Trina un-remodels her 1980s bathroom, restores its 1950s glory and adds some modern glass tile – 15 photos
pam kueber - Updated: September 4, 2012
Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.
Trina and her husband recently downsized from a 3,000 s.f. contemporary home to a 1,500 s.f. 1956 coolonial. “Life Simplified!”, she says. Yup! In the process, she gets to have some decorating and remodeling fun, starting with taking her bathroom — which suffered a nondescript 1980s remodel — back to its 1950s roots. And with so many people today loving glass tile, I think that Trina did a great job incorporating glass tile into her floor and wall trim — kind of “best of both worlds”. Read on, and you’ll also learn how she completed the bathroom remodel with materials mostly from Lowe’s and from suppliers located on Retro Renovation. Plus, 13 photos –>
Trina writes:
Eight months ago, my husband and I quit our “careers” and returned to our home town after 30-plus years. We are both about 50 years old, and life was flying past us, and we needed to take control. So, we sold our 3,000 sq. ft. home (for two people. What were we thinking!) and downsized in many ways. We relocated from TN to central PA and moved into a family-owned apartment and started looking for a smaller, more manageable home. We both agreed that this would be our final move so our list of needs/wants had to be fulfilled with this house. So here is what we came up with:
One story home w/ a basement
Room for a “man cave”
Smaller yard that offered some privacy
Workshop space for my stained glass hobby
Low maintenance exterior
We didn’t start out looking for a mid-century home, but it fit all of our requirements. Our home was waiting for us just ½ mile from where our apartment was located and had been on the market for 18 months.
Our little house on the hill. Built in 1956, as was most of the neighborhood. 1,500 sq. ft. feels just right.The house had not been care for over the past several years, and some poor decisions on “updates” needed to be addressed. At the top of the list was a major renovation on the bathroom, a minor renovation on the kitchen (major to come next year), paint entire interior, refinish hardwood floors, finish “man cave” in basement and a long list of other repairs.
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We have been amazed at all of the details that went into the design of this home. We have great built-ins in the hall way, bathroom, dining room and basement. They really utilized every inch of the space available. We were fortunate to have the original floor plans of this house. It was designed by Richard Pollman. It appears that Pollman designed many homes in the 50’s and 60’s. These plans were sold by Home Planners, Inc. out of Detroit. The header on the plans state “ Designs for Convenient Living”.
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Our plan was to attack the interior this year and then move on to the exterior next year. The floor plans show the original window box design as well as a very cool trellis. Can’t wait to jump on those projects, but first wanted to share with you some of our interior projects. .
First Up – Major Bath Renovation
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Faux, Faux, Faux. What more can I say. Cultured Marble everywhere. .
The vanity and countertop took up too much space making it feel small. Nothing truly fit the style of the house and needed to go, and so it did. .
It was stripped down to the studs and sub floor. We found three layers of everything. The original wall tile had been removed, but we were able to see the height on the walls and where they had run an accent tile. We utilized this for our new tile layout. The only thing we saved in the bath was the original tub.
.
Tile selection and design was a tough decision. Your site was truly inspiring and I poured over many, many articles over many weeks. We knew that we wanted to have a bathroom that honored the style of the house. With the original floor plans in hand I designed a bath that honored this 1956 home. For the wall tile we used Taupe Mist 4″ x 4″, from Lowes along with white subway tile, bull nose and cove. ..
And here is the result of our labor… .
Ahhh… This bathroom makes me feel calm each time I enter..
Shower built-in niche by Tile Redi worked great! .
Glass tile accents came from a 12” X 12” sheet cut into strips, also from Lowes. All tiles were stock items from Lowes. For the floor, we popped out random white tiles from the all white sheets and added the glass tiles to coordinate with the accent strip in the wall tile. Grout for floor is taupe to match walls. .
Our sink was a real find in the back of a pick up truck in a parking lot. For $20 it was mine. New legs and faucet and it was good to go! I choose these legs because they were adjustable. My husband and I are both tall and others seemed too low for what we wanted. These are adjustable from 29 1/4″ to 31 5/8″. Source: MSC Industrial Supply Co. / MSCdirect.com / MCS Item # 37023892 /$66.84.
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I also purchased my sink brackets from DEA Bath and they worked out great. I bought two of them and doubled them up to support the weight of this larger sink.
(Joe the cat approves)
We found the original medicine cabinet in the attic. I still need to order new light covers, but it all still works great!
