Thanks to all the readers who uploaded photos of their awesome vintage bathrooms and bathroom tile recently. What a treat it was to get a look into your loos! With 171 photos, it took quite a bit of work to narrow it down to the featured 12. I tried to pick bathrooms with interesting color schemes, unusual and detail oriented tile jobs — it was really impossible, there were so many terrific vintage bathrooms — but here are 12 of my favorite original bathrooms.
Above: Jeanne’s vintage grey and black bathroom tile caught my eye because of the classic, high-quality two-tone pinwheel floor tile and the thin black liner tile, set low, that ties in with the black toilet paper holder. Such a great detail!
Above: DJS from Brecksville, Ohio has a lovely original Regency Blue bathroom with American Standard Fixtures in their 1961 ranch. The blue wall tile looks smaller than the more common 4 inch square tile from this era — giving folks who need to do a gut remodel of their mid century bathroom another view of what a smaller-tile alternative would look like. I also love the hand towel bar in between the sinks, the sliding-door storage cabinets recessed right into the wall mirror (Fantastic idea!), and the mod light fixtures.
Above: You know I couldn’t leave out the pink in my list of favorite reader tile bathrooms — Todd A. has a pink and grey tile combo going on in his bathroom. I’m especially in love with the way the bullnose tile wraps around the mirror cabinet and the sink… and it looks like the shower (on the right) comes in at an angle. That is serious tile work!
Above: Scott’s peachy keen vintage bath in Florida really got my heart fluttering — I love the speckled floor, the color scheme and wow, have you ever seen vanity quite like this one? Usually I’m not a double-sink type of person, but this configuration is amazing. I wish my master bath had enough room for one of these.
Above: I’m loving Bird and Ernie’s yellow and black 1948 bathroom. So many bathrooms in this style are simply black and white — which is a classic and sophisticated choice — but the pale yellow with the black and white takes it up a notch. Also — is that vintage wallpaper or fabric I spy in the frame above the toilet? The design is just perfect — great touch.
Above: Rebecca’s 1959 sunny yellow and mint green vintage tile bathroom is a cheery spot, for sure. I have the same minty green tub in my hall bathroom and wish that my white tile was yellow like Rebecca’s instead. I’m loving her choice of fabric for the window shades, too — ties in nicely with the core colors.
Above: Kevin B. Wagner has quite the awesome orange tile and coordinating laminate countertops in his Bob Beharka designed house. The wood trim and ceiling details are an interesting choice for a wet area of a bathroom, but by the looks of it, they’ve held up well over the years. Pam says she loves how the wood trim above the shower and holding the overhead light add modern architectural detail — allowing for the addition of a clerestory window above the shower action — nicely done.
Above: Lynne’s very green bathroom caught my eye because of the vast amount of the same shade of green tile — and vanity painted to match. I have to wonder if the original floor and toilet were also green? All the vintage bathroom sinks we’re seeing today are pretty cool, don’t you think?
Above: Margie C. has an awesome Yellow and peachy bathroom. I‘m loving the floor — which she installed to correct someone else’s “update.” This is another color scheme that is so light, sunny and timeless — I could see myself using these tiles in my house — and loving them forever.
Above: I just had to include JD Log’s 1959 blue and peach bath because — have you ever seen a tile bath faucet? That’s got to be a woddity right there, right Pam? [Pam adds: I am thinking this is not a U.S. bathroom. England — maybe Australia — is my guess. Am I right JD Log?]
Above: This reader’s 1958 minty green and brown original bath is another favorite of mine. From the vanity to the mosaic floor to the layout, I love it all. It even looks like they kept the original aluminum window!
Above: And finally, Lynn’s Aqua tile bathroom has some kitschy and cool pine cone detailed tiles!
Greg says
These are great, but you missed mine!! I submitted my pink bathroom a while ago.
pam kueber says
Alas, my email inbox is a train wreck. I have it on my list to get all the photo submissions together into a few mega posts soon! Thank you, Greg!
Silvercat says
Oh man, I can’t pick a favorite. I think the lighter ones. I don’t think I personally could do that bright red, unless that bathroom is really big, but I love the wood details! And it’s gorgeous tile, just too much for a small space.
Ana says
Love these bathrooms, particularly some of the sinks. My favorite is the pink and grey bathroom and all of its lovely storage.
Jamie D says
This article came out just in time for me! I’m meeting with bathroom contractors right now and none of them really understand why I want to do a retro renovation because it’s the complete opposite of what their other clients want. Maybe I need to try harder to preserve more of my original tile anyway, instead of trying to find something new that looks MCM.
Bird says
What a pleasant surprise to see my own bathroom featured! (Bird & Ernie’s yellow and black, 1948) The print hanging above the toilet is a vintage cockatoo airbrush print by the Turner Manufacturing Company. You are probably more familar with the famous flamingos airbrush print in the mirrored frame, also by Turner. Turner produced a lot of these stylized airbrush paintings: birds, flowers, people, etc. You usually see them referred to as airbrush prints, but they are original paintings that appear to have been mass-produced using stencils and airbrush paint. If anyone has more history on Turner airbrush prints, please share.
pam kueber says
Thanks, Bird — luv your bathroom!!
Kathy Chismar says
The minty green and brown bathroom is mine! Yay! We love this bathroom because of the floor. I have put so much work into salvaging the original tile and resetting it so it is secure. After 54 years, they were falling off the wall. The wall tile is actually a speckled/ salt and pepper look to the green.
We do have all the original aluminum windows in our brick ranch. They’ve been retrofitted for interior storm windows so they are energy efficient. I’m working on how to reglaze them on the outside. I’m very scared to see how much it would cost to replace them with new, so I’m saving them!
pam kueber says
YAY, Kathy!!!!
Morgen says
Oh, how I wish I knew what the bathrooms in our house looked like in their original condition! We have plans down the road to bring them back and undo the most recent upgrades. I look forward to doing it, but want to be mindful in how we approach them. And these posts really help me get an idea of what our bathrooms might have looked like. Thanks!
Eartha Kitsch says
I just love every one of these! Furthermore making me question the beige bathroom devolution.
Carole says
I love that peachy bathroom. That vanity is very unique, and I love the layout, but my favorite is the black and white. It has elements of the bath in my last house (a new ranch), and what I’m striving for in this house (older ranch).
So much wonderful tile in all of them. 🙂
Carole says
Sorry, I guess it’s yellow and white, but comes across black and white on my monitor. Still a wonderful bath.
I love double sinks (had the configuration in the master bath of my last house), but will never get the chance in this house, the baths are way too small.
Lisa says
Ah, these make me long for my grandparents’ home–a beautiful early ’60s ranch set in the hills overlooking San Francisco. What an amazing home. I wish I had taken more detailed photos. After Grandma died, my aunt and uncle went through and ‘updated’ everything to make it ‘sell-able.’ If only I’d known of Retro Renovation then. In the Bay Area, I think it would have been fairly easy to find a buyer who loved it in its original style…which was so exquisite!!