UPDATE: Here’s my follow up story — Gut Remodel Without Guilt — in which we discuss the issue further.
Shame on you, Lowes
Posted by: • June 30, 2012
Get our retrolicious free newsletter.
free weekly newsletter
Retro Renovation
Remodeling, decor and home improvement for old homes
© 2013 Retro Renovation · Theme design: Phoenix Massey Studio · Powered by WordPress, and StudioPress Genesis Theme
Even worse, the “resulting” bathroom is generic, boring, and u*** [edited].
My thoughts exactly!! Destroy some a room that was built with style so you can prove that you have absolutely none of your own!
Ugh. It’s the name of the game…generi-fy everything! Travertine Travesties for all! Yuck.
THis makes me SO sad. I’d give a limb to have my old home’s vintage bathroom in this house!
Stupid Lowe’s. And to think, I was going to pop over there tonight for some necessary garden things…True Value it is.
I agree! I couldn’t believe that…There are enough Really U*** [edited] bathrooms out there and the Pink one Is-Not-It! A moment of silence Please………….
I agree. Trash the functioning bathroom with vintage charm to spend boatloads of money for another white-washed bathroom. Great concept.
Also, I hope for that ladys sake there was no lead in that paint.
NOW can we use the “h” word?! I am horrified.
We save that word and the actions it encourages for truly repugnant things like: Unchecked greed and social injustice… and [fill in your own blank.]
Not to mention extremely unsafe work practices. Who would use a sledge in a confined space when all you have to do is just work it out gradually?
Plus, that old tile may have lead or asbestos in it – [edited - readers, please consult with properly licensed professionals to test the materials in your homes for known hazards... and work with them to decide how to handle. Renovate Safe]….
In any event, I hope she enjoys her tacky new bathroom
I think it makes me even more sad that they created a vintage bathroom ‘set’ only to destroy it. Pam, I think you’re right. If this had been a real vintage bathroom, that tile work would’ve been mud-set and that lady would NOT have been smiling. Old bathrooms are practically indestructible…
I was wondering when you’d be posting about this. I saw this commercial multiple times last week while watching a season or two of TOH, and the segment above about the bathroom is truly a hearbreaker.
Not to mention that it is most likely a set constructed for the commercial, but the intent is there. This is just the latest in a long string of attacks against pink bathrooms.
Max – glad you mentioned TOH…I subscribe to the magazine and am always saddened & sort of shocked to see them “update” a perfectly good vintage bathroom in favor of something you’d find on HGTV. Come to think of it, I’m not sure how the 2012-style bath is even appropriate for a historic house….
I usually consider TOH to be the lesser of two evils, but I don’t read their magazine, so their crimes against Mid-Century style are unknown to me.
From what I’ve seen on their tv episodes, TOH is more mindful of the historic value of a house (provided there is enough left to save/maintain), but that’s mainly on the houses built before WWII. I’ve only seen one example of them re-muddling a house built after 1950, and even then I was turned off by it. Why take a neat little suburban atomic ranch (with a butterfly roof to boot!) and turn it into a mimicry of FLW is beyond me.
Well put, Pam! What a great example of modern irresponsible behavior, the false notion that new is always better. This commercial definitely feeds into the untrue notion of “You as a home owner can do it, and you need to not know anything, study anything or realize the value of what currently exists. All you need is a sledge hammer, a little bit of cash, and and it also helps if you don’t mind new, fabricated, fake materials to make up the bulk of your freshly renovated home.”
I saw this commercial last week also and thought “Oh no a pink bathroom” and saw the vintage style of it too. Its not even an ugly vintage bathroom, its clean and sparkly, roomy and pink! A run down bathroom would have worked much better. Shame Lowes, oh the shame,
That’s SuperBowl-quality bad advertising. But it would take some intelligence to produce an add selling real fix-it products and craftsmanship. It’s a ‘love the home you’re in’ thing. Thanks Pam.
The first time I saw this commercial, I had the exact same thoughts! Why portray them destroying their home with such glee? First of all, it’s not the practical or safe way to do it, as anyone who’s renovated knows, and it’s so wasteful! I know Lowe’s is trying to sell products, but they should be environmentally aware in the world we’re living in. They don’t show the huge dumpster full of smashed-up materials going off to the dump, do they!
And shame on them for h***ing on the pink vintage bathroom!!
Pam, are you contacting them directly so that they see people’s feelings and thoughts on this?
I’m SICK of generic! Don’t understand why people can’t see the beauty in a well made bathroom with lot’s of charm :’(
And even though we’re in Los Angeles County….our city actually does have two Mom & Pop Hardware stores that are still thriving. Looks like I’ll seeing them more often and staying away from these ignorant big chain stores. Shame on them indeed!!
Despicable!