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While we did not go with a Pink Bath, we are pleased that this bath fit’s the design of the home. .
Minor Kitchen Renovation
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Trina’s 1956 kitchen “before”
The kitchen was functional and the budget just did not allow for a major renovation at this time, so I decided that I would let color do the work for now. .
Trina’s kitchen “after”
I repainted the kitchen cabinets, painted the walls and updated the hardware. New curtains pulled it all together. This is just a happy kitchen and I love it! Sherwin Williams Sunbeam Yellow and Tame Teal paints gave new life to this plain kitchen. .
New knobs from Hickory Hardware gave some bling. Painting the sides of the drawers with the Tame Teal brought out the unique, curved drawer design. .
This is our built in china cabinet. I painted the back Tame Teal, exterior white and added the same chrome knobs as the kitchen. Perfect home for my Franciscan dishes. The soup tureen on the second shelf was a wedding gift for my parents in 1958. .
So for under $150, I gave new life to this old kitchen with the original wood cabinets and I could not be happier with the results. .
In the future we will install new Formica counter tops. I am leaning towards Beluga Beige. Thoughts? For the floors – VCT. Color? We plan on replacing the appliances as needed.
This is now my happy place. Love to sit at the counter, drink my coffee and catch up on what is new on Retro Renovation. Thanks for everyone’s postings, pictures, ideas and recourses. I love the house I am in! Thanks for listening! Make it a great day!
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Trina
Trina, you rock, girl! I am sure that your bathroom will provide lots of inspiration to other readers, so thank you so much for taking the time to chronicle your effort and all the resources you used. What goes around comes around, so you know we’ll be happy to help with any questions about next year’s kitchen renovation. In that regard, I am due for a big scan of current and new laminate options – so watch for an update soon. Honestly, it looks like you don’t need much help, you seem to have perfect instincts.
One of my bathrooms is the same color as yours, although at the time I bought the tile from Home Depot, the color was called Rose Beige. I find it very soothing and adaptable to accessorizing with blues and greens – as you have.
I LOVE that you and your husband honored the 1950’s heritage of your “new” home!!! You did a wonderful job selecting the tile and using the original medicine cabinet! And you did wonders with paint in your cheery kitchen! Good for you!!!! My hope is that more baby boomers will join the throngs of twenty and thirty-somethings in loving the many humble ranch homes still looking for some love.
Cindysays
Did you go with 1″ or 1 3/8″ knobs in the kitchen?
lynda murraysays
I Also LOVE how you put the random glass tiles in the bathroom floor. Your bathroom really updates the typical 1950’s style. It might appeal to people who would normally remodel a 50’s style bath…great idea for resale.
lynda murraysays
I love the way you painted the sides of the drawers, What a great idea. I also love your paint color choices. Thanks for including the names….I think I’m going to use some of your ideas for my workshop kitchen.
Sharisays
Trina, Both kitchen and bath are beautiful! The use of glass mosaic is beautiful, and I want to incorporate some into my design.
I need to renovate both bathrooms in my 1954 home, tub and wall tile are original but floor and sink/vanity in terrible condition. I was about to pull out everything to the studs and get rid of it then put in updated style until I came across this website. Now I am so confused!
I hate the baby-blanket blue tiles of the master bath, plus want to convert the tub to a shower for easier access. Now I notice that the master tub is in perfect condition. How can I just toss it? However, the underlying plumbing needs major repairs. I haven’t showered in there for 6 years because of plumbing and crumbly grout.
The kids’ bath is a cute lemon chiffon tile but the bathtub (exactly like yours) is badly chipped. It has the wrong drain direction to swap it with the other bath. The grout is terrible and water has gone behind them to the non-waterproof backer and easily gets into the ceilings below. It needs to be torn down and rebuilt.
I don’t have the time or creativity for an extensive labor of love but want to put some thought into it. Do I somehow try to keep some of the original tiles and the chipped bath, or do I just go ahead and start over? Need help! Does anyone want the blue tiles we remove or should I just leave those that survive demolition in the attic as a “gift” to the next owner?
Jessesays
Nicely done Trina. It’s amazing how much difference the color makes in the kitchen. Gives me some great ideas for my recently purchased 1951 rancher. It’s all original, but in need of some TLC.
cheers,
Jesse
Reneesays
Thanks for sharing your story. Let me tell you I am so jealous that you have a Richard Polman home. I have a couple of books of his plans and I want to find a vacation home he designed in the Dallas area. It isn’t easy to find a home who the owner knows who the architect is. I loved your story and pictures and results too!
