Retro Renovation » mosaic

Colvin’s pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles

pam kueber — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:59:53 +0000

Vintage pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles – pinwheel pattern. Could there be anything more luscious to find in a mid-century home?

Upon request, Colvin has sent in a close up of the floors in his pink and gray vintage bathroom. It really is so lovely – notice the slight shading of the dot within the pink 1×2’s. Ahhhhhh. Thank you, Raymond!

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60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom

pam kueber — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:00:27 +0000

JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile, which would be great for a 1960s bathroom floor. It’s from a company new to me — Nemo Tile. There are 60 different color combinations to choose from.

Notice the multicolored mosaic on one wall only - you can see it in the mirror

Design tips for your bathroom renovation: Choose a mosaic pattern… select one color from the floor tile and pair it with a matching 4×4 field tile. For the bullnose, I’d probably stick with the same color as the field tile. I’d also likely use a matte finish for the field tile with this particular flooring. Another possibility: You could choose one single color from the multicolored mosaic floor and use it on the walls. In this case, it could also be great fun to run the multicolor mosaic up one wall like this bathroom (look in the mirror to see what I mean).

John writes:

Hi Pam,

What do you think of the photo attachment from Nemo Tile Co.? I was at an architects office today on business and I saw this sample in person and it looks kind of retro 1960s to me. The company is Nemo Tile. This pattern is called Appiani, and they are 1″x1″ ceramic and they come in small slabs with a net backing. This color combo is called Country 01. I also like the aqua 06 and also lavande, which is a mix of two medium blues.

Best, John

John – love love love it. Thank you! Nemo Tile also has other fantastic patterns that I will continue featuring. Great find.

Magically delicious.

Lawrence Bill, you were looking for a new floor for this bathroom. These Nemo Appiani tiles look like they *might* have a color that could work for you...

Nice. These remind me of the the vintage Romany Spartan tiles ubiquitous in the 1960s — some of them even have splatters (molded into the tile, rather than a glaze, it appears).

: This was Cindy’s original tile floor — matched with 4″ wall tiles.

Numbers one, three and number nine — my favorites. I so badly want to be an interior designers with a gazillion clients, so that I could do a bathroom in each and every one of these 60s colors.

Link: Nemo Tile.

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Gina’s 1960s mosaic splatter tile bathroom

pam kueber — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:35 +0000

WELCOME TO GinaUSA’s 1960s bathroom. I am really quite in love with this style of mosaic tile — 3/4″ or 1″ squares — and in this case, with little porcelain splatters. I generically call this “Romany Spartan” tile because that’s the company that seems to be in all my vintage magazines. I know of at least one source for tile pretty close to this, still (continue after the jump.) Ooooh, peek at GinaUSA’s door handle, too — crystal. Yes, you can add this bit of sweetness to your house, if you prefer it rather than mod metal.

Here is a close-up of Gina’s bathroom tile. Those splatters also provide a bit of slip-resistance, I bet.

Gina has nice built-in, too.

Want to replicate the look? I found this wide selection, real 60s-70s-80s colors, at S.J. Masters:

And of course, there’s pink!

Thank you, GinaUSA, for sharing your bathroom! I am so happy you love it and are not changing it. It looks to be in great shape. What a treasure.

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Meet the Flintstones – retro tile, that is

pam kueber — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:00:44 +0000

This past weekend I made my long-awaited pilgrimage to S.J. Masters Tile in Canaan, New York. Salesperson Debbie was as wonderful and helpful as can be. She tells me they do A LOT of business with New Yorkers who own 2nd homes in the area and are updating them in retro style consistent with their original design. Hurray! I have lots and lots of tiles to show you over time. S.J. Masters had a good selection. Today: This fabulous Flintstones tile (above) and a similar Pebblestone mosaic. I love love love love love these! I need to find me a 60s groove pad to restore, drats!

Anyone can order from S.J. Masters. Alternatively – check the biggest tile store in your area to see what kind of selection you can uncover. The further you get into the 50s, then 60s, you’re looking for mosaics! And it’s amazing – with mid mod so hot today, I’m seeing more and more great alternatives!

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Adding interest to mosaic tile in a retro renovation bathroom

pam kueber — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:59:57 +0000

This bathroom from last week’s Austin mid century time capsule has an interesting detail that I want to point out: You can clearly and easily see the 1″ or 3/4″ square mosaic tiles bridging the shower/tub and toilet. But look in the mirror above the vanity: You can also see the same mosaic on the facing wall – but with additional, randomly spaced accent tiles. Using the mix on just one wall is a great trick to add interest to a mosaic bathroom – but not overdo it.

60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile,...
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1964 Romany Spartan tile – classic stuff for retro 60s bathrooms and kitchens

pam kueber — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:00:14 +0000

There definitely seemed to be this whole Roman thing going on in the early 60s. When did Spartacus come out? Vegas had Caesar’s Palace. Was everyone traveling to Italy?

Today I am traveling over to Cindy’s in Holyoke to see her house, then we are going to the Restore. To heck with Bergdorf’s and Nieman Marcus — we want to wade through used hardware and tile!

Cindy’s 1963 bathroom has Romany Spartan tile very similar to the 1964 stuff. It’s wrecked in places, and she has been doing a lot of research and footwork. I think that has found us all some new options. Full report to come! Oh gosh, and I have her report from S.J. Masters to post, argh, I forgot!