1960, I love you. I recently heard from reader Lynn, who has just bought a 1960 brick ranch house that includes some great original features — like this amazing laminate-covered vanity. She call it a “giraffe” or “leopard” pattern. I’ll call it “Wilma Flintstone’s”. Luv. Read on for Lynn’s story and 6 more photos of this rare and delicious time capsule bathroom.
Lynn writes:
Pam,
My husband and I bought our empty nester downsize home. It is a 1960 all brick ranch. We have not moved to it yet, and would love feedback from readers for decorating and remodeling ideas. I would like to send photos of the pristine bathrooms: … one a brown with mosaic flooring that I have not seen anywhere on your site yet. Also, the vanity in the brown bathroom has a leopard or giraffe print on the vanity.I think it is a Satin Glide style. The kitchen was redone in the 70’s or 80’s, but the original pink metal General Electric kitchen was moved to the basement, pink sink and pink cook top intact and functioning. Most of the light fixtures are original. I discovered your website several weeks ago when I started trying to find photos of my very unusual giraffe vanity. I’m learning to love what I have.
Lynn
St. Louis, MO
Well, heck to the yeah for that bathroom vanity, Lynn! I love it. Remember: Socrates or Plato or Aristotle or some smart vintage dude like that taught us: “The rare is the good.” You vanity style is not exceedingly rare — but laminate covered like that? YES.
And assuming your bathroom wall tile and floor are in good shape — they are quite valuable too, very very expensive to replicate that mud-set tile today — if you can even find someone to do it. The floor looks like it might be porcelain — again, very very expensive to buy and install. This bathroom = Easy to love! Many thanks for sharing it with us!
Jan says
About a week after Pam put this on RetroRenovation, I drove past a mid-century house with some construction “trash” out by the curb. There was a square piece of countertop with one rounded corner with the coolest laminate on it. It literally screamed at me to stop and get it. Well, I realized this morning where I’d seen that laminate – it’s exactly the same “spotted” laminate that Lynn has on her bathroom vanity! I haven’t exactly decided what I’m going to do with this piece of countertop, but it’s going to go someplace special!
pam kueber says
YAY for Dumpster Divers Anon!
tammyCA says
It’s funny that my first thought was that I didn’t care for the colors, but now I think it is very cafe’ au lait…and, anything Flinstones is cool with me…I grew up watching them in the 60s. 🙂
We just finished having our ’54 shower redone with a vintage feel & I know they put a hot mop in, which I think is more common in CA (there was tar, cement, wire mesh).
And, speaking of bathrooms…the other night I walked into a church restroom and was so surprised to find wall to wall pink vintage tile and hudee rings on the sinks. I didn’t think this church was that old, but the pink tile looks exactly the same shade as the sample I have from B&W…gonna bring it next week to compare when I go back to the church. 🙂
Christina says
My parents have that exact same laminate on their vanity! The tile looks the same too, only theirs is in avocado green. Ah, the sixties.
mimi says
I have one too, with all the 50’s colors. Salmon, mint, citron-lovely…
Janice says
Wow! As much as I LOVE the floors and “dip me in chocolate” brown tile, it’s that vanity that has me swooning! My husband and I are in the planning stages of fixing our 1954 master bathroom that got a update in the 80’s and I’m seriously trying to figure out how to mimic that Formica job. Wow – Love that bathroom!!
Melissa Keller says
Lynn, what a find you and your husband and located! I, too, live in St. Louis and when I was house shopping was hoping I could find something that was still “original” as I was not searching for one of the newer cookie cutter homes. Saw a few lovely homes in the 1950’s and 1960’s timeframe with wonderful pink bathroom, original avocado green kitchens but nothing like your bathroom. Unfortunately I didn’t choose one of the homes with the “character” bathrooms but still got my 1950’s home. Perhaps one day it will resemble it’s original self 🙂
Congrats to you and your hubby!
StuccoHouse says
Perfection.
Laura's Last Ditch--Vintage Kitchenwares says
Amazing. Love it!
Marion Powell says
One of the things so nice about a 1960’s one owner house, no, home, is that the women were still full time homemakers . Perhaps housewife is a better term because they spent so much time making sure their houses were perfectly clean.
Thus, time capsule homes in great shape with no remodeling. My first house was a 1967 all brick. We bought it for price and location. When we pulled up the ugly carpets we found hardwood, of course. The house was 17 years old at the time but the interior looked brand new. Alas, we moved with a job transfer.
Dale says
Awesome!! But are you sure it’s actually old? The toilet is a newer elongated style (which means nothing really, although at the time you could get a brown commode). The bars are all new stainless from the home center. The mirror looks newer as well. This almost looks like a fun reproduction to me. If the shower has a newer mixing valve with no evidence of tiles being patched in I’d say all the wall tiles are new.
pam kueber says
I agree the toilet looks newer… and the grab bars — to “age in place” — are too… but the rest of the bathroom including the mirror and the tile and vanity etc: 1960, for sure!
Lynn says
Pam,
We bought the house from an estate. The couple moved there after their children were grown and gone, therefore, very little wear and tear on the place. The wife continued to live there after the husband passed away, therefore the grab bars in the bathroom. Also, the laundry was moved to a spare bedroom on the main floor. The owners were meticulous. A place for everything, and everything in its place. I found labels on the insides of the pink kitchen cabinets saying which towels were supposed to hang inside which door. The tool area in the basement has outlines of each tool, and the storage shed built inside the garage has a marked place for everything. There are hardwood floors under all of the carpeting which I doubt have seen the light of day in 50+ years. I am overwhelmed by all of the comments on the bathroom. This is really fun.
Lynn from St. Louis