Trinasays
Renee,
We were blessed to have been handed the original plans for our house. At the time I did not know who Richard Polman was, but after doing some research, I see that he was very involved in the design of homes during the 50’s and 60’s. The plans are just very cool themselves. I want to have them framed and hang them in the house as art work. What could be more appropriate?
Good luck on your search for a Richard Polman vacation home!
Living Life Simplified
Trina
BlueJaysays
Trina,
My wife would like to know more about your kitchen curtains. We did this exact same paint scheme (we used a slightly SW Burma Jade and a slightly different yellow), but we’ve been unable to find curtains to coordinate. When I saw the pictures of your kitchen, I was grinning ear-to-ear; we have almost the exact same layout and have done almost the exact same things to it! 😀
Trinasays
BlueJay,
Thanks for the inquiry. The curtain valances came from JC Penny’s. They are still a stock item, I saw them just last week. I think I paid under $15. a panel for them. I looked on their web site and didn’t see them there (they were on sale). Good luck finding them.
Living Life Simplified
Trina
STL Momsays
I can’t believe how much difference the paint colors made in your kitchen — it looks wonderful! Your bathroom is also terrific.
ChoirGirlKTsays
Oooh Trina! I am living the teal dream, too! At my house, it’s also on my front doors, in the bath, and in the laundry room add-on!
Your kitchen and bath look super great! When we bought our 1956 ranch, we had to just rehab the original bathroom: mint green sink, tub, and toilet, with white tile everywhere else. But the toilet was broken so I got a white (inexpensive/readily available) and sink was rusted-out-looking, so it got glazed white. Sadly, the flooring guys broke the original medicine cabinet and ceramic built-in towel bars 🙁 Just not a lot of space to maneuver in there, I guess. Your pics make me want to search for another old-style medicine cabinet! GREAT JOB! I love seeing these old houses get lived in and loved on again.
Trina and her husband recently downsized from a 3,000 s.f. contemporary home to a 1,500 s.f. 1956 coolonial. “Life Simplified!”, she says. Yup! In the process, she gets to have some decorating and remodeling fun, starting with taking her bathroom — which suffered a nondescript 1980s remodel — back to its 1950s roots. And with so many people today loving glass tile, I think that Trina did a great job incorporating glass tile into her floor and wall trim — kind of “best of both worlds”. Read on, and you’ll also learn how she completed the bathroom remodel with materials mostly from Lowe’s and from suppliers located on Retro Renovation. Plus, 13 photos –>The vanity and countertop took up too much space making it feel small. Nothing truly fit the style of the house and needed to go, and so it did.
It was stripped down to the studs and sub floor. We found three layers of everything. The original wall tile had been removed, but we were able to see the height on the walls and where they had run an accent tile. We utilized this for our new tile layout. The only thing we saved in the bath was the original tub.
.Tile selection and design was a tough decision. Your site was truly inspiring and I poured over many, many articles over many weeks. We knew that we wanted to have a bathroom that honored the style of the house. With the original floor plans in hand I designed a bath that honored this 1956 home. For the wall tile we used Taupe Mist 4″ x 4″, from Lowes along with white subway tile, bull nose and cove.
Our sink was a real find in the back of a pick up truck in a parking lot. For $20 it was mine. New legs and faucet and it was good to go! I choose these legs because they were adjustable. My husband and I are both tall and others seemed too low for what we wanted. These are adjustable from 29 1/4″ to 31 5/8″. Source: MSC Industrial Supply Co. / MSCdirect.com / MCS Item # 37023892 /$66.84.
.I also purchased my sink brackets from DEA Bath and they worked out great. I bought two of them and doubled them up to support the weight of this larger sink.New knobs from Hickory Hardware gave some bling. Painting the sides of the drawers with the Tame Teal brought out the unique, curved drawer design.
This is our built in china cabinet. I painted the back Tame Teal, exterior white and added the same chrome knobs as the kitchen. Perfect home for my Franciscan dishes. The soup tureen on the second shelf was a wedding gift for my parents in 1958.
This is now my happy place. Love to sit at the counter, drink my coffee and catch up on what is new on Retro Renovation. Thanks for everyone’s postings, pictures, ideas and recourses. I love the house I am in! Thanks for listening! Make it a great day!