Gosh, one of my would-have-been original bathrooms was destroyed and decorated by cheap crap from Lowe’s by the previous owners. I H***, H***, H*** [edited] it. None of the stuff is holding up to the test of time and it isn’t really that old! Why would anyone take out beautiful tile and replace it with cheap plastic is beyond me. Grr…..
Unfortunately, too many people have no personal sense of style and believe that generic, boring bathroom is beautiful because it’s what everyone else has. As for me, I LOVE being different and living with colors and styles that make me happy. I’d take that pink bathroom in a heartbeat!
And all good points above…
I hear ya. Vintage allows us to express our personalities and be different from the rest. I do not want what everybody else has and our collectibles make for great conversation.
The stories I could tell when I painted newly built houses – everyone wanted the same thing. One lady complained that the green door on her taupe sided house was slightly different from the green everyone else had.
Sadly, that is Lowes business. And unfortunately today’s society is programed to desire ‘new’ not quality.
How ironic that the poster saw the commercial while watching episodes of TOH. As if destroying the pristine pink bath wasn’t enough, their choice of programming leads me to believe that they don’t care one bit about their audience (i.e. customers)!
I thought the same thing….don’t destroy that great old bathroom tile—salvage it! In most cases, I prefer antique, vintage or retro decor to new…
It is sad, however, Lowes is only interested in making money. As a multi national conglomerate that is probably owned by some other multi national corporation, thier bottom line IS GREED! That is why independant bloggers like Retrorenovation are so important to our culture! My family have always been interested in historic archetecture and In the pink bathroom days, lamented the old claw foot tubs being ripped out. These big companies arent interested in preserving anything but their profit margin. Stand youre ground, but understand your enemies motives. I apologise for my negative viewpoint. Im too realistic.
I watch very little television, so have never seen this commercial, but, I must say, even though I am generally not a fan of pink bathrooms (though I do and can admire them in other peoples homes), they show a perfectly pristine and functional space, three times the size of mine (you have no idea what I’d do for a bathroom that size), and then sledge it, and turn it into what others here have called ‘generic’. If you’re going to tear out character, at least have the grace to put something back. I love white, it’s clean, and it’s easy to change decor in, but the finished product here just looks clinical, and like a waste of space.
I forgot to say, that although we usually always compare prices at Lowes before proceeding on DIY projects, we almost always end up going to the ‘other’ big box store for our needs. The quality, the price, the service, just better at HD.
I have the same experience. I got to Lowe’s and they just stare stupidly at me, I go to HD and they seem to know what I am talking about, what they are talking about, and they work WITH me to salvage what I can and get safely working or replace what can’t be fixed.
Does the song at the end actually say “Tear it on down to make it beautiful”? How sad. I keep thinking “It was beautiful before you did anything!”
Yeah, I’m guessing they created this bathroom “set” for TV, because that’s not quite the right 1950′s pink. I have the real thing and it’s much pinker. I would hope that some people, who renovate bathrooms like this, see the benefits of recycling especially when midcentury items are so hot. All the better that there are websites like this one to get the word out there.
Ditto, ditto, ditto to your comments. Perhaps the best point you made is about having respect for things that still perform their function even though they are not momentarily “hip.” It amazes me that there are people who are so shallow that they must use THINGS to define themselves. It doesn’t matter that you have a granite counter top. You may still be an idiot even though you have the latest kitchen cabinets. In fact, you mostly likely ARE an idiot because you DO have the latest kitchen cabinets!
I recently purchased a 100 year old foreclosure, a real fixer upper. They removed all things of value, fixtures, etc. and left me this horrid (how I described it when I first saw it) poop brown tiled bathroom with flamingo sliding glass shower doors. My first though (pre-discovering RR) was we will have to gut the whole thing. We had to buy a new toilet because they sabatoged the old tan one, and I replaced the sink, which was vintage, with a new “off the shelf” model. I kick myself every day about that decision. I love my brown bathroom with its floor to ceiling tile (expensive for most homes nowadays) my knotty pine, my cork textured linoleum that is waiting to be uncovered when I get a free moment, and I love Retro Renovations! Thank you for helping me to see the light.
Very well said Pam. I totally agree. That commercial is all about greed and Lowe’s making money. Too bad that the “sheep” just follow along. They buy what everyone else is buying. Kind of like Stepford!
I wonder what agencies and companies would get involved to sponsor a totally different commercial? More like a public service announcement — that shows totally funky, cool, smart people taking something they don’t like to a salvage place — or donating it to Habitat? Surely there would be someone out there who would benefit enough to sponsor something cool like that! Maybe if we shamed Lowe’s enough — or better yet, let Home Depot know how disgusted we were by the Lowe’s commercial — they’d run a competing blurb. Showing people doing the right thing and looking extra-hip for doing so! Maybe they could show them using supplies from Home Depot to be awesome and responsible. Re-purposing, re-using, etc. — all that IS currently the “in” thing.
