Reader Megan has a design dilemma — how to mesh her classic pink and black tile bathroom with her country style. For help with this week’s Retro Design Dilemma, I turned to Pam, since retro and country are two styles I’ve never tried to blend before. She jumped right on it, explaining that Mary Emmerling is one of her design goddesses. Emmerling was the longtime creative spirit behind Country Home magazine up until a few years ago — and a huge driver the country style that has always popular in America. Pam says: Country style is likely still #1 in America. So how to meld country — with classic Mamie pink retro? Read on to see what Pam suggests…
Megan writes:
I came across your website looking for ideas of how to tastefully remodel our lovely 1950s pink tile bathroom. We are in the process of remodeling the only bathroom in our house because the tile needs grouted very badly. Many people have suggested that we get rid of that “hideous tile,” but it’s staying! It will save us thousands of dollars, it’s in excellent condition, it’s original to the house, it’s rare, and it’s very valuable. You will also be happy to know that we are keeping all of the original towel racks and toilet paper holders, lighting, and vanity.
For now, I will share with you a “before” picture and provide a list of what all we are doing to preserve, de-feminize, and update our bathroom… We are very down-to-earth, country people. Our home has a lot of antiques. So, I guess I would classify our style as “country.”
We plan to: re-grout tile and re-surface tub, remove wallpaper and paint (Any suggestions on a wall color?), strip and stain the cabinets, mirror, and vanity to match the oak door, replace the counter-top, sinks, and rusted drains, replace the shower curtain with shower doors, replace the flooring with vinyl tile (Any suggestions on a tile color to match your suggested wall color?), replace the sink and tub faucets and shower head, replace the cabinet hardware, new curtain rod and curtain, decorations, new towels and rugs.
Thanks, Megan
Ideas for a Country Retro Bathroom for Megan
Pam sent me a list of her ideas for Megan’s retro country pink bathroom, and I was able to put together an idea board to help visualize the transformation.
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- Pam suggests using a shower curtain instead of glass sliders. She points out that there’s plenty of tile on the walls that will remain visible even if the shower curtain is closed. A shower curtain is a great way to add design… it will allow for more elbow room when you shower… it will hide any unsightly shampoo bottles… it will save you the trouble of having to scrub those tracks and glass doors that get scummy so fast…and, it will keep the budget under control. For a shower curtain: How about this
Retro Barber Shop shower curtain from Bed Bath and Beyond (link now gone) — it’s sort of graphic-country-kitsch.
- If Megan wants to go more than a little bit country, this black and white Cabin Check gingham plaid shower curtain from Country Curtains (company now closed) would surely take her there. An advantage to choosing this style is that coordinating window valances or curtains are available. Pam notes: You *can* mix a checked bathroom curtain with a tile wall — but you have to be careful of the scale. You wouldn’t want everything to be 4″ squares, for example.
- I found pink oil can bath accessories from Target. I know we are trying to de-feminize the bathroom, and that these are pink — but using the pink at least one more time in the bathroom will help it feel more finished. It is always good design to repeat colors throughout a room.
- Pam suggests using a darker pink, white or light grey towels in the bathroom. I think the light grey would be particularly nice because it is a bridge color between the black tiles and the white in the shower curtain and tub. (These towels would also work well with Pam’s paint color choice in #6)
- Megan’s pink and black bathroom tiles.
- Pam’s paint color tips : A slight off white with a touch of gray, or a light gray would work well. Idea: Once you get the shower curtain and floor that you are going to use in your hands, use them to select a color. Take them both into a good paint shop with a good designer who can help — and pull your paint from those pieces. Most all paint stores now have computers to shoot a closeup digital image of any color in any item, and then match it.
- Since Megan wants vinyl tile for the floor — how about sheet that would probably still be very affordable but give a nice smooth finish. Keep it neutral with a subtle pattern, how about this Mannington vinyl sheet floor. You could also use vinyl tiles in this vein (pun), they are readily available at stores like Home Depot, Lowes, Menards. Make sure the color leans toward the gray — not the beige — to complement the black bullnose tile that is so prominent in the bathroom.
- Megan mentioned refinishing the vanity to match the oak door.
Wall decor for a pink and black country retro bathroom
As far as the decor is concerned, Pam pointed out that there is chrome in your faucets and light fixtures, and therefore it makes sense to use a chrome shower rod to match the finishes and coordinate with the grey towels and wall color. She also thinks that the wall spaces above and across from the toilet will be super fun to decorate – especially now that your walls will be a blank canvas. Pam’s advice: Either go shopping around your house to see what you have, or, taking your cues from your bathroom colors — pink, black, gray, brown — and from your style — country — start hunting around at thrift stores and tag sales and see what the retro decorating gods send you. I would suggest adding something nice sized in oak on one of the walls — not shelving or a cabinet, but something more decorative — to repeat the oak vanity in one other spot in the room. Also, if you use the barbershop shower curtain, you can potentially play up this them in your decor — with vintage pharmacy prints on the walls, as just one thought. And Pam repeats one of her decorating phobias: Keep your toilet lid closed when you are not using it, dear. It’s very bad feng shui to leave your toilet open – it let’s the “money energy” of the house flow down the drain. We don’t want that!
Note: Because I can harness the magic of Photoshop, the toilet lid is now closed — let the positive energy return!