.Trina
Victoria LeResche says
I LOVE that you and your husband honored the 1950’s heritage of your “new” home!!! You did a wonderful job selecting the tile and using the original medicine cabinet! And you did wonders with paint in your cheery kitchen! Good for you!!!! My hope is that more baby boomers will join the throngs of twenty and thirty-somethings in loving the many humble ranch homes still looking for some love.
Cindy says
Did you go with 1″ or 1 3/8″ knobs in the kitchen?
lynda murray says
I Also LOVE how you put the random glass tiles in the bathroom floor. Your bathroom really updates the typical 1950’s style. It might appeal to people who would normally remodel a 50’s style bath…great idea for resale.
lynda murray says
I love the way you painted the sides of the drawers, What a great idea. I also love your paint color choices. Thanks for including the names….I think I’m going to use some of your ideas for my workshop kitchen.
Shari says
Trina, Both kitchen and bath are beautiful! The use of glass mosaic is beautiful, and I want to incorporate some into my design.
I need to renovate both bathrooms in my 1954 home, tub and wall tile are original but floor and sink/vanity in terrible condition. I was about to pull out everything to the studs and get rid of it then put in updated style until I came across this website. Now I am so confused!
I hate the baby-blanket blue tiles of the master bath, plus want to convert the tub to a shower for easier access. Now I notice that the master tub is in perfect condition. How can I just toss it? However, the underlying plumbing needs major repairs. I haven’t showered in there for 6 years because of plumbing and crumbly grout.
The kids’ bath is a cute lemon chiffon tile but the bathtub (exactly like yours) is badly chipped. It has the wrong drain direction to swap it with the other bath. The grout is terrible and water has gone behind them to the non-waterproof backer and easily gets into the ceilings below. It needs to be torn down and rebuilt.
I don’t have the time or creativity for an extensive labor of love but want to put some thought into it. Do I somehow try to keep some of the original tiles and the chipped bath, or do I just go ahead and start over? Need help! Does anyone want the blue tiles we remove or should I just leave those that survive demolition in the attic as a “gift” to the next owner?
Jesse says
Nicely done Trina. It’s amazing how much difference the color makes in the kitchen. Gives me some great ideas for my recently purchased 1951 rancher. It’s all original, but in need of some TLC.
cheers,
Jesse
Renee says
Thanks for sharing your story. Let me tell you I am so jealous that you have a Richard Polman home. I have a couple of books of his plans and I want to find a vacation home he designed in the Dallas area. It isn’t easy to find a home who the owner knows who the architect is. I loved your story and pictures and results too!
Trina says
Renee,
We were blessed to have been handed the original plans for our house. At the time I did not know who Richard Polman was, but after doing some research, I see that he was very involved in the design of homes during the 50’s and 60’s. The plans are just very cool themselves. I want to have them framed and hang them in the house as art work. What could be more appropriate?
Good luck on your search for a Richard Polman vacation home!
Living Life Simplified
Trina
BlueJay says
Trina,
My wife would like to know more about your kitchen curtains. We did this exact same paint scheme (we used a slightly SW Burma Jade and a slightly different yellow), but we’ve been unable to find curtains to coordinate. When I saw the pictures of your kitchen, I was grinning ear-to-ear; we have almost the exact same layout and have done almost the exact same things to it! 😀
Trina says
BlueJay,
Thanks for the inquiry. The curtain valances came from JC Penny’s. They are still a stock item, I saw them just last week. I think I paid under $15. a panel for them. I looked on their web site and didn’t see them there (they were on sale). Good luck finding them.
Living Life Simplified
Trina
STL Mom says
I can’t believe how much difference the paint colors made in your kitchen — it looks wonderful! Your bathroom is also terrific.
ChoirGirlKT says
Oooh Trina! I am living the teal dream, too! At my house, it’s also on my front doors, in the bath, and in the laundry room add-on!
Your kitchen and bath look super great! When we bought our 1956 ranch, we had to just rehab the original bathroom: mint green sink, tub, and toilet, with white tile everywhere else. But the toilet was broken so I got a white (inexpensive/readily available) and sink was rusted-out-looking, so it got glazed white. Sadly, the flooring guys broke the original medicine cabinet and ceramic built-in towel bars 🙁 Just not a lot of space to maneuver in there, I guess. Your pics make me want to search for another old-style medicine cabinet! GREAT JOB! I love seeing these old houses get lived in and loved on again.