Gus recently discovered Retro Renovation while searching for advice about the vintage pink bathroom in his newly purchased 1956 home. While he is a fan of mid century design, Gus isn’t sold on all of the pink in his master bathroom. In addition to his uncertainty about the color, Gus wishes his bathroom had a few more functional updates — such as more storage in the shower for toiletries. So, Gus has asked us for our ideas to help with his Retro Renovation Design Dilemma.
Gus writes:
I’m a 30-year-old male from Florida and I recently purchased a 1956 mid-century modern home with terrazzo floors and exposed beam ceilings. The house has a pink master bath (half of all walls tiled in pink, terrazzo floor, pink sunken shower, weird angled vanity, metal ring around pink double sinks… basically classic pink bath).
Some of the tiles have flamingos and fish picture tiles (I’m guessing original owners did it since it’s Florida).
To be honest… I h*** [edited] them. I want to re-tile with a “friendlier” color scheme for re-sale. Am I really ruining good potential? Is there any compromise I can easily do (wall color…take down some portion of the tile, etc)? Update faucets?
I’m trying to be opened minded (since I want to stay true to the mid-century vibe), so please don’t take my post the wrong way. It’s just difficult to envision me as a retro lover. Anyone have advice on how to incorporate “new” features with the retro?
I want to make the spaces more masculine and fit my personal style which is mid century modern, but I feel the amount of pink makes it a little too monochromatic for me. Since I need to remove some tiles to replace the shower fixtures, what should I replace them with? I also want to add a niche in the wall to hold shampoo bottles, but the only place would be by the flamingo tiles.
As a fun bonus I added some photos of my second bathroom too!
Ok readers — now it is your turn to pipe in with ideas:
How can Gus decorate his bathroom to achieve his style goals,
as well as add some storage to the shower area?
Kate’s ideas to make a pink bathroom more masculine:
Gus, I really like your pink bathroom. The vanity and sinks are my favorite part. It isn’t often that you find a vintage vanity like that with hairpin legs and an extra thick laminate countertop. The sinks are gorgeous and the whole bathroom looks to be in very good condition.
As someone who is still working on building a retro pink bathroom of my own (having demolished a bathroom with poor layout that was not in good shape) I would recommend leaving as much of this bathroom intact as possible. It is hard work to gut one of these (likely) cement set tile bathrooms and costs lots of money to rebuild the bathroom afterwards.
“Re-tile with a friendlier color for resale?” Wait! With the rise in popularity of mid century and retro design in the last few years, more and more house hunters are looking for original character and details like this. My advice would be to renovate this bathroom as minimally as possible. You can never know what the next owners of the house will want. They could dislike whatever you might want to do to this bathroom. We are advocates of “love the house your in” here, but we also recognize the homeowner’s need to make their house work for them. That being said, it is always best to live in your house for a while before making any expensive or extensive changes. That way you can see what you like and dislike about each room before doing anything drastic or irreversible.
Kate’s solution #1: The grey area between feathers and stone
Since the original vanity is black with a neutral patterned grey laminate top, I suggest you add more of these elements to the room. Painting the walls a dark grey will help make the room feel less pastel pink immediately. This look was inspired by our recent post on Robert’s pink and black bathroom makeover. Just as Robert played up the black trim tile in his bathroom, adding more dark grey and black to your bathroom will make it feel more masculine.
Once you have the walls painted, it is just a matter of adding some accessories to the space. This black and white abstract design shower curtain from Target mimics the design on the laminate counter top and has a modern feel. Black bath towels coordinate well with the room or, to give a nod to the vintage “His and Hers” towels that were common in the 1950s and 1960s — a “Mr.” hand towel from Bed, Bath & Beyond gives a nod to the vintage while also proclaiming “this is a man’s bathroom.” Also from BBB, Shiny black and chrome bath accessories add polish to the space. Finally, adding a framed vintage flamingo print or two framed in black — like these from Ebay seller yorkietoy — repeat the flamingo theme from the decorative shower tiles without going overboard.
Kate’s solution #2: A flock of feathered friends
For this mood board, we continue to play up the black and grey in the space. Instead of paint this time — this Cole & Son flamingo wallpaper pays homage to the vintage flamingo shower tiles and the house’s tropical location in Florida. Adding a third color — the teal green from the wallpaper — gives the room more visual interest. Repeating this teal green in the towels and vinyl bubbles shower curtain helps the room’s design feel more cohesive. Finally adding a shiny stainless steel bath set helps repeat the chrome from the fixtures and hardware. When it comes to finding space to store your shampoo in the shower — instead of taking out tile to add a recessed niche — consider installing a ceramic corner bath shelf, which can be applied to the existing tile without tearing anything out.