I can’t watch it. Your description is enough to make me livid.
The problem is the mom and pop stores in our community are dying, forcing me to go to Lowe’s.Bought all of my appliances for over 30 yrs at a local hardware store, and now that they have closed, was forced to buy a electric stove and dishwasher at Lowe’s.bought both in black , and lo and behold, both were delivered yesterday, the stove was black, the dishwasher was white! Immediately pointed out their error, all I got was a ‘sorry, so when do you want the black one delivered next week?’ lesson learned is to make sure they remove the appliances from their cartons before they leave,otherwise you might be mightily surprised…..
Now that I think about it: They probably destroyed like 6 vintage vanities to get the commercial. They would not have done just one take. Anyone in the ad industry know?
I usually am very tolerant and not a h***r, but this commercial makes me see red (not pink)! I agree with Tikimama and I think we as the RR family should make our views known to Lowe’s! Readers have shared some valid and practical points about this commercial as well as some valuable ideas for revising it for future airing. Pam, I don’t want to put you on the spot, but…. is there some way of drafting a letter to the VP for Marketing & other admins and collecting electronic signatures from the RR readers? Since many of us purchase our tools and paint, etc. from Lowe’s for our projects, it may give them the idea that not only “updaters” spend money there, but retro renovators do too!
I agree with Jana, we could really create a drive to recognize responsible renovation. We could create a petition at Change dot org and put it on here and on Facebook and Twitter for signatures. We could all share it. Here is the link.
http://www.change.org/start-a-petition?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GST_USER_GEOT2_SCHT1_create_petition
What do you think, Pam?
So sad… I do however, have to admit that I took down the pink plastic tile in my bathroom…it was dirty and yellowed and no cleaning could save it… I did manage to replace the “generic” sink cabinet with a time period appropriate pedestal sink and the old-school porcelain tub remains in tact. All pulled together with big and small white subway tile…my bathroom is the best looking room in the house…
I saw that commercial a couple of weeks ago and didn’t like it for several reasons. The main one being that it sends a message that a whole house should be torn up and redone no matter what the style. If you’re going to do that…just build something new.
By the way…doesn’t the couple in the commercial destroy a retro kitchen too?
Pam, carry on the good fight. Lowes advertising has been off the mark for some time now. They need to change course. I did not watch this but the still reminds me of those kitchen shows on HGTV where they go at it with a sledge hammer. Might be good TV for the masses but very dangerous and wasteful. I rarely shop the home stores, only when absolutely necessary. I have local hardware stores that know their stock and provide service. I really try to support local business. I think Lowes needs to withdrawal this ad.
The bathroom they ended up with is not so pretty. I agree all the fixtures, especially the tiled vanity, would be a great find for someone trying to fix up their own pink bathroom. The tub and even the toilet, plus as many of the pink tiles as could be salvaged would go very happily to someone else. A caution on the tiles: We recently had work done on a 1963 tiled half bath. We tried mightily to save enough of the ones we took out to widen the doorway, but those things are set in cement and cleaning them off for re-use was a real problem. We broke enough that we had to come up with a different solution.
Thanks to all who have responded to this truly awful commercial, and all the disrespect and wanton destructiveness it embraces. I feel soooooooo alone sometimes, restoring my 1953 bathrooms, and then I visit with you guys and ….ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! I am NOT alone!
Ohhhhh this is SO SAD. If I had that bathroom (even if it was half the size) I wouldn’t do a thing to it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pink tile and that is exactly what I want in my master bathroom remodel. WHY LOWES WHYYYYYYYY??????
If Lowe’s & other big box places could only be made to understand that those of us who love and wish to restore mid-century bathrooms & kitchens would also buy stuff from them if it was appropriate!
When I was restoring a Victorian bathroom 20 years ago, I had to send to California (from PA) for nickel-finish period-styled hardware. We installed salvaged vintage fixtures—much to our plumber’s regret!—but finding appropriate accessories & even the floor tile (unglazed white hex tiles) was a major task.
Now that style has gone mainstream and Lowe’s is full of psuedo-Victorian style stuff.
When will the light bulb go off that NOW is the time to recognize & celebrate Mid-century Modest and all its many charms?
That commercial is only 15 seconds but the message it sends is so destructive in every sense of the word. Makes me cringe. What a shame.
I used to drive past a Home Depot to get to Lowe’s because Lowe’s had more mid-century appropriate items, and the store was nicer and cleaner; I don’t think I’ll be going to Lowe’s anymore. There are plenty of great independent hardware stores in Los Angeles (Trast, Garvanza, Berg, Ganahl, Northridge Lumber, Far West Plywood, Anderson Plywood, LIz’s, on and on….) that there is no reason for me to go into either the big blue box or the big orange box anymore.
