I love my 1962 ranch house because it is mostly original and I can choose what I want to change instead of having to undo someone else’s “updates.” But, while I adore vintage bathrooms (especially the pink ones!), my original master bathroom is simply not cutting it in terms of function and cleanliness, plus its drab and dirty decor looks out of place with the rest of my cheerful house. That’s why — after living in our house and with this bathroom for 2 years — I’ve decided it is time to replace this old, original bathroom with the retro-modern bathroom of my dreams. I didn’t make this decision lightly — it’s a significant expense to remodel, for sure — but I count at least 12 reasons it’s time to renovate.
1. My master bathroom is mauve. I’m not one to shy away from color… I’ve decorated with everything from bright orange to mint green, but mauve is my least favorite color ever. When I wake up and go into my master bathroom, this color is just not communicating the bright, happy retro modern vibe that I long for. Even so, as much as I dislike mauve, I’m not one to base the need for a remodel on color alone. There are several other issues with my master bathroom that need to be fixed and quite frankly, it stresses me out!
Let’s start with the biggest offender, the shower. At first glance, it doesn’t look that bad…until you notice a few things…
2. At some point, the previous owners needed to repair the shower pipes, which necessitated removing some of the mauve tile. Instead of searching high and low for an exact match (they weren’t retro enthusiasts as many of us are), they replaced the missing mauve tiles with some brown tiles and called it “good enough.”
3. The grout is also cracking in the shower, which is not good at all. Cracked grout can allow water to get into all sorts of places that it shouldn’t be. This needs to be fixed ASAP.
4. There is no where to put shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. in this shower. I had to rig up a few suction cup containers and this shower caddy to get the job done. Not an ideal situation at all! Added bonus of this set up: Every once in a while the suction cup containers release from the wall in the middle of the night while we are sleeping, which scares us!
5. The final issue with the shower is the size of it. It is pretty cramped. An average sized person like myself takes no issue with this, but my tall husband with broad shoulders feels very claustrophobic, not to mention he has the tendency to accidentally bump the shower door open with his elbow while he is washing his hair, which gets water everywhere.
Next we move along to the sink area. At first glance this looks like an excellent example of a peachy keen retro sink, complete with hudee ring…
6. …upon further examination, you can see that the sink is rusting. I have tried and tried to get the rust off, but it always reappears after a few days. It probably has to do with the sink not draining well. Many times it will have standing water in it. We have tried cleaning out the pipes, but I think the whole drain line from the sink to the floor needs to be replaced. I’m sure there is 50 years of gunk in there just waiting for me to discover it.
7. The vintage faucet is also cool, but again 50 years of abuse has made it kinda crusty looking. It makes me sad because no matter how much I scrub, the sink never looks clean.
8. The years of moisture have taken their toll on the mirror and the wood trim on the window (the window itself is the only new thing in this bathroom).
9. The vanity is plywood and in decent shape. The two smaller drawers are great, but the pull out hamper smells like a thousand sweaty socks. I have tried nearly everything to rid it of that awful smell, but alas, I think the smell has embedded itself in the plywood. Now it is just a chunk of smelly wasted space.
10. There is a sad lack of towel bar space in this bathroom. All we have are these two bars, one works for the hand towels, but the other bar is not large enough to accommodate two bath towels while giving them adequate space to dry.
11. What this bathroom lacks in towel bar space, it makes up for in doors. There are two closets in the bathroom, the larger of which is where we keep our laundry baskets. It is very difficult to get them out of the closet and then out though the main bathroom door. It requires some tricky maneuvering skills and the doors constantly bang off each other.
12. The master bathroom also has plenty of light switches. There are a total of five different switches! When I remodel the space, I would like to have a fan timer switch and no more than two other switches. Five is far too many to keep track of!
This redo is going to be a gut remodel. I’m trying keep the cost down by moving as little plumbing as possible, but I am going to remove the mauve tile (which will basically necessitate new drywall), extend the tiny shower (to better accommodate my husband), replace the vanity, retile, paint and get all new hardware. From a design standpoint: My whole mantra is maintaining the retro while making it modern. I’m excited by the challenge of designing a new bathroom with the right retro vibe to fit the rest of the house.