Pam’s ideas for this pink bathroom:
Gus, Gus, Gus. Your pink bathroom looks to be an absolute gem. You knew we would say that, though, didn’t you?
I think that Kate’s mood boards are fabulous — so I don’t even need to do one.
I will add a few additional thoughts, which underscore some of the things she said:
- Remodeling for resale is quite often, a fool’s paradise. Read my story “Remodel and watch your investment plunge.” You typically do NOT make your money back when you remodel.
- There are plenty of folks who are looking for vintage houses with original features. Make that your goal if you plan to sell… Find a real estate agent who specializes in listing and selling mid century properties and as a result, connect with the kinds of people most interested in these vintage/historic houses. Read this important story, with interviews with three such experts — How to sell a midcentury house full of original features.
- I am covering my ears at the mere thought your considering removing those vintage flamingo tiles — which our resident tile expert Bungalow Bill points out are worth hundreds of dollars today! Virtually everything in that bathroom is SUPER COOL. You just need to get your head around a style that you may not be accustomed to seeing. You can do it, we know you can!
- A super key rule for any serious Retro Renovator just getting into their house, which may have features that at first, seem “odd” or undesirable to them: WAIT AT LEAST ONE YEAR to do anything you could later regret (unless there are safety or environmental issues, of course.) Learn about what you have… see if your mindset changes once you fully understand its history.
- Be sure to read everything on our other little website, Save The Pink Bathrooms. You are now the lucky caretaker of one of the most famous and, increasingly, most desirable features in a mid century house. Go with the flow!
- If you need replacement pink tiles for the shower area, see this story about World of Tile, which carries 95 colors of replacement pink tile. As many readers have mentioned — all the tiles in your bathroom are likely “mud set” — that is, set into cement. These are hallacious to take out. You will have a ginormous mess on your hands if you try to take out just a few.
- Oh, and your other bathroom, equally fabulous.
- For more storage in the shower, try this Simplehuman Adjustable Tension Shower Caddy (affiliate link) — preferable if it will fit your floor-to-ceiling height. If your ceiling is too high, go for Simplehuman Adjustable Corner Shower Caddy (affiliate link). A reader recently recommended these Simplehuman shower caddies — and I bought them for my bathrooms (one each.) They are very nice. They fit a lot of bottles. You have a really long shower — you definitely have the space. Don’t mess with that tile! If there are plumbing issues — can you go in via the other side of the wall?
UPDATE: After this story aired, I heard from Gus who writes:
It was definitely surreal to see so many people comment – and especially knowing someone recognized the flamingo tiles. I will definitely take all the input into consideration and will hold off on doing anything drastic. I appreciate what your website has done for allowing uninformed home owners (like me) to embrace restoration.
My plan forward is to hold off for a while until I have a set idea of what works/doesn’t work functional-wise instead of going full force too soon. I had just always envisioned an updated bathroom and never a 50s bathroom, so it was difficult to overcome the desire to renovate. I think in time I will learn to embrace the style more. As a side note, rest assured that I have not had that same mind frame with the rest of my house. There are many mid-century elements (like my indoor planters) that I have painstakingly worked on preserving.
Gus, we’re glad you are taking the time to live with the space before doing anything drastic. It will be interesting to see what you end up deciding to do (or not do). Keep us in the loop.
Stacia says
I read this article quickly this morning then was stumbling distractedly all over the place in my kickboxing class as the ideas were flowing through my head. So here goes:
Everyone is right about replacing the lights. They don’t seem period anyway. But please don’t change anything else, especially if you will resell anyway. This is one of the best bathrooms I’ve ever seen. That angled counter, those hairpin legs, double sinks… all that tile. You will not be able to replace it with anything built nearly as well… If you need storage in the shower go to Target and buy a standing chrome corner shelf. Paint the walls, door, etc. a medium gray. This color is the same tone as the pink and will make it recede instead of pop with contrast.
Now for the fun part… This is a great opportunity to RAMP UP SOME KITCH!!!! Show your fun and wild side while totally keeping to a retro theme. Don’t worry about matching the pink, just overpower it! There are plenty of masculine ways to do this. Fill the walls with lurid ’50s monster movie posters, sexy ’50s pinup girls, or cool framed car advertisements. Or go with the Florida thing and do Tiki–hula girls, totem poles, a huge stuffed swordfish, a diving helmet in the corner. How about mad scientist stuff–a retro chemistry set holding your personal items and period schoolroom science posters or fallout shelter signs and toy robots. Or outer space stuff? Or maybe the tongue-in-cheek Anne Taintor or Mary Beth Acosta artwork that has been featured on this blog? Then the pink looks tongue-in-cheek too. Whatever you do, choose something that makes you smile and reflects your personality.