This is as irritating to me as the Audi Superbowl ad a few years back that showed them wrecking a beautiful 1972 Mercedes 280SEL 4.5 sedan. I was considering a new Audi A6 at the time. I bought a BMW instead. I won’t shop at Walgreen’s because they target mid-century restaurants to tear down. Listen up, advertisers: when you offend someone, it’s not just that quarter’s profit or that advertising cycle’s profit that is going to suffer. You lose customers for the long term, customers who would otherwise be very loyal.
I have not seen this before. Very sad. I’m sure this was a set, but, still the concept of destroying a perfectly functional, hip bathroom is just sad. Seriously, we should email Lowe’s corporate.
Completely agree about the shame of destroying these great retro rooms. I see HGTV doing all the time as well.
whenever this comes on, I close my eyes, cover my ears and ‘la la la’ loudly so I can’t hear it. I made my husband go into Lowes by himself last week because I refused to set foot in such a sacrilegious store. Maybe, we should all contact Lowes and ask them where they got the pink tile for their ad so we could put it in our bathrooms.
I ended up on some kind of rating website a couple days ago and I was thrilled to see them ask how this particular commercial affected me, oh yeah, I told ‘em.
They didn’t get the pink tile at Lowes.
haha
This thread could be our signed petition.
A senseless commercial on so many levels
The bathroom “re-do” looks a heck of a lot worse than the original pink one D:<
I always get a bang out of the shows that show the newly redone home with all recycled products like the floor made from cork. If they were really interested in a small environmental foot print they would keep what they had. Using something until it is no longer be used is.Remodeling a house is not a good use of products but Lowe’s wouldn’t sell anything. would they? Hang tough kiddo. You have it right.
I would feel blessed to own my own home!
Yes! That is my key point, exactly!
I cannot bring myself to watch. I will take your word for it. I watched an episode on HGTV a few years ago where this “real estate agent” went through this gorgeous California home from the 30s and told the people the gut an absolutely gorgeous, huge bathroom in perfect condition. I wanted to cry… seriously! I don’t remember the name of the show, but it’s the one with the super rude agent that critiques what the homeowners should “fix” before trying to sell a home. HORRIBLE!
vintagechik, this is one of the many reasons I’m not sorry we ditched cable over a year ago.
Maybe a new show needs to be created for HGTV. The title could be– love the house you are in. Sometimes people need to be educated to appreciate design from other eras. Pam, maybe that can be your next project–an HGTV show?
Do it, Pam!!!!! DO IT!
Oh, that would be wonderful! So many wonderful examples have been posted in this blog, there is plenty of material. There could be at least two formats:
1 — Showcasing already done projects with lots of Before pix. ID all the new material sources that fit into the design and research the original stuff to get the background info. Be sure to show responsible preservation, recycling and re-using.
2 — Feature projects in progress, with all the same research, resource info and responsible usage examples.
3 — Oh, yes, and featuring providers just as you do in this blog. Interview them, showcase their products. This could go BIG time!
Pam, you should find someone with a PR background to help pitch a show idea about this, with committed advertisers and a built-in following, and a host with the knowledge and personality to bring in viewers.
Oh, wait… you ARE all of those things!
I was going to go to Lowes to pick up a few garden items today but now I’m thinking…no. I am so tired of every message in this irresponsible ad. Besides, the couple look way too cool to be engaging in this type of stupid behavior. It’s far more likely they are buying products to enhance and personalize their pristine, fully functional bath, rather than mindlessly trashing and generifying it.
My next door neighbours have a perfect condition pink and black bathroom in their Sears Craftsman home. Of course she HATES it. With the white hot passion of a thousand suns, kind of hate. Got rid of all the charming details in the rest of the home (the kitchen now looks generic) and I hope she didn’t get around to destroying the bathroom yet. At least I saw no signs of demolition, so I hope its safe! They are selling and I do hope someone who appreciates the gorgeous bathroom keeps it that way, and doesn’t destroy it like in the advert! I so wish ours wasn’t redone in the 80s with h*****s dusty blue tile & d********g cabinets and hope to one day restore it to a gorgeous black and white dream! (Can’t do pink — the original MASSIVE white tub is still there and I won’t give that baby up!) Suzanne
Have you seen the Bagster ads which I think are connected to Lowes? You get a big bag and throw your old sink, toilet, etc into the Bagster and then they pick it up and dump it. That totally ticked me off. So we have so many resources that we can just continue to dump good stuff??? They should be advertising the services of Habitat for Humanity Restores and similar stores. Fortunately the nearest Lowes and Home Depot are 100 miles away so not shopping there is an easy choice.
Why am I not surprised at how fug** [edited] that remodeled bathroom is?
