follow.
Try another Lowes, or try to exchange it for something. Lowes took back a couple of “custom” windows we actually had for a couple of years, but we did exchange them for other windows. I’m surprised they’re not more accommodating to you.
Oh! Where are my manners! I meant to start with… GORGEOUS! What a great job you did. I am very impressed!
Love it! I’ve been waiting and just thought I’d check one more time before I go down to my basement to clean.
So you completely took out the bathtub and made it into a shower? Nice! I LOVE the tile. The grout is a perfect color.
And I ALWAYS use all my Taget bags for wastebasket liners in the bathroom. haha! It’s cheaper than buying them and they are more durable that grocery bags (which I use my own reusable bags anyways).
I still cannot believe you did all of this in seven days.
It’s beautiful! And amazing how quickly you did it. I especially love the shower curtain ring-bling!
Tina is right-we’ve had great luck with Lowe’s-maybe the problem is location…a ‘big city’ Lowe’s might be more accommodating based on heavier customer traffic.
BTW-its FAB!!! and we are totally inspired!!
An amazing 7 day transformation, I enjoyed the journey! Wish cute Aunt Mary Anne lived closer so she could drop in and help me. Great job ladies.
Love the black vanity and the black inset tiles. Great job. As to the issue with the American Standard toilets, we are grappling with the same issue. We bought three of them from Home Depot and within a year of them being installed, began having issues with them running. They have a 10 year warranty, but of course, that apparently applies only to the parts, not they labor. I had a plumber out to repair them and it was 350.00 per toilet to repair, as they had to replace the inside flushing mechanism. It would have been cheaper to buy a new toilet. I will NOT buy another American Standard. I’ve written to American Standard and have sent them the bills, so we’ll see if they make it right.
Just FYI, replacing the guts of a toilet can be a fairly easy DIY project. I’ve done it and I have no plumbing expertise. Also, maybe Pam has already checked it, but if the toilet is constantly running the first thing to check is the length of the chain from the handle to the stopper in the bottom of the tank. If the chain is too short or is getting caught up some how it will hold the stopper open and not allow the tank to fill.
Thanks, Olivia, for the tips!!! We will try this.
Pam – The bathroom looks fantastic, I love the black and white theme, especially paired with the Carrera marble. Very nicely done!
Just to throw it out there, we have had problems with replacement stoppers on the toilets where the chain was too long and the excess dangling portion would get sucked down the opening and keep the stopper from making a complete seal, allowing the toilets to run. I hope you get this worked out, and let us know how it goes!
Bathroom looks terrific! Thanks for taking us all along for the ride! The American Standard problem may be more Lowes/Home Depot than American Standard. My plumber tells me that the Moen faucets I bought at Home Depot are not really Moen quality but a lower grade/price made just for those stores. Still, shame on them for putting their name on something so lousy.
Oh, Pam and Aunt Mary Ann, you did GOOD! That little jewel box of a bathroom is just lovely! You’ve shown me the floor tile I want for my main bath and the grout for it, the way to accent the shower beautifully, and most importantly, that you CAN have it all, even on a super-short time line. I love the limits you set for yourselves and the way you pulled it off, even adding accessories. Great work!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Especially the bling bling added to the shower hooks. You the hot sizzle Pam!
Love the use of old jewelry, would never have thought of adding that to the shower hooks! You have the same great floor tile as I do!
OMG, that is the exact floor tile I’m trying to find, with no luck. Please mention where you bought it from.
Awesome bathroom very inspiring.
Pam — You and Aunt Mary Anne are the bomb!!! Your mom’s bathroom is awesome!
. P.S. Love the touch of kitch with the rubber ducky.
I adore the floor tile- it ties everything together so nicely! The shower curtain “bling” is truly an inspiration! You both did a wonderful job in such a short time- wow! It is a sense of accomplishment when you finish a difficult project for yourself, but it is even MORE rewarding when you finish a project together with someone you love for someone you love!
Wow. It really turned out lovely. I think the floor is my favorite!
It looks fantastic!
Looks awesome! Great job!
