Posts tagged as:

50s bathroom

Mid century blue bathroom sink, toilet and tub – real American beauties

by pam kueber on February 14, 2009

deabath_blue_suite_l

John at deabath.com reports that they remain hard at work on saving the 50’s fixtures. He recently pulled this vintage blue set of 1956 Standard Sanitary Works fixtures out of a home doing a remodel. Isn’t the blue just luminously lovely? 1950s blue bathroom fixtures.

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Nancy completes her yellow 50s bathroom

by pam kueber on November 10, 2008

From Nancy’s yellow 50s bathrooms

Maryland Nancy has completed the retro renovation of her 50s bathroom – and it’s spectacular. Nancy gutted two small, worn bathrooms to create one larger guest bath. She was intent on maintaining the mid mod feel – and incorporated original yellow fixtures. I recall at one point, she emailed me that she had finally chosen her tile colors – and was so happy that the blog gave her confidence to embrace color. This bathroom is a testament to take some chances! Nancy, you have a beautiful eye, way to go!
Heck yeah there is more…

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Palm Springs Stephan finishes his retro bathroom renovation

by pam kueber on October 24, 2008

Palm Springs Stephan finished his bathroom – it looks great! – and sends us this complete report, which includes a couple of new sources that I for one need to check out Heck yeah there is more…

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Nancy pines over the Star Line Housewares bathroom hardware that got away

by pam kueber on October 4, 2008

Glamorlux Nancy sends in this beautiful retro bathroom hardware set — which got away from her in an ebay auction a year ago. MIB — good stuff.

Hi Pam,

Thanks so much for featuring our bathroom! We were “tickled pink” (har, har) to see our little bathroom on the World Wide Web!

I’ve been meaning to tell you: These starburst “Star Line Housewares, Inc.” bathroom accessories were up for bid on eBay over a year ago. I was outbid on them and have been kicking myself ever since for not putting down a higher bid. Wouldn’t it be amazing if some modern company like Rejuvenation repro-ed these?! Here is the tumbler/toothbrush holder, soap dish, double robe hook, tissue holder and towel ring.

I’m ashamed to say that I only bid $102, and they went for the next highest bid. When I saw I had been outbid, I actually shed tears – which I’d never done before or since over an eBay auction. I sorta became obsessed with them (you always want “the one that got away”), and even emailed the high bidder, asking her to sell them to me at a nice profit. She was very sweet, but declined. She’s restoring the bathroom in her 50’s ranch house (she was also redoing a pink kitchen). Hey, maybe she visits your blog, and can show us pictures of her wonderful, perfect vintage bathroom with the starburst accessories in place! Grrrrrrr…

Thanks, Nancy. Alas. Rejuvenation, are you watching?

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Chrome sink legs and brackets for your wall mount sink – from deabath.com

by pam kueber on October 1, 2008

In addition to the Franklin Brass chrome sink legs I’ve written about, Deabath.com offers this set – from a different manufacturer – for $50/pair. With their ‘hexagon’ styling they are spot-on retro for the 40s and 50s.

Deabath also offers three other varieties of sink legs. They are more expensive models – heavier castings – and generally, for earlier periods. Although – the set authentically reproduced from 1935 has timeless modern appeal – yummy!

Tips:

Remember… take any wall hung sink … as long as it has holes to take legs toward the front/underneath … add chrome or stainless steel legs — and voila, you’ve got a great retro look.
Note – these sinks can be a little ’shorter’ than pedestal sinks today. When I installed my vintage sink w/legs, I added some rubber baby buggy bumpers (rubber gasket thingy’s) at the bottom and top of the legs to get a little more height. Worked fine, can’t see it a bit, and the sink-height issue, which I tortured over in advance, turned out to be a non-issue. And I am 5′8″.
Finally, A sink with legs means you will have to find places to store your lotions and bottles other than a vanity. And, you will have to keep that bathroom tidy and free of dust bunnies. But, in smaller mid mod bathrooms, a sink with chrome legs really opens up the space and makes it feel bigger. And keeping your bathroom clean is a righteous thing.

Here is the url straight to these legs on the deabath website: deabath.com/pedsinks/wallhung/wallhung.htm

Also new to their site - this beauty.

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Toilet seats in 94 colors – for your retro bathroom

by pam kueber on September 23, 2008

I think I have finally lost my marbles. Jumping up and down in my office, all excited to find a company that offers 94 different colors of toilet seats… and dying to share it — to stop the presses — to postpone the planned laminate story — get this NEWS on the blog! Heck yeah there is more…

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Retro bathroom: 1959 green and blue bathroom from American Standard

by pam kueber on August 14, 2008

A yummy 1959 American Standard bathroom today – fabulous, don’t you agree? I LOVE the vanity – which we have seen before in pink (and which a reader actually told me that she bought!). And that toilet – why did these off-the-floor designs not catch on? Don’t you hate the dust bunnies (or worse) clinging to bottom of your toilet where it meets the floor? Ick. Also, check out the flooring, so emerging-groovy, and of course, the color palette – also heading decisively into the 60s. Ad: 1959 American Standard.