I watch very little television, and so I haven’t seen this commercial. I don’t think I want to. It almost sounds as if many of us will be boycotting Lowes. I believe I will make it a practice to go everywhere else first, before I resort to Lowes. Frankly, in my experience, Home Depot is friendlier, has more knowledgeable people and better customer service. (And, no, I don’t have stock or know a soul who works for them) As another person commented, try to shop locally. We have a little mom and pop hardware store, we try to get what we need from them first.
Yes, Lowes would rather keep viewers ignorant of the wonderful mid century era, and sell them boring new stuff so they can conform to the masses.
That is ok. That makes my pink bathroom even more rare and exotic. I could afford to do the complete changeover to early 21 st century blah design, but i am remodeling in the original concept of the 50′s designers that created it. It’s sort of a ‘back to the future’ experience.
I agree with you completely. My Facebook friends don’t really like it when I get on my high horse either. However, when it is something one is passionate about, it just has to be done!
I get why they made the commercial–to draw attention + market its brand. Ultimately they are trying to increase people’s interest in getting off the couch (or computer) and redesigning some things. So I do respect that.
As far as demoing the old fixtures, I completely agree. It was a waste. Retrorenovation should make a commercial of how they could do it differently (still buying product, but mixing in vintage pieces).
hmmm, and I was going to tell you that I was pleased to see a Mid-Century influence at Lowes in their lighting dept. I recently purchased two ceiling fans there that have the “right look”…
It is a shame when people can’t appreciate what they have, but we are spreading the word, and will be heard!
I’m retro renovating my kitchen, and have to swallow my tongue when people tell me about their “granite kitchens” (gag!)
I have been on a House Hunters binge lately and if I had a nickel for every time a prospective home buyer said that their must haves include granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, I would be a rich woman.
I agree Rebecca. I find HGTV to be pretty unimaginative, knee-jerk and bland.
Yes, I agree as well! Another peeve with this program: why do young couples (with limited budgets) insist on a “must have” list that includes 4-5 bedrooms with an equal number of baths, plus a “master suite” and of course “completely updated” kitchen? Now, not to cast judgement,
but I would much rather watch a program where a couple purchases a modest home and then goes about making it their own with imagination and some elbow grease… 
But I guess that does not sell ads…
Haven’t you heard? House Hunters is FAKED!
http://consumerist.com/2012/06/just-how-fake-is-hgtvs-house-hunters.html
I TOTALLY agree Gail! We bought a MCM home about a year ago, built 1948…SA-WEET! Sadly, the kitchen had been gutted to the studs. So when we renovated the kitchen we didn’t even consider granite….uggh! Come on people…get a little creative here! There are so many options and many which are GREEN, which granite is not!
Yes, we are sensitive to pink bathrooms and mid-century design. It was really dumb on Lowe’s part and they should blame the marketing company they use for being ignorant of design given the popularity of “Mad Men” and the rise in interest in mid-century design. Next thing you know they’ll have commercials for mcd products. What they should have used for the commercial is a bathroom that someone would have submitted for an “Ugliest Bathroom” contest. At least there would have been a contrast in appearance of the two bathrooms.
I hope Lowes gets lots of flack. I can never understand people tearing down something unique to replace it with something common. As long as I’m in my house and the fixtures are in a good state, the bathroom stays pink.
At the risk of sounding ‘snobby’ – one of my friends stated: “It’s a Kmart World out there…” -little creativity, most of population are a bunch of lemmings ready to jump off the cliff – with the Lowes, HD or whatever Mr. Investor is doing. However, as a realtor, I have more and more clients who seem to posess an interest in looking for vintage, and once found, keeping it vintage! So, possibly, there is hope? Hope so!:)
You know, I think about this a lot. I think that a lot of folks have only limited interest in decorating. They will buy what’s current. And move on. And that’s okay. They have other interests… whereas we are nutso passionate and highly visual and way way way into decor. That’s the perspective I try to take on the whole issue…
I totally agree with you Pam. Not everyone has the interest, knowledge or ability to be a decorator but that is where Lowe’s really blew this. Their ads claim to be the place to come to for decorating needs. They claim to be the experts and have everything a home owner needs to make their home beautiful. I think they really messed up here by destroying a true design era. I wonder how people would feel if it was white tile with black trim, a claw foot tub and a pedestal sink with a beveled edged mirror.
Exactly, Carri.
I’m with you, Pam. While I recognize that other people are interested in other things than design, my objection to the commercial has to do with what you pointed out: waste, especially waste borne from a big-box-store or HGTV-esque prejudice against anything not current or popular. The bathroom destroyed may have been dated, but it was in good condition, and was no better or worse than the bathroom that it replaced. I think less of Lowes for the commercial.
