Retro Renovation » pink bathrooms

Pink was not always the color for girls

pam kueber — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Men, embrace your pink bathrooms — there’s historical precedent, it seems, to cast aside the silly notion that this is a color just for girls. Arcalus Bo recently sent me an article that indicates that prior to the turn of the 20th century and possibly through World War II, we gave little credence to the notion so entrenched today that “blue is for boys” and “pink is for girls.” The article in particular cites research from Jo Paoletti of the University of Maryland. Her bio says she has spent 30+ years researching and writing about children’s clothing in America, with a focus on the development of gender differences. The University of Utah Press will publish her monograph, Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America, this year. In a nutshell, the story seems to be that it took a long time for gender differences related to clothing colors to become entrenched and that the pink/blue divide is really pretty recent. Even so, recall that evolutionary biologists now also are weighing in on the subject with some studies indicating that women gravitate toward reds and pinks as the result of natural selection reflecting their hunter/gatherer role. Links: The Straight Dope story about girls and boys and pink and blue, and Jo Paoletti’s blog on ethical fashion and conscious consumption. Image: A very lovely 1954 Kohler ad, woof woof.

10 facts about vintage pink bathrooms Pink bathrooms are very interesting. Here are 10 facts about...
Save The Pink Bathrooms – All This Week SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS: My other little blog got its...
1,000 Save The Pink Bathrooms photos Berry of My Life In Sequins contributed the 1,000th...

Vintage Villeroy and Boch pink bathroom

pam kueber — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:55:52 +0000

Hi Pam,

I saw this at my local architectural salvage store. It’s a German-made, pink bathroom set, complete with soaking tub, bidet, sink, and toilet. I’ve never seen anything like this one [available now at the] Second Use in Seattle.

Alison

Indeed, Alison, indeed.

Vintage 60s orange, harvest gold, avocado and colonial brick flooring remnants Second up in 3-for-Wednesday Reader Shout-Outs: Alison spotted these vintage...
Vintage pink bathroom fixtures for sale in Columbus Mitzi sends along this ad – a vintage pink...
Vintage shower doors, toilet tank lids & more at Second Use in Seattle It’s very cool to know that there is now a...

Mid-century modern pink bathroom vanity

pam kueber — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:59:34 +0000

Karen spotted this mid-mod pink vanity on craigslist in Vancouver. The material it’s made out of is not specified. I wonder if it’s steel. Even if so, you could fabricate it in wood, mdf, or laminate, I bet. Lovely lines indeed.

Fun pink laminate vanity Hi Pam, I was just trolling craigslist here in...
Kerri’s atomic bathroom vanity – before & after Here is the latest gift from the retro decorating gods:...
A bathroom vanity design including both wood and laminate Can’t decide whether you want a bathroom vanity made...

Fun pink laminate vanity

pam kueber — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:59:11 +0000

Hi Pam, I was just trolling craigslist here in the DC area and ran across this amazing pink bathroom vanity. Woo! — Uncle Atom

Woo, indeed. Thank you, Uncle Atom. Update: listing gone. Sold?

Mid-century modern pink bathroom vanity Karen spotted this mid-mod pink vanity on craigslist in Vancouver....
A bathroom vanity design including both wood and laminate Can’t decide whether you want a bathroom vanity made...
Bathroom vanities made from laminate When considering bathroom or kitchen cabinetry for a mid-century remodel,...

Michael, conscientious savior of his “functionally perfect” pink bathroom

pam kueber — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:59:28 +0000

Lots of pledges over on Save The Pink Bathrooms lately. I’ve been following up with some, and getting photos to go with. Here’s Michael, who said in his pledge:

My little ranch-style house was built in 1958. I bought it in 1998 and the main bathroom was PINK. For 11 years I debated about whether to get rid of the pink. Well, it will be saved partly due to procrastination but also because it is in perfect condition. The grout and tile (except floor) look like they were installed yesterday. I cannot, in good conscience, demolish something that is functionally perfect.

I’m always curious to know how folks find the Save The Pink Bathrooms site (and this one, too). Michael told me, “A friend came over for Christmas and saw my pink bathroom. She is a fan of them and forwarded your site to me via Facebook.” Cool.

Liz’s pretty in pink bathroom Here’s another bathroom that says “pretty” before it says “pink.”...
Colvin’s pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles Vintage pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles – pinwheel...
Save The Pink Bathrooms – All This Week SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS: My other little blog got its...

Sheila, Defender of Old Pink Bathrooms

pam kueber — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:00:24 +0000

Make a pledge to Save the Pink Bathrooms, and you never know: You might become the lead story on Retro Renovation. Sheila’s story about her vintage pink bathroom was so perfect (and her bathroom, so dreamy) that I just had to feature it.

All photos are of Sheila’s updated bathroom. Her Pledge:

When my husband and I bought our 1950 ranch-style home in Michigan, we had a definite consensus on one room being that “the pink bathroom has got to go”. The bubble gum pink tile with burgundy trim; the floor that gives some a sense of vertigo if it is stared at too long was the epitome of a bathroom that I could not picture myself owning, let alone liking. I am a practical person though. That pink bathroom was obviously built to last. The tiles and floor were solid. It was hard to justify ripping this room down first as our house was one fraught with “opportunities”. Many more pressing projects were higher on the agenda. So dropping the bomb on the pink nightmare was postponed.

I pondered this bathroom for several months, confounded. The previous owners had given it battleship grey cupboards and trim; grey wallpaper with a burgundy floral design. It had gold metal glass shower doors that were impossible to keep clean, a door and a ceiling with obvious mould issues. It had two hideous glass light bars on either side of the mirror, also impossible to keep clean. Still I was completely stumped on how to tone down what felt like screaming pink. Inaction was really my only option, figuring one day the solution would come to me, and barring that a wrecking ball was an option.

