Urban Outfitters features bedding, shower curtains, cloth curtains and wall art, all based on archival designs by Alexander Girard. I particularly like the shower curtains, and they are now on sale from $20-$25. The quilts — which also have matching shams — are pretty groovy, too. Urban Outfitters – Alexander Girard.

First spotted by SparklyThings.

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Bob wrote yesterday to ask for a “No. 622 Soap Holder with Crystal Tray…Over the years the Crystal Tray got broken and the plating in the soap dish is pitted and in bad shape….” This question comes up a lot. Here are some ideas.

1. Watch for vintage. First of all, if you keep your eyes peeled and can be patient, there is new old stock out there. A favorite new source: Anderson’s Classic Plumbing. Joy, who’s in the family and handles internet sales, recently contacted me. She found a major stash and is slowly but surely listing it on their site. The image above is from Joy’s stock – gorgeous. Also watch ebay — there’s usually always some vintage Hall-Mack of some sort listed at any given time.
2. Replace the whole thing altogether — Franklin Brass offers recessed soap and tumbler holders in both stainless steel (no rust!) and chrome. They look to have acrylic liners. Link here to FB soap dishes. Link here to my previous post on Franklin Brass products.
   

   Franklin Brass - stainless steel

3. Replacement acrylic liners. Buy a replacement acrylic liner: Okay, now I am *holding this space*. That’s because I coulda sworn a reader recently wrote in with a suggested source, but of course I can’t find it. (If I don’t nab the stuff as it comes in and make a post right away, my retroworld spins right out of control.)
4. As for glass: No known source that I know of. But if we find one, we will add it.

UPDATE: Larson Supply Catalog recommended by Lauren; I need to study.

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My catalog from The Container Store came the other day, and I thought they had a lot of nice possible  solutions for adding storage to a small bathroom. This is always one of our big topics… one of the headaches we must endure living with small, mid-century bathrooms. These glass shelves and brackets look like they are nice quality, and the chrome hardware and lovely green edge of the glass will look sleek in virtually any of our bathrooms, I bet.

They are not *super* cheap, though: $26.24 (on sale) for the 6″ x 24″ x 3″ shelf (the right size for a bathroom.)

If you want something easier on the pocketbook — there are simple mesh ($9.74 on sale) and acrylic shelves ($9.74 and up, on sale) of about the same size. Note: With bathroom shelves — especially in a small bathroom — you don’t want them to extend more than 6″ or so.

You might also scope Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target to see what they have. Here is the direct link to The Container Store shelving page…note, everything is 25% off as I write this. They have lots of other nice shelving and storage options. It’s good to keep an eye on this resource.

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Third up in 3-for-Wednesday Reader Shout-Out: Kristin hunts down toothbrushes to fit old-time porcelain toothbrush holders.

She writes:

hi. i live in a tudor cottage built in 1940. i have 2 full bathrooms that have all original tile work and ceramic accessories including toothbrush holders over the sink. i would love to be able to use these but all the modern toothbrushes have really big and round handles that won’t fit in the holder. do you have any toothbrush brand recommendations for toothbrushes that will actually fit in these holder?

Thanks so much, kristin

I did a little hunting around and sent Kristin this link for Butler Gums here. Now I can’t find her blog (Kristin, so sorry, remind me and I’ll add the link), but I know she found another model on the very same website that she said would fit. Proof: That there is no detail too small for us retro renovators. Finally, I must note that I also advised: Use an electric toothbrush. Truly. I am also a woman of many dental sagas, this is good advice, I’m telling you.

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I was at the big mall yesterday and scooted into the Restoration Hardware. I don’t get into this store very often, and I think they nixed me from their mailing list for the catalog. I guess I never bought anything. I noticed that they had some really nice pink towels on sale. Back at home I went online and saw that they have a large collection of bath towels, rugs and shower curtains.  In fact — I really really think there are a lot of shower curtains here to help out retro renovators — at left, are their choices in “blush” — there also are a number of other nice, mid-century appropriate pastels. Restoration Hardware is not cheap, but they have a good selection,  nice quality — and right now their bath linens are 20% off. Link to Restoration Hardware here.

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THANKS GO OUT TO JOAN (I *think*) for finding this new resource (other one here) for recessed porcelain ceramic bathroom soap dishes, shelves, towel bars and toilet paper holders. The manufacturer is HCP Industries, and they make these pieces in 33 colors, many of them great for a midcentury bathroom retro renovation. Click through for some tips on installing recessed shelves… a slide show and the link to HCP…

 

Some advice on recessed shelving in the bathtub surround:

• More is better, when it comes to shelving. I swear I am not a bathing beauty diva… I am very low maintenance in this regard… and even so, I have: shampoo, conditioner, super conditioner to keep my hair from getting all static electricity-y, shower gel, shaving cream, clearasil face wash, clearasil super scrubber, buffer cream stuff I got on a trip 2 years ago, etc. etc. etc. Now, aren’t you glad you know what’s in my bathtub.
• Also, if you have the choice, recess the shelves at the far back of the bathtub – not on the side. That way, when the shower curtain is open, you are not staring at the shelf.
• Oh and there’s more: I was told by the guy who installed the tiles in my tub surround, that after you shower, you should indeed leave the curtain open for as long as practical. This encourages the water on the tile and grout to evaporate, which will preserve the whole situation longer. I believe it.
• One last tip: Seal the grout in your shower/tub surround, too, he said.