In reply to Gerri, the Bagster ads are sponsored by Waste Management Company. Out of curiosity, I went to their website and they are sponsoring a $5,000 pictorial contest for people to submit pictures of their “inspiration” for renovating. (Hence the need to purchase the bagster and pay to have it removed). Of the many pictures, I found several that were of MCM kitchens, cabinets and baths. Unfortunately, I think these were all “before” shots and have since been destroyed… umm I mean “updated” and replaced with newer materials and designs. Again, this type of advertising supports the recurring theme that “new” is better and we all can make our homes look just like the ones on HGTV. P.S. Speaking of commercials, I am reminded of the Vonage commercial that says “but we ALL bundle”…. er I mean…. ” But we ALL update!”
I would love to see people putting things in separate piles, one to donate, one to reuse, one to throw in the landfill. Let’s see if we can make the landfill pile the smallest one before be Bagster it!
I sure hope no one watches this ad and decides to take a sledge hammer to their bathroom before going off to Lowe’s to check on the prices of materials for the bath of their dreams. The fixtures in that bathroom are all in different places, and I don’t think the original bathroom could even hold all that’s going on in the second, it looks like they bumped out the window and took some space from another room for that shower. Some serious bucks were involved in that renovation!
I know, it’s an ad, they can do whatever they want to make their point, which is, Hey, come into our store with your checkbook or credit card, we need to make some money, and we do it by convincing you to get rid of something and replace it with something from us. (And guess what, in a short time, we probably will be selling pink tiles, and then you can come back for some of them!)
One more thought… Lowe’s motto is “never stop improving”…. we really need to share our comments with them if they are sincere about their motto and wish to “improve” their advertising campaigns!
That’s a good one, Jana!
I love your site, but have never commented until now. I was appalled by the commercial and let Lowe’s know it. Having a background in customer service/sales, I know that nothing makes a company pull product/advertisements faster than hearing that people are not happy with the offending product/commercial/etc. Also, agree with the comment about it being a ‘K-Mart’ world out there in terms of home decorating and design. I’m lucky enough have been born and raised in Portland, OR (we love our vintage!) and grew up in my Grandparents’ post-WWII home (with all the fixtures and furniture to match!). I had a love of MCM at an early age and it makes me so happy to see it being appreciated by more people.
Welcome to commenting, Jana F! I really appreciate hearing from you. It’s interesting how this one has touched a nerve…
Shame on Lowes is right! What a waste! What an insult! Why not demolish a dark, dirty, obviously yucky bathroom instead of one with beautiful mid-century design?
Lowes: Research your market better. We love mid-century modest and we’re here to stay!
I hate that commercial too. And when I saw it I thought “wow, I bet Retro Pam would be pissed to see this” LOL.
You all know me too well….
I go crazy whenever I watch programs on HGTV and DIY network and the hosts encourage destroying instead of recycling. Years ago I felt horrible when I disposed of items that I wanted to recycle because I did not know where this could be done. Today, there is no excuse since there are stores such as Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, Craigslist, ebay, and numerous other options readily available. The hosts of these shows destroy rather than refurbish also. The other thing that gets me boiling is the constant painting of wood. With so little real wood around today hiding the beautiful wood should be a crime if it is in good condition. Thanks for letting me rant!
I am with you! Painting brick, wood and stone is just wrong in my eyes. I could see covering it, carefully, so it could be revived when the fashion pops up again, as it will sure as the world turns.
Hi Pam. It’s me. You know, the one who took a sledge hammer to two mid-century bathrooms.
Okay readers of Retro-Renovation. It is not as bad as I make it sound. We lived with them for 15 years. Please note that they weren’t cute and pink. People had been tweaking them for years before we got there. One was barely functional. You couldn’t open the drawers in one or the cabinet doors in the other because the toilets were installed right next to them. I am not making excuses but the time finally came. I originally loved them, but in the end they were making me crazy. After saving our pennies, the time finally came when we could add a bathroom to our son’s room and then expand the two mid-century bathrooms. There was no preserving their bits of yellow and green tile because the tile stood right in the path of the wall that came off the back of the house to do the addition. And, what did we put in their place? Bathrooms that pay homage to mid-century. Maybe not the mid-century of pink bathrooms, but definitely mid-century modern. I love our house and love mid-century but sometimes ya gotta do what you gotta do. AND, yes, Lowes was absolutely silly to destroy such a cute pink bathroom (even though a set). A nasty 80′s bathroom would have been better. If our bathrooms had looked like the Lowes before bathroom, they would be still standing.
why would anyone ever destroy something in such good shape? it’s sickening. and not because of the color or style. i am (sorry) not on the pink bathroom bandwagon. i wouldn’t want to live with one. but, oh dear, what i wouldn’t give for a bathroom in as good repair as the “before” bathroom in the ad (in any color)! the encouragement to destroy things in good condition horrifies me. i guess it’s my retro values.
also, i can’t for the life of me see any way that the “after” bathroom could be the same room. which is more funny than upsetting.