A bathroom is a great place to go over the top like this because filling it up is easy since it is small and you spend relatively little time in it so you don’t get overwhelmed. Nobody (including you) will notice the pink anymore. AND, when you move (but why would you? 🙂 you can take it all down and put it in a man cave. There are tons of vintage and reproduction items out there to choose from and you can easily amass a collection like this for much less than it would cost to replace that tile. Have fun. I’m jealous!
Gus says
Thanks so much for all the comments everyone!
amy says
Hi Gus, the baths are quite…pink, yes. You know there is a good porcelain paint that might allow you to forgo a total gut. Having said that, I too have an older original house (1957), and the problems with the wiring and plumbing and lack of modern conveniences like an electrical outlet have made conclude that bath is on place that original needs to be considered possibly obsolete.
IF you decide to gut (and the bathroom is a prime candidate due to the possibility of mold behind the tiles, bad wiring, leaky toilets, then do it. A bathroom, above all other rooms of the house, shouldnt sacrifice function for the sake of vintage.
the colors could go then to light neutrals- perhaps tone on tone creams with texture as a foil. Shower niches (sold today in tile stores and DIY centers) would add needed space. The cabinet is awesome, simply changing the pink sinks for white and adding low voltage lighting at the bottom (great nighttime accent, put it on a separate switch) and the form still screams mid-mod. The floor looks solid, and a darker floor would benefit from both the lighter walls and the under cabinet light. Upgrading the lighting, perhaps more storage between studs with more niches, and punches of color with the towels and bath accessories, and there you go.
AJ says
To echo what others have said about men embracing the pink: when my husband and I met we were both 30 and I had just purchased the house we now live in. The bathroom was full of my vintage pink decor and I was making plans to retro renovate with vintage wallpaper and pink fixtures–and he was HORRIFIED at the thought of all that pink. Fast forward 3 years, and he’s so on board that he’s been the one searching for the perfect pink flooring tiles…and when he comes home from deployment one of the first things he wants to do is take a bath in “his” pink bathroom.
Please take some time to live with the pink before making any major changes–it really might grow on you! Even if you don’t end up loving it, you may find that you can at least live with it. (If you’re already planning on selling the house, at the very least you’d only have to learn to live with it until then.)
In the meantime, a great way to tone down the pink and make the room less “girly” could be to paint the walls gray and throw in some black accents–towels, rugs, etc. (I have a hard time seeing it in the pictures, but it looks like the bottom of the vanity is black?) There are also a lot of sleek accessories available in brushed nickel or stainless steel that would give the room a more masculine edge.
Chad says
You won’t be able to modify that tile and put a niche in it. Either you rip it out (which will cost a fortune – trust me, I’ve ripped out mud set tile myself) but you could probably find metal shelving that could go in there and would look similar to the existing metal towel bar. Or replace that, too, if you want them to match exactly. I like the vanity a lot, particularly in a midcentury house whose owner likes midcentury decor. I would keep it as is, sinks, faucets, and all, and paint the walls a similar dark grey color. Then keep the trim, ceilings, and any accessories like towels white. That’ll give you an understated look aside from the pink tile. Those sinks have unusual slanted decks for the faucets. If you can replace them at all, it’s unlikely you’ll find a different style. I’d just keep that bathroom as close as possible to a time capsule, even if aspects of it aren’t your taste. I just can’t see a partial update working. And if that’s not enough to make you like it in a year or two, you’re not committing any crime to rip it out and do something more to your liking. I wouldn’t because it’s not going to be a profitable investment and I don’t spend enough time in the bathroom to care if the existing tile is my taste (though I also probably like yours better than you do). If you think ripping it out is the only way to make it not drive you crazy, go ahead. Just do your best to make it work now and then wait a year or two.
Lisa says
+1 everything Chris just said! Get LOTS of grey paint chips to see which ones will tone down the pink and which ones will highlight it. I suspect you are looking for a warmer tone with brown or green elements — cool greys also look nice with pink but will give you more of a 50s poodle skirt vibe.
The two mirrors idea is genius. Paint the frames the same dark color as the vanity base (or the new vanity base color if you change it).
