Now here is some serous vintage bathroom porn: Satin Glide bathroom vanities, medicine cabinets, shelving — and even a Relaxion Unit to compete with Hall-Mack — all from a 1963 brochure. We see these metal vanities occasionally — I do not know if they really held up well to the humidity in a bathroom. We also see slanted wood vanities like this — like in Chris and Angela’s 1964 bathroom.
Catalogs and images like this: Great for design tips to recreate a 1960s bathroom. For example, I think it would be relatively easy — if you had a good cabinetmaker — to replicate this vanity in a lightweight MDF. And, you could trim it in metal kitchen countertop edging. I’ve even think those legs are getting easier to find now that the rest of the world has gone mid mod mad — finally catching on to us. Hey, I even think you could replicated the Relaxion Unit pretty easily.
Tip for slide show: Click on first image, it will enlarge, use arrows below each photo to move forward or back. You can start anywhere. Photos are set to render as large as 680 pixels wide.
Plastic bathroom tile: 20 pages of images from 3 catalogs 
20 pages of 1969 modern lighting from Moe 
Decorating a 1960s kitchen — 21 photos with even more ideas from 1962 kitchens 
Moe honeycomb lighting: The full line, from a 1968 catalog, plus 4 hilarious room shots 
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That wallpaper looks like Orla Kiely’s stem print!
Or more correctly said: Orly Kiely’s wallpaper looks like that stem print. Not much design today is really *new* IMHO.
^^ what she said! ^^
Oh, it does!
That is the very medicine cabinet we had in our house while I was growing up (complete with the light) ( the houses were built in 1974 or 5)
Braun / nutone still makes the medicine cabinet/ mirror combo…but alas, without the attached light.
the vanity is pure fab! I want one!
I’ve heard the new NuTone/Broan versions of these are flimsy. I’ve been trying to find someone that has them for sale locally so that I can see for myself, but to no avail.
Yes, BlueJay, this is a concern. I have not seen the new versions myself. I featured a MIB item on my ebay carousel last week. I think it went for about $25 plus shipping. Vintage IS out there. Also watch your Re-Store.
I’ve owned both the new/repro NuTone and two vintage versions, and I thought they were all flimsy. The problem is that because it is “picture hung” on the wall and not inset, everything has to be light weight. The mirror in particular is on very thin glass, which tends to slightly distort the reflection (think funhouse mirror but subtle).
In the end I took the cheap mirror and frame off and just hung the box part on the wall (took a bit of sawing through the frame but not bad). I’ve got two walls of high quality plate mirror that have been there forever, and they’re mounted all around safely so it works for me.
Someone handy could sort of *easily* replicate these looks with high quality, I think…Build the box – add stainless steel or aluminum trim from our countertop suppliers… sliders are pretty easy. Says someone who has no woodworking skills. I need to get ’em and start hacking these designs.
After much conversation, we’ve decided to forego the cosmetic box for our downstairs bathroom renovation in favor of an over the toilet cabinet similar to the Satin Glide version (It’s either one or the other, as our bathroom is about 4′ by 6′). We’re gonna try and build it ourselves out of MDF! It will definitely work better, as storage is limited in the room already so this will provide that, but keep the vintage look.
My grandparents had that one too in a circa 1980 trailer they owned! I wish I had removed it prior to the demolition (long story). 🙁
What a surprise!
I still have this lighted, glide vanity mirror in my bathroom. Nice to know what era it is from! It has held up fairly well, although I have contemplated replacing it, but have not as of yet. It still functions, with minimal rust in the cabinet. My glides are mirrored panels, which reflect the light well. I think it’s the only thing in my bathroom that has not been updated in the last 30 years or more.
No one has mentioned it as it’s not the focus of the post, but I’m in love with the toilet that doesn’t touch the floor. What a dream to clean that would be. Do they still make that style or is it strictly high end?
That was the comment I was going to make! I was thinking about how easy it would be to clean or replace the flooring.
At the time, those were called “Floating Toilets” and were designed to make it easy to clean the floors! They still make them–I believe it’s Glenwood by American Standard. My 1965 house has two of them. We replaced them with new ones, just like the originals. They are no longer considered “high end” but more like “gas station” lol. But I love them! The thing is, the water and sewer pipes have to be in the wall instead of the floor, so you can’t just replace a normal toilet with them.
Desperately searching for one of these vanities for our bathroom! Looove them! Thinking I may have to have one custom built?
Yup: Copy it, in MDF.
Love every bit of it!
We have that toilet in bleu our 1969 bathroom! It’s an Eljer. American Standard makes a similar model now called the Glenwall.
Thanks Kae. I googled the Glenwall and it looks great. However, when I thought about it, besides the price there would be all that plumbing cost. Changing from a floor pipe to behind the wall would probably double the cost.
Maybe in my retirement cottage!