Hi Pam,
Yes, I saw the commercial and was disturbed with the message of disregard for the mid century designs that we all so love. I have tried very hard to retain as much of my homes original 1965 charm, although my husband wouldn’t go as completely as I wanted. We have modernized where we had to, but still have our lavender bathroom with original linoleum and laundry room bath, both with original wallpapers even! Our kitchen was in bad shape, but we kept our cabinets and modernized with a new stove and more modern looking marble tile countertop.
For folks that want to update but retain mid century elements, there are certainly so many ways, none of which presented in the Lowe’s ad.
Thanks,
Jean
I agree with everybody saying that there is no way that was the same room – the after’s perimeter was differently shaped! Imagine the expense involved in reshaping an exterior wall the way they did, as well as knocking down an interior wall to expand. That’s before you even factor in disposing of all the old material and buying/installing all new. If you have that kind of money, why would you not just buy a *new* house to begin with? It would likely come standard with all the features the theoretical couple seem interested in.
Perhaps I’m a little perplexed in general by folks who choose to renovate old homes to look modern. It’s one thing to “update” something here and there for the sake of practicality, safety, or comfort, but another to completely change it head to toe. From a financial standpoint it seems counterproductive. You’re spending an excessive amount of money to cosmetically alter something that likely will not give you a return on your investment.
“Never stop buying”
“Never be satisfied”
“Never stop consuming”
I’ve seen a similar Low’s commercial where they tear into a house like it was junk when it wasn’t– smacks of insatiable consumerism.
I look at my wife and say, “They replaced that good old formica with 80s tile, and then with 90s corian, and then with 2000s granite. They’ll never stop until they come back around to formica and start the whole thing again.”
Sacrilege, pure and simple. Don’t care if it is a set. Makes me sick.
I suppose it’s for added “dramatic effect” but I never understand why kitchen or bath demolition on TV home “improvement” (using the term loosely…) shows has to involve sledgehammers. They twist doors off by the hinges then start hacking at the cabinetry, destroying all in the process. Yes, some of it is junk but it seems to me that some could be removed simply by removing a few screws, thereby allowing it to be reused by someone else like Habitat for Humanity or a similar organization – or it could be set out at the curb with a “free” sign on it for someone else to reuse. It seems so wasteful.
As my mother always said, “de gustibus non est disputandum.” The fact is, many folks — including myself — will never warm to the 50s pink bathroom. (I might consider it, if I had a house with three or more bathrooms and had a complete kitsch wing or something.) We have fully embraced our 1960s asymetrical, white concrete fireplace and I have warmed up a little bit to the blue and yellow baths (more to the former than the latter) in our new home. But I still miss and long for the original 1930s white/black subway tile, checkerboard floor and original sink/toilet/tub of our old house. If we had money to burn, or if our yellow full bath was not so well-built, we’d gut it in a second and retrofit with the white-black 20s-30s look with subway tile. It happens that we have more pressing projects to spend our hard-earned money on. But … if the yellow bath were 1950s pink? Sorry friends of pink, gutting it would be much higher up on the list. I totally ‘get’ the sledgehammer commercial.
Lowe’s AGAIN! First with the ugly door contest, then this. What are they thinking?
And, geez, you’d think they’d at least have made the bathroom look like a filthy, cruddy mess.
Boo… But I gotta share this one.
Hi Pam;
Thanks for posting that commercial. There are so many things wrong with it that I find it hard to pinpoint the most upsetting. Waste not want not was one of my Mother’s favorite sayings. When she passed and I was clearing out her kitchen cabinets I found a roasting pan that had started to wear thin in a spot on the bottom. Rather than throw it out she had used a metal washer, screw and nut to patch it. Never in a million years would she have wasted a perfectly nice, functioning bathroom. If my Mom and Dad could save a few pennies here and there then they knew they could maybe treat their grandkids to an ice cream cone or buy a new snowsuit for one of them. In their case it came down to choices. Live with the old, fix what you could and share what extra you had. xox Joan
I was very dissapointed to see her destroying the beautiful corner tub. How could you smash it into pieces?! Take it out and give to salvage store or call a salvage company to artfully remove it. There are so many people that want these tubs and not enough tubs to go around! It makes me so upset to see people destroying these rooms and homes to make them ultra modern to the point of unrecognizable disgust! You should always protect and honor such history! If it can stay around for fifty or more years, then it should stay for 100 more!
The reusable aspect aside, using sledgehammers in such a fashion is a one way trip to the ER for sure. The commercial is a prime example of ignorant upper crust corporate types hiring overpriced Manhattan ad agencies to promote something they obviously know nothing about.