Ranger Smith says
Hi Gus – I think your bathroom is cool! My main bathroom has peach tile with blue accents – not exactly masculine. When I bought the house 14 years ago, everybody said “that’s got to be updated” – and I agreed. Fortunately, I didn’t have $ to do so at the time and just toned down the peach by getting blue towels accessories, linoleum, etc. Retro Renovation was a big factor in helping me to appreciate the integrity of the bathroom as it is. If I had changed out that peach tile 14 years ago, whatever I had put in would now look “dated”. As others have suggested, black or grey would look great with your tile. Maybe grey paint and black towels. Also, those flamingo tiles are awesome. Congratulations on your home purchase.
Chris says
I agree with a number of the comments. As a mid-thirties guy myself not sure I dig Mame Pink Baths though I can appreciate their historic context.
For bath storage I think the niche idea while great, is probably unworkable. Like other posters have said the tile isn’t on concrete backer board or plywood, it’s mud-set into a large wire mesh re-enforced mud bed, more importantly the flamingos you proposed removing to put in a niche appear to be on an exterior wall, so creating a cavity for a niche will either be a significant problem with your insulating envelope or if your home is concrete block (possible/likely in parts of FL) virtually impossible. SO you’re left with surface mounted storage that will be a fraction of the cost. Get some ceramic corner shelves mounted in the corners and you’ll have more than enough room for a guys shampoo collection. You can pick up white ones at your nearest big box, but it may be better to get colored ones to match a color from the flamingo tiles (green, blue, grey, etc) as there’s not really any other white in the shower.
For the walls: I’d remove the bulk head over the mirror with the non original strip lights. Replace with two wall mounted lights above each sink drawing the eye upwards to the wall away from the pink. Break the mirror into two mirrors the width of the sinks so that you have more wall color in the middle rather than reflected pink. Paint the vanity, door and trim white. Paint the rest of the walls dark grey. Don’t be afraid of darks, there is lots of light in this room from the two windows and the reflectiveness of the pink. My bath (which is also here on this site) has dark grey-green walls on top of white tile and it works. Get a matching dark grey shower curtain (actually buy the curtain first and then match the paint). Lastly leave the ceiling flat white if it’s not already.
Just my thoughts.
Robin, NV says
Chris – the two mirror idea is brilliant. You’re right, that big mirror just reflects more pink. However, the tile looks like it was set to frame the mirror. But I think you could still get two simple mirrors that would sit inside the tile just fine.
Ana says
I echo the suggestions of using gray for the walls with black accents. For example, you could remove the large mirror and replace with two individual mirrors over each sink and install three black Truman sconces (one between the two mirrors and one each on the outside of each mirror):
http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/lighting/wall-sconce-fixtures/truman.html
You can get mirrors pretty inexpensively or you can look for a pair of medicine cabinets for even more storage. Get ones with simple frames (or frameless) for a more modern look.
For a shower storage solution, there’s a kitchen storage system from IKEA you could use without breaking into the tile. You would hang a rail above the tile line and then buy some hanging baskets or shelves for your shampoo, soap, etc.
Here’s the rail:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20213538/
And here are some of the other components (which come in a couple of different sizes and finishes):
Caddy/container: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90226698/
Shelf: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30219709/
And you can use a clean-lined white shower curtain with black trim:
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/morgan-banded-shower-curtain/?pkey=cshower-curtains&cm_src=shower-curtains
For art, you can frame black and white photos in black frames with white matting.
Robin, NV says
I’m going to go way out on a limb here but – I honestly think a silver foil wallpaper would look fantastic in this bathroom and would help masculanize it a bit. Silver with black accents. But that’s just me.
I concur with what a lot of other readers have already said. The first thing I noticed were the lights over the vanity. A single, long bar light (or two) would look a lot better than the bulbs. Pendant lights would work too. As I see it, you could go with one of two design/color schemes. 1) graphically striking with black and white accents (white wall, black accessories, black and white shower curtain) or 2) sanitary white (white walls, all white accessories, with a dash of green here and there).
Lovely bathroom, by the way. I love that vanity with those to-die-for sinks. I agree with Sarah, removing some of the tile really isn’t an option. Plus a lot of people would love to have those mural tiles. Live with it for a while and maybe you’ll learn to appreciate it (if not love it).
Janet in CT says
That is the same idea I had as second choice, after painting the walls black – silver foil with black! I think this website is making alot of us think alike! I see alot of pink toilets and sinks on craiglist, in different shades from brighter more intense almost shocking pink to softer apricot/salmon pink. Sadly alot of people are still tearing the pink out.