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Midcentury Keith’s amazing 1958 pink bathroom

by Pam Kueber on July 19, 2008

I met Midcentury Keith when he pledged to help Save the Pink Bathrooms and posted photos of his own incredible pink jewel box bathroom on the STPB Flickr page. Oh my, it is a beauty!

Here’s Keith’s story… and hey, everybody, remember to make your pledge (a comment) to Save The Pink Bathrooms.

Hi Pam,

Thanks for the compliment! When I first bought the house a friend threatened me with my life if I didn’t keep the pink bathroom intact … so really, I had no choice but to keep it Actually, I love my 1958 ranch house – very homey. Not much was done to it over the last 50 years – thank goodness. I’m just trying to bring back its shine.

I’m in Steger, Illinois … I’ll fill in my profile today sometime. You inspired me to open a flickr account to post pics of my restoration progress (although I lost some of the earliest pics in a PC crash) – I enjoy seeing what others have done, so I figured I should ad my house to the mix as well. I hope to finish the main house by this fall – refinishing the floors is next on my list (and the last major project to be done!)

I check in on your site every morning with my cup of coffee – thanks for giving me something to get my day started in a positive way!

Thanks, Keith, I can’t wait to see the rest of the house.

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Retro bathroom: Black pearlescent toilet seat from Kohler

by Pam Kueber on July 15, 2008

Alexa was looking to dress up her dad’s 1951 bathroom, and I suggested she play up the black trim with a fancy black toilet seat. Well, here it is – the Black Pearlescent Kathyrn toilet seat from Kohler. Be sure to get the nickel hinges (chrome is also fine if that’s available.) The one caveat is that it is for elongated toilets only. If you have a round-front, all that I can find so far is plastic (not even wood). I’ll keep searching on that front.

One other thing – this is expensive, the list is around $250 as I recall, although you can find it cheaper online.

Also – it’s available in White Pearlescent. I have to say, if I had an elongated toilet, I would definitely get this, it is wonderful. And – I have seen precedent for it in vintage advertising.

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A 50s bathroom with dusty-grey-lilac tile

by pam kueber on July 12, 2008

My dad lives in an apartment building in Brooklyn that opened on April 1, 1951. I assume the bathroom is original. The bathroom floor tile is a (true) gray and white in a simple checkerboard pattern. The wall tile is a funky purplish-gray field with a black bullnose border. It doesn’t really go with the floor.

We’re going to renovate the bathroom, and I’d like to be able to keep at least the wall tile, but the color is impossible to coordinate. It’s not gray and it’s not purple. Have you seen this color before? What should I do with the walls and floor if I keep it?

Thanks so much,
Alexa in Brooklyn

Thanks for the photos, Alexa – what a gorgeous gorgeous color that tile is! In the palettes of the late 40s and early 50s you do see some dusty lavenders, but I have to admit you are the first reader to send in a bathroom this color. Here are some thoughts:

This bathroom definitely has a deco feel to me. For additional tiles, if you need replacements, the only place I know to send you is B&W Tile in California.
And I must say: Unless that floor is destroyed, please keep it! The photo does not show it in great detail – but from what I can see, it’s gorgeous as well! And I think you can work with the grey. It is neutral.
Put a black toilet seat and lid on that toilet to play up the black trim. The best you can buy, like, really substantial. I need to do some research on this…It’s bizarre to even think about “good” toilet seats, but I think there are truly deluxe ones out there worth the investment – like, with marbling and stuff. This will be fun. I think: Kohler…Barbara Baker or some high-style designer. Wicked expensive.
Finally, how about vintage wallpaper to perk that bathroom right up: I had to work hard to find the possibility below for you, it’s from Hannah’s. Can your dad handle a floral? If you’re doing wallpaper, you want to be careful regarding the scale – you’ve got 4″ tiles creating one kind of pattern, and then those smaller floor tiles creating their own thing, too. A wallpaper must complement but not compete. I really kind of like this floral, although if you can hunt some more and find something more deco, maybe with some metallic shine, that might be the very best. As I recall, Secondhand Rose is right there in Manhattan – maybe you could go hunt through their stocks? Yowza, what fun. I’d also recommend Bradbury & Bradbury – but nothing in purple family there.
Oh and accessories: Put in a brushed steel-style hamper, the wicker is clashing, it’s jumping out too much. Can you find one built-in side towel bar to fit the sink-from a salvage place perhaps? That way, the hand towels could move there. (Do you understand this suggestion?) For shower curtain, towels and rug: I would tend to think darkish grey, you want these to recede. But no need to make a final decision on this, until the other elements are completed.