I just commented on your flickr photo about this commercial! I thought of you the second I saw that commercial!
*growl grumble grumble*
I get SO pissed every time I see that damnedable commercial–for so many different reasons:
- crass, thoughtless consumerism
- lack of appreciation for a well-built and totally functional area
- thoughtless destruction without any regard for recycling or reusing materials
- lack of imagination and individuality, and mindlessly barging ahead to follow the herd with the ‘latest and greatest’ trends
- complete obliviousness to the fact that the pink bathroom’s materials, construction and craftsmanship is better than anything you will get nowadays–especially anything coming from Lowe’s!
So yeah, anyways… that commercial really pisses me off.
Appreciation of a pink bathroom requires some knowledge of design, history and social circumstances surrounding the period. Not to brag, but i educated myself about these things and grew to appreciate the mid century era. That said, i am strongly repelled by other design eras from earlier periods. The effect of design and architecture on people is complex.
My husband and I are always talking about how HGTV’s shows like Bath Crashers, Room Crashers demo everything in the room. Even if it isn’t your style there are so many reasons to donate anything that can be reused: Tax write off, helping the environment by recycling, helping someone less fortunate than you and basically, JUST DO THE RIGHT THING, recycle all that stuff!
We don’t get why they don’t do that? It is so crazy to us! Such waste, they should really be ashamed.
I h***, h***, h*** [edited] those pound-’em-’til-they’re-pumice shows and comercials. I like, like, like your post. After a long career, I’m 55 years old and about to retire. My passion in retirement? R-E-N-O-V-A-T-E a bunch of 50s-60s brick ranches. And by renovate I mean R-E-S-T-O-R-E. Pooie patooie on anybody who glories in the destruction of these pieces of irreplacable artwork.
We had to tear out a pink tile bath to get to the rot behind it, and I do not have the resources to put it all back like it was… frugal is the game of my life right now. I have been looking for a forum that I thought was linked to here back when I was hoping to save my pink bath (maybe a few years ago!) so I could offer up my towel bars, soap dishes, TP holder, and hundreds of pounds of 4″ pink tile for sale. Lots of rounded-over edge pieces and a variety of corner pieces as well. I even have some pink formica if someone really wanted it. Does anyone know where I should go to offer these items to appreciative people?
craigslist
thanks, I had a memory of there being a place more specific … took my photos and am headed to craigslist now…
I, too, thought there was a companion to this blog where things could be offered. Is it still among the viable?
center column — http://retrorenovation.com/forums
Oh, my… I tried that last night and got a ‘page not found’ the couple of times I tried it – probably my internet… sorry! Off to read there!
bummer… still getting the 404 message. Will try back later.
Figured it out… I must have followed the link from elsewhere and there was no ‘s’ on the end of forum, which would take me to forum/member.php which would then give a 404… each time I tried to type forumS it was remembering where I went yesterday and trying to send me there again. Wish I could remember where I was that took me there so I could let them know!!
Goodness gracious. I’ve been trying to reconcile my Easter-yellow bathroom; tub, floor/wall tile, vanity top and all (I painted the yellow walls with a soft white, I can only handle so much yellow) with a little more contemporary look, and I simply can’t bring myself to rip any of it out (except maybe the vanity and built-in medicine cabinet, which while functional need a LOT of help). There’s a certain amount of charm my original yellow bathroom has, and while I can appreciate getting rid of a vanity (I certainly want to!) that doesn’t mean you have to demolish the whole thing! Loving this site – thanks for your passion : )
I’ve been a fan of RR for quite awhile now-but just saw the Save The Pink Bathroom part of it…{maybe I was avoiding it-knowing what I’d see} I
too can no longer watch those reno shows because one too many times I witnessed sledge hammers destroying perfectly {and I am sure much better quality} bathroom & kitchens. Broke my heart one too many times!! So-I am with the STPB league all the way!!
yup! I can’t watch them either…
Indeed!
I agree, I like watching these remodeling shows to get ideas, but I really hate it when I see them destroy cabinets that look way better than most people have. I am currently putting in new kitchen cabinets, ready to assemble cabinets that were very reasonably priced. We carefully took out our old cabinets which are probably 30+ yrs old and put them on Craig’s List, not only to get a little $$ to pay for our new ones, but I cringe at destroying something that can still be used. I have 9 people who are interested in my old cabinets and countertop. So yes shame on these remodeling shows that destroy. They could donate some of that stuff..
OH! Those poor pink tiles!!! This makes me so sad.
My Pop was a contractor and carpenter. He used to save all the material that he took out of people’s bathrooms, especially if he felt that they were in good shape, quality and vintage. He loved the old stuff and would always say that newer supplies were just not made the same. He would go out of his way to refurbish, recycle or construct by hand before he would pour money into those big box stores. Sigh …