Well, we faced the same plumbing issues when thinking about replacing our toilet. “Old Blue”, as my husband calls it, was manufactured in 1961 and is showing its age. Higher end wall models are available, but they require construction changes to house their frames within the wall. The Glenwall is the best substitute we can find, but it just won’t be the same as “Old Blue” and won’t match our blue sinks and blue sunken tub.
try deabath.com for possible replacements for Old Blue… ?
Thanks for the suggestion, Pam, but we have already tried there. Actually, we have looked all over the country to no avail. Most places we contacted asked to see a picture of our toilet as they had never seen a blue wall-hung one.
I have this medicine cabinet. It works fine but is a bit tarnished on the top of the storage unit from items being placed on top of it. Does anyone know how to remedy this and clean it up?
See that? Panelling in the bathroom. I’m finishing off my bath with some knotty pine I got from a woman on Craigslist.
Mine is the same as Eartha’s kitchen, with that wide routed bead. Paneling like this ads coziness to any room, and where else would you want to stress warmth and security better than the throne room? Gotta build my shelves then the pine is goin’ in….
I really, really love these angled cabinets and vanities. I’d love to replace the vanity in our master bathroom with one of these.
I saw the exact same “Starfire” slanted glass front towel cabinet at Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley a year ago. Excellent condition, same knobs and mottled glass. Loved it, but was afraid to ask the price because I knew it would not be pretty. It has haunted my dreams since.
I adore the recessed ‘relaxation unit’ (?!) for TP, ashtray, and magazines – and the privacy wall.
We had a wood cabinet maker replicate Chris and Angela’s vanity, and it turned out quite nicely. Seeing these photos now gives me ideas for a match cabinet for above the toilet. That’s been puzzling me for a while. Saw Aurora in an open house this past weekend, but it was missing the cover for the light. Was it probably plastic? Think that would still be findable?
Our original blueprints for our bathroom show a half wall next to the toilet like the one pictured, but we weren’t confident how to add it back in. My minds eye had a relaxation cabinet built into it! Now I want to make it happen! These old ads always make the bathrooms look so big!
I had a late 60’s version of the medicine chest/mirror when I moved into my house. It was a similar model manufactured by Miami Carey, but was in such bad shape that I had to replace it. (hated to, but terrible inside rust, holes, chips, no handles and horrid mirror silvering was too much to deal; with). Wish I could have found a replacement model that was the same because I really liked the design of that style. I adore the vanity style and the cool wall hung toilet. (I’ve never seen one in person before) 🙂 To Kae: be patient — I have faith that you will find a fine replacement for ol’ blue!
Thanks, Jana. We just moved into this 1969 gem of a house and we love it, but we’ve been using a lot of patience.
I see my next cabinet project now!! Yes, I think solid wood – perhaps salvaged heart pine – with a durable paint finish would take bathroom conditions better than metal, and DEFINITELY better than particle board and foil finish (my present nightmare). But the lines are awesome! You just can’t buy great cabinetry like this anymore!
I bought a ‘time-capsule’ house that was built in 1969. I’m the third owner. The place was well-maintained, and I got a great price on it because it needed ‘updating’.
I have two bathrooms with medicine cabinets in this same style. One has a broken handle on the door, but they’re both in pretty good shape. I’m not ready to update my bathrooms just yet, but it’s nice to know that my fixtures are of value!
Wow, this is the only other place i’ve ever seen the “relaxation unit!” I had an apartment once that had one of these. The place was built in 1962 by engineers and had all kinds of retro charm. Not being a smoker, it never occoured to me that the little shelf next to the TP was for an ash tray. I think I had a glade candle in there!
I love my vanity & slide mirrors but they need to be replaced is there any where i can buy a ” new” old one ? the satin glide ?
I have a satin-glide 24 inches wide wit 22 inches high.I need a light cover diffuser ,can you or any direct me to the correct place to order it was built 1966 you show picture of the sma cabinet its yellow in color or your web site .HELP.
Try this company, otherwise, I don’t know where to point you — https://retrorenovation.com/2014/04/29/curved-light-bar-replacement-shades-vintage/
Good luck
I manage 36 apartment units that have these cabinets. Have held up very well. The only thing I am looking for are the plastic tracks that the doors ride on, or something similar that would work in their place. if anyone has any information it would be appreciated. Thanks
Try IFSCO http://ifscoind.com/
The whole ensemble of shapes and hues adds up to something very curious…and curiously satisfying; shades of what came before and hints of what might yet come; but Right Now isn’t quite present. The color pallete…
Purple
Lavender
Pink
Tan
Beige
Brown
Odd how it teeters on the razor’s edge between awful and fabulous. It doesn’t seem to ever settle on an esthetic certainty, almost like it intends to keep you moving along; getting your business taken care of and sending you out the door having never gotten a grasp on a definite vibe.
In fact, that era had the same effect on us “moderns” who were transiting through it.