I’ll be reporting on all the stages of my bathroom project here over the next several months. My next step is to draw up some plans and make a few mood board mock ups so I can source my materials. I’m also going to reread Pam’s bathroom remodeling checklist before I work out the budget. Stay tuned, this is going to be quite the job!
Jennifer says
Hi Kate, I’m especially anxious to learn how the demo of the shower goes for you. When I moved into my midcentury complete with original salmon tiled master bath, I REALLY wanted to remodel the bathroom to have a larger shower. But, my plumber father warned me that my shower would be solid concrete and would be about impossible to remove. So, we upgraded to a rainfall showerhead and lived with it… for now…
mimi says
For the future, for anyone that needs to replace pipes near the tub/shower, you can usually go in through a side wall, cheaper to replace drywall than tile.
Hubby just did some plumbing work on our tub, and went in through the bedroom closet. He left the hole and put in a panel for easy access in future
Mike S says
All one has to do is stick to the design principles of Danish Modern, and all will be well.
Pink bathrooms are cool, however they needn’t be ALL pink! Mix in some grays, whites, avocados, and teal blues, too. Of course, very dark charcoal (h*** total black) is awesome for trim work — and maybe even sink taps and knobs!
Be sure to post lots of photos of your progress!
Bruce says
SOS soap pad on that sink will shine up the chrome and remove that rust!!! Worked fer me!!!
Blufyor says
If you want to get a similar-looking faucet after you get new fixtures, that is definitely an American Standard model. The restrooms in my office have American Standard fixtures, including some sinks with the exact same handles!
An eBay search for the handles suggests it’s from the Heritage line. The sink handles and shower kits appear to be easy to come by but I don’t see a faucet exactly like yours (just more angular ones). Maybe someone at a plumbing supply store will be able to identify the faucet itself?
Bob Connor says
I would like to see a gut remodel as I may have to do one on my sister’s bathroom. It was originally a pink 1930 bathroom replaced in 1979 with a beige bathroom that is now a moldy ugly mess. Would it be possible to keep the rest of the vanity but rebuild the smelly hamper with fresh plywood? And get a modern sink kind of like you have? If you are having trouble with slow drains, it could be that the plumbing is not properly vented. Its not at my sisters and we will use a professional plumber to have it done right. I agree about the switches (needs GFCI protection) and the lack of towel bars but just add more. Also suggest watch a few Holmes on Homes shows as he tells a lot about how to do showers right. Be sure to ask your remodeler to use Hardibacker and KERDI membrane and consider in-floor heat too.
Cloud says
Careful on the non-love for the mauve, people – I totally get why she’s gutting her bathroom, and if she’s doing that she ought to go with a color she loves, but mauve is just recent enough to be caught in the no-man’s land of trendiness. In five to ten years, though, we might be squealing over mauve and popcorn ceilings covered in glitter!
pam kueber says
Yes. Agreed. Let’s be nice. Mauve may not be for everybody, but the evidence is clear that some like it or even love it: We have the vintage bathrooms to prove it. I am going to delete any mauve-h*** in the comments, consistent with my commenting rule, “No one can be made to feel bad for their decorating decisions.” Thank you for the reminder, Cloud.
Chris says
And anything with glitter in it will ALWAYS be super-fabuloso in my book. Ceiling, floor, countertop, nail polish….. 🙂
apsutter says
This bathroom looks like it was designed by a drunken architect.
Rocket Doc says
That’s the same faucet set and sink that were in one of my baths, except my sink is white. If like mine the sink is porcelain rather than enamel over iron or steel (which you should be able to tell by tapping on it or looking on the bottom to see if it’s metal or the same color all the way through), then the rust is coming from the drain and not the sink. With some scrubbing and new hardware it ought to be reusable by someone, if not you.
JefferyK says
Be prepared for scary suprises!
pam kueber says
party pooper