Here’s the link to the HCP Industries webpages.

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If you are renovating  your bathroom and want to add an exhaust fan – consider this minimalistic, recessed fan/light combo from NuTone/Broan. When I updated my bathrooms, I added a light/fan combination above each tub. It’s really nice to have light directly in that area, and the fan works just fine from that location as the bathrooms are quite small. Two tips:  (1) Be sure to wire the fan and light separately – I am presuming this model makes that available. And (2) put them into separate (side by side) boxes so that you can add a timer to the fan. You can use this light in other parts of the house, but I do not believe that its exhaust-power is enough for a stove. For that, you need to get the more high-powered, “utility fan”. On that front – note that I am told that Nutone no longer makes the metal cover. Ugh. Try R&I Distributing to see if they still have any in stock. Or, you’re going to have to spray paint the plastic. Finally, note, I am on the scent of another source of an authentic vintage exhaust fan that might prove terrific – stay tuned. 

Product link

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Several readers have written recently to ask where they can find retro style 40s 50s 60s medicine cabinets – including the type with the vertical light bars to the right and left of the cabinets. As a starting point, it appears that Nutone-Broan has a number of options that could work in retro renovation bathrooms of various eras. Here is their medicine cabinet landing page – most of the images I show here are in the “Specialty” category.

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When we looked at Amy’s vintage 1964 aqua bathroom recently, I promised I’d make some additional decorating suggestions. One thing reader Sara suggested was playing up the tub/shower at the end of the room with a great shower curtain. Excellent suggestion!

I’ve always been a fan of Calico Corners – so asked their PR department to suggest some fabrics that would work well for a shower curtain and window valence. The came up with some great patterns that would work beautifully in Amy’s bathroom – and which would allow her to keep the vintage aqua tile while still bringing the bathroom into the present with modern-day textiles. Interestingly: Jan Jessup of Calico Corners points out right off the top that turquoise is in!

Jan Jessup from Calico Corners writes:

LAMBADA in Robin’s Egg – $18.99/yard  (tropical floral)

ROWLILY in Palm Beach – $25.99/yard    (tropical floral)

PROMENADE in Blue Sky – $27.99/yard  (multi-color stripe)

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How to add storage to a small mid-century bathroom?  With all the postwar focus on hygiene, why is there so little space for soaps, lotions and towels? We look at some minimal-clutter solutions today.
Stacie, who is in Texas, sends in the official question:

Hi Pam! I adore your site…it’s in my Google Reader and I read every post! My husband and I have a 1962 ranch we’re working on, and I was wondering if you had any knowledge of where to find a nice modern bathroom/over-the-toilet etagere. Our bathroom is small, (only about 30% of the original pink remains, alas…at least the tub and tile surround are still there!) so it would be great for extra storage. The only thing I can drum up online are either a) shabby chic/country or b) too contemporary. Any ideas?

Thanks so much!

Thank you, Stacie! This is a great question. I had the same issue in my small master bath with a wall sink. Some solutions:

1. Recess one or more cabinets. If you are, or can consider, opening the walls… you can use this space for built-ins. In fact, I think it is somewhat common to have 6-8″ of depth to accommodate the stack.  I had 8″ to work with, so we moved a pipe that was in the way and built an 8″ deep cabinet recessed into the wall above the toilet. We used vintage window shutters for doors, and framed it in. It looks great – and I’ll tell you, there is no beating recessing storage  to keep a smooth clean line in these small bathrooms.  I also have 8″ to work with behind the medicine cabinet above my sink. I did not use this space because a manufactured medicine cabinet 8″ deep cost too much. In retrospect, I wish I’d had something fabricated. I bet I could have solved the problem affordably…but you know how reno’s go, I was already at wit’s end with the details.  Note: In my husband’s bathroom, which is in the basement, we actually took over some space in the adjacent, unfinished basement area to build him a recessed bathroom linen closet. He loves it.

2. A vintage metal etagere. The only etagere solution I really truly have ever seen that I really liked is the vintage shelf-thingy featured in the lead photo at the top. Shortly after Stacy sent the question, Scott and Beth from S.E. Portland sent me photos of their 1962 ranch home including the etagere. They bought it at an antique store.  You may have to squint – but those are metal shelf/racks on chrome-plated poles. Scott said they added the clip-on light. Readers: Let’s be on the lookout for these, they are fabulous!

3. CB2. CB2 has a shelving unit similar in concept to Scott and Beth’s. It might look good in a very sleek modern bathroom (I am assuming you can adjust the shelves to position this above the toilet). They also have a long, low sliding-door cabinet that might look good right above the toilet – a small solution for small items.

4. Very basic cabinets. Other than the solutions above, other styles of etageres aren’t really my cup of tea.  I really needed the storage, opt for a simple cabinet above the toilet like those featured below from J.C. Penney and Target.

One final note: I agonized over whether to ‘cut into’ my tile to add more space for my built-in cabinet, and ultimately decided not to. I think that having one smooth line of tile all the way around a small bathroom looks much better. Too many jigs and jags in a small space is…jarring. At the end of the day: Think of this whole “problem” as an opportunity to pare back and simplify!

I’ll keep a lookout for more solutions. Hope this helps.

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