Very nice indeed! Love the bling on the shower hooks – reminds me of something I saw last year at a sale—someone was making refrigerator magnets from those old vintage earrings. I thought to myself, hmmm I’m gonna have to make some myself!
Great job it looks wonderful!!
I tell my customers in the paint department about your site all of the time. By the way we can mix those Sherwin Williams colors at Lowe’s and it would have saved you some time.
I can’t believe that Lowe’s will not work with you on that return. As a Lowe’s employee I have seen all kinds of special order stuff returned. Did you talk to a manager?
I hope this will not deter you as Lowe’s shopper in the future
The shower curtain jewels are the perfect finishing touch. Congratulations!!!! Job well done in record time.
It looks beautiful! And what a nice thing you did for your mother. She should be able to safely use that bathroom for years to come. The walk-in shower complete with stool is perfect. Love the Rubber Ducky, too!
Awesome bath, and I especially have to thank you for the mention of Rustoleum Cabinet paint — it’s just what I’ve been needing, and I hadn’t heard of it yet! I just wanted to encourage you with an idea for the shower doors if you can’t return them. I use my old shower doors placed on top of folding sawhorses as outdoor tables! I got the idea from noticing that a patio table I bought had the same tempered glass as the doors. They are incredibly useful this way, and I think it’s a pretty good way to recycle perfectly good glass.
Wow, kudos to y’all for pulling this project off. What a feat. Love the floor and especially love the vintage soap dish. It’s been fun watching it all come together from the comfort of the computer screen!
Re: Lowe’s. You probably already mentioned your blog to them, but I would think that they would want to keep on the good side of someone who has so many readers and is in the position to influence those readers on where they shop. Maybe mention it again, see how they respond.
Anyway, congrats! Great work, it looks fabulous.
You and your Aunt are dynamos! Very pretty bathroom but more importantly, how often can anyone make their Mum’s dreams come true much less in 7 days? Well done!
I’ve had friends that worked at Sears and big box stores that said the Moen story applies to appliances too. Tragic, ain’t it?
I want to be clear (confusing typo in original story): The problem is with the American Standard toilets.
Whooops, I’m the one who should have been clearer as the Moen story I was referring to was the one Jennifer’s plumber shared with her.
“My plumber tells me that the Moen faucets I bought at Home Depot are not really Moen quality but a lower grade/price made just for those stores. Still, shame on them for putting their name on something so lousy.”
It looks wonderful…and like everyone, I adore that floor, the black and white tile, and love the gray marble sill on the shower curb. So much attention to detail. The way you did the shower will help a lot when I embark on a similar job next month!
I really love Aunt Mary Jane’s glasses, though!!…any chance she knows what style they are???
Congratulations all around for a job superbly done—bet your Mom is tickled pink!
Looks great! One thing I suggest if you’ve got $10 more is to replace the old ivory outlet over the sink. If you can change a light bulb you can change an outlet or a switch. And the look of a new white outlet on a fresh painted wall makes it seem like you had new drywall and electric run too.
That turned out grand. I love my bathtub turned walk in shower, and yours looks wonderful, so safe and useful and pretty. I have a custom clear glass door which I thought was the Bomb, but looking at how your Mom’s looks with the shower curtain, I am rethinking my design for my new shower in my new time capsule house. I love that look with the shower curtain, and as Merry Maids pointed out, all you do is take them down and pop them in the washer once a month or so, no tedious glass polishing.
Oh, and thanks for the tip about Target’s shabby chic collection. I need all new linens for my time capsule and those look perfect. I hope they come in other colors, we’re aqua and gray speckle tile here.
What can I say? Beautiful! You did a great job! I’m amazed!
It’s beautiful. I love it. I bet your mom is really proud of you and so happy with her new bathroom
Sorry to hear of your toilet woes, though. We have similar issues with our toilet, which was in our house when we bought it. I wonder if some of the issues are in the design of these newer low-flow toilets. Not to sound like my dad, but it seems like the older models had less problems and were easier to fix, although they used more water.
It was worth all the hard work! You and Aunt Mary Ann did a fabulous job.