After a kitchen renovation, new furnace, basement waterproofing, basement makeover and 2 kids later, my attention turned once again to fixing up what my daughter calls “the Barbie Dream House bathroom”.

Still, dang it — that tile was solid as the day it was installed. Then it occurred to me that I should just learn to love this bathroom, play up how incredibly campy it was and stop thinking about ways to tone it down or minimize it. I turned to the internet.

The day I Googled “fun pink bathroom” was the day that I found this website. Suddenly I began to think that maybe I actually owned something kind of cool. You can be the judge on the final product but I honestly am so proud of how it turns out. Bright, clean, unique and above all, PINK. And I’m finally more than OK with that.
Thanks Pam!

Sheila, Defender of Old Pink Bathrooms

Of course, I had one more question for Sheila, to which she responded:

My dog’s name is Maggie, rescued from the pound on Memorial Day weekend this year. She is very sweet and being a JRT, she is a handful.

And, Sheila confirms that is indeed a fluted (reeded?) piece of built-in glass between the bathroom countertop and adjacent dressing table. Yowza. Serious Love. Now that I look, Sheila, where did you get the new light bars that flank the mirror? I love the effect…very glamarama Hollywood backstage dressing room-like. Works really well to light up the bubble gum pink.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that there is pretty much nothing that makes me happier than pretty pastel bathrooms – saved… and their owners, converted. Sheila, your bathroom is spectacular! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

10 facts about vintage pink bathrooms Pink bathrooms are very interesting. Here are 10 facts about...
Pink bathrooms: On the mid-century most endangered list? A TOPIC LIKE “SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS” deserves a snazzy...
1,000 Save The Pink Bathrooms photos Berry of My Life In Sequins contributed the 1,000th...

1,000 Save The Pink Bathrooms photos

pam kueber — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:12 +0000

Berry of My Life In Sequins contributed the 1,000th photo to our flickr Save The Pink Bathrooms pool. She titled one of her photo, “new apartment.” I asked her for the story and she wrote:

Hi Pam! My apartment building was built in the 50’s and everything has been kept exactly like it was back then. They have 3 different bathroom tile colors — pink, blue and seafoam green. When I found out I was getting a pink bathroom I was pretty excited. It’s so silly that it puts a smile on my face every time I walk in! Taking pictures in there makes me giggle, so the pictures tend out to be upbeat and catch me at my girliest. – Berry

Berry’s blog says that she loves Ikea, zombies, and music. I am getting her address so that I can send her a little prize for her 1,000th photo in the pool. Hmmm, what shall I find in my humongous stash o’ retro for her? Stay tuned. Thank you, Berry!

Vintage apron for Berry Berry contributed the 1,000th photo to our Save The Pink...
Save The Pink Bathrooms – All This Week SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS: My other little blog got its...
Taylor sets the mood for my first-ever Save The Pink Bathrooms talk I couldn’t stop smiling all day long after Taylor — a Retro Renovation reader...

Cats love pink bathrooms, too

pam kueber — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:59:31 +0000

Elizabeth Mary writes: “My cat Daisy has recently become fascinated with my computer monitor and is glued to it in the evenings. But, this morning, she got up on the desk as soon as I turned on the computer. I thought you would like to see her admiring the your post.”

10 facts about vintage pink bathrooms Pink bathrooms are very interesting. Here are 10 facts about...
Sheila, Defender of Old Pink Bathrooms Make a pledge to Save the Pink Bathrooms, and you...
Pink bathrooms: On the mid-century most endangered list? A TOPIC LIKE “SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS” deserves a snazzy...

1949 pink flamingo decorative tile wall panel from Mosaic Tile Company

pam kueber — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:22:11 +0000

These mint-in-box pink flamingo wall tiles from the Mosaic Tile Company may well be the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. They are for sale now at BungalowBill.com. Worth every penny of the $2,300 price. Here is what Bill says on his site:

This HUGE panel by the Mosaic Tile Company of Zanesville Ohio dates from 1949 and comes straight from an estate in Florida. These tiles were never installed. They have been packed safely away for 60 years, looking as new as when they came out of the factory. Traditionally a panel such as this was used as the focal point on the back wall over the tub and shower. But, if you can’t commit to installing this prize and leaving it for the next owner, you can always mount and frame it for moveable enjoyment. Your bathroom doesn’t even need to be pink!

60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile,...
Gina’s 1960s mosaic splatter tile bathroom WELCOME TO GinaUSA’s 1960s bathroom. I am really quite in...
Vinyl sheet flooring with a mosaic tile look: Earthscapes Rivulet Marsha took inspiration from the blog and found this vinyl...

Save The Pink Bathrooms – All This Week

pam kueber — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:01:59 +0000

SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS: My other little blog got its own retro renovation this summer, with new tile and wallpaper and content, too. This week we celebrate with a deep dive into this iconic mid-century color and why it’s really okay, America, to save your vintage pink bathrooms. Do you want help? (1) Click here to make a comment and “take the pledge” today. And (2) spread the word. Thanks!

Taylor sets the mood for my first-ever Save The Pink Bathrooms talk I couldn’t stop smiling all day long after Taylor — a Retro Renovation reader...
Pink bathrooms: On the mid-century most endangered list? A TOPIC LIKE “SAVE THE PINK BATHROOMS” deserves a snazzy...
1,000 Save The Pink Bathrooms photos Berry of My Life In Sequins contributed the 1,000th...