As for the problems with Lowe’s and the American Standard toilets. You need my three magic words that every woman should know, “This is unacceptable.” Works every time.
Beautiful job on everything. The floor is fantastic, all the little details are amazing!
Stunning job! You and Aunt Mary Ann are decorating genuises! Love all the finishing touches which without them is like getting dressed and forgetting to put on your jewelry. It’s what makes a room. It’s been a fun journey!
It’s a happy day when I see an idea that makes me think “brilliant” and wish I had thought of that. The earrings on the shower curtain was my first such moment today. Thanks for sharing!
Becky Tyre
Wow, that IS pretty kool. If I were a chick I’d do that too!
You ladies should be so proud of yourselves for accomplishing such a fantastic project in record time!! Everything looks wonderful. What an ambitiously sweet thing to do for your mom! A mimosa toast all around!!
What a great job, and so inspiring that it was done with off-the-shelf, affordable products. Love the tile work! BTW, I love that oval American Standard sink that you featured earlier so much that now we’re considering replacing ours with either that one or their 1922 repro model.
Great job. I really like that piece of marble. It’s a touch that makes the bathroom seem really “real.”
This is beautiful. A fantastic job. We’re in the middle of DIYing our 1940s home’s bathroom. We started in January and are still plugging away. A 7 day renovation sounds nothing short of a miracle! Congratulations.
Hey big sis! Mom had me take Joyce (neighbor) for a tour today, and Joyce loves the updates! She officially drenched the floor today when the handheld shower was pointing right at the gap between shower curtain and wall. And it has been recommended that we add a slip resistant cover to the top of the marble, and the added grab bar was also confirmed as a “needed” addition. I am thinking a clip/clips of some sorts to hold the shower curtain a bit more again the wall. Perhaps you or your readers have suggestions for these two fixes??
Hi Sara, I will contact Louisville Tile regarding the slip resistant coating — they mentioned knowing someone who does this, I think. Regarding the shower curtain, I know for a fact that Mom had a LINER curtain in the other bathroom that had some kind of grippy. I’ll ask Aunt Mary Anne — sounds like a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond or Improvements.com is in order. Thanks!
Oh, Yay! Joyce liked it!
It just wouldn’t be the same without those amazing pink sculptured towels!!! They are perfect.
What a great job! I like the black and white floor and the sink cabinet. Your Mom’s bath is laid out like my hall bath except I have the hot water baseboard heat on the same wall which precludes the use of a sink cabinet. Great inspiration. Where’s the picture of the light fixture?
Jaye, the lighting fixture is here: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/04/14/faucets-lights-and-hardware-for-the-black-and-white-1940s-bathroom-7-day-gut-renovation-chronicle-continues/
Wonderful!!! Looks fantastic.
…i don’t see those sculpted towels at the Target website?
I am not sure what Target shows on their website vs. what they have in the store….Note, the towels are “Shabby Chic” for Target, as I recall.
Looks wonderful! Pulling out the bath and making the area into a shower is what I’d like to do with my downstairs bathroom. I’d rather do it upstairs, where I take more showers, but that bathroom has the lovely original ’62 yellow bathtub. Black and white is so great for a bath, you can totally change its look and feel with new paint or accessories.
Question on the curtain vs. shower door. Is your mom noticing any water splashing out of the shower because there is a curtain instead of a door? We have a much smaller space to work with and I really would rather not have a door (I hate cleaning them because I never feel like I can get them clean enough). Just wanted to see if she is liking it and it’s staying dry outside of the shower.
So far so good, Mom reports, in terms of the curtain containing the water. There is a liner, as well — and we’re also “upgrading” to get a liner with edges that have some sort of sticky-ify thingie on the edges, too. My view: Give the curtain a try; use a tension rod. Nothing lost (no holes drilled, no big investment) if you decide to go witih the shower door later.
beautiful pictures! love it!
What an adorable renovation! I am currently having a bla 70′s bath redone with a clawfoot tub! Everything will be very girly, hubby has his own bath
I had ‘crystal’ knob type curtain hooks in mind UNTIL I saw your shower curtain bling. LOVE IT!!