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Home / The Museum of Mid Century Material Culture / time capsule homes

Five vintage pastel bathrooms in this lovely 1942 capsule house — Portland, Oregon — 13 photos

pam kueber - Updated: August 12, 2017

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

Portland-time-capsule-with-five-pastel-bathsTour-a-Time-CapsuleWow. Not one. Not two. Not three. Not four. Yes: Five beautiful time capsule bathrooms in this 1942 house — just listed for sale — in Portland, Oregon. I received a call from real estate agent Susan Cassidy this evening, and on hearing the story, we rushed these photos on to the blog. It seems very unusual, to me, to see so many bathrooms in a house from 1942 — deep in the midst of the war years. And they are like a veritable catalog of the colors in vogue. Which color bathroom would you choose? Let’s look at more of the photos from this house — and you can take our quiz to see if we have a favorite. Oh, yes, and there’s more to this house than the bathrooms, of course: A beautiful, charming exterior… lovely moldings… and a knotty pine basement with built-in bar. 13 photos in all — and a large-size slide show at the end –>

We are rushing this story to press (so to speak) tonight … and it’s late … so we’ll keep the commentary short (for now) and let the (fabulous) photos tell the story… Let’s start with the charming exterior, I guess I’d call this a Tudor (?)… I want to say Dutch Colonial, but the roof line is wrong… anyway, kind of Tudor, kind of Colonial:

1943-brick-colonial-house-exterior1940s-brick-colonial-house-ext brick-doorway-entrance-1940s-cape-codAbove: Yikes, the brickwork around the entry way is phenomenal. Here’s the listing information:

This home was designed by Richard Sundeleaf and is full or rich detail. Spacious and inviting. The original features include gorgeous 1940’s baths, large master suite with sitting area, 2nd master on the main, classic “mad men” style rec room, hardwoods throughout, built ins, and lots of light. Storage everywhere, 2 car attached garage and sun room.

  • Price: $859,000
  • Year built: 1942
  • Traditional 2 story, Lap siding, wood, attached garage, full basement – partially finished, corner lot.
  • Sq. Ft.: 6,458
  • Bedrooms: 5
  • Full Bathrooms: 5
  • Interior Features: Dumbwaiter, Garage Door Opener, Hardwood Floors, Laundry, Wood Floors, Solar TubeExterior Features:Fenced, Garden, Patio, Storm Window
  • Kitchen Appliances:Down Draft, Built-in Dishwasher, Disposal, Pantry, Free-Standing Range
  • Fireplace Description:Wood
  • Number of Fireplaces: 3

1940s-pink-ceramic-tile-bathroom-and-dressing-area 1940s-pink-ceramic-tile-bathroomdental sinkBathroom #1 is pink and pink… Update: Listing agent tells me that, not visible in the photo above, there is a “dental sink” — see my story about dental sinks here. 
pink-and-black-vintage-bathroom-1940s-ceramic-tileBathroom #2 is pink and black…

vintage-black-and-white-ceramic-tile-bath-1940sBathroom #3 is white and black…

vintage-pink-and-blue-bathroom-ceramic-tile

Bathroom #4, pink and blue…Hey, remember Nora’s pink and blue bathroom — original owner in her original bathroom!?

yellow-and-black-ceramic-tile-vintage-bathroomBathroom #5 is yellow and black….

Which vintage bathroom is your favorite?

 

 

 

Oh… and we’re not done yet. Keep going:

Knotty-pine-den-with-fireplace knotty-pine-office-with-parquet-floors knotty-pine-paneling-in-rec-room-basement knotty-pine-rec-room-with-sputnik-light-and-fireplace

Many thanks to real estate agent Susan Cassidy for calling with this spectacular listing — and for giving us permission to feature these gorgeous photos for our forever-archive. Let’s find this house a buyer!

Links:

    • Listing – this house for sale
    • Susan Cassidy, Keller Williams. Note, if you are interested in this house, you can call Susan direct at 503-545-4950.

.

Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:

1943-brick-colonial-house-exterior
1940s-brick-colonial-house-ext
brick-doorway-entrance-1940s-cape-cod
1940s-pink-ceramic-tile-bathroom-and-dressing-area
1940s-pink-ceramic-tile-bathroom
vintage-pink-and-blue-bathroom-ceramic-tile
pink-and-black-vintage-bathroom-1940s-ceramic-tile
yellow-and-black-ceramic-tile-vintage-bathroom
vintage-black-and-white-ceramic-tile-bath-1940s
walk-in-closet-off-master
entry-way-with-original-vintage-woodwork-and-door
1340s-dining-room-with-original-woodwork
living-room-1940s-original-woodwork-doorway
vintage-sitting-area-bay-windows
living-room-with-bay-window-and-fireplace-1940s
knotty-pine-den-with-fireplace
knotty-pine-office-with-parquet-floors
kitchen-eat-in-area-white
white-laminate-kitchen-wood-floor
white-laminate-kitchen
bedroom-beige
bedroom-with-built-in-shelves
bedroom-with-steps-into-sitting-room
built-in-shelving-around-fireplace-in-bedroom-vintage
vintage-bedroom-wood-flooring
walk-in-closet-with-built-in-shelving
bedroom-with-wood-flooring
childs-vintage-bedroom-with-dollhouse
office-with-wood-flooring
knotty-pine-rec-room-with-sputnik-light-and-fireplace
knotty-pine-paneling-in-rec-room-basement
basement-play-area
laundry
rear-exterior-of-1940s-cape-cod-brick
vintage-flagstone-patio
flagstone-patio-vintage-back-yard
garden-and-back-yard
arbor-swingset-vintage
back-porch-lined-with-mossy-brick-vintage

CATEGORIES:
The Museum of Mid Century Material Culture time capsule homes

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180 comments

Comments

  1. Melinda says

    May 6, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    I’ve been drooling over the pictures/stories on this site! I wish I could magically win the lottery or something so I could afford a beautiful home and renovate it vintage-style.
    The dining room above is wonderful…I can just imagine sitting down with the family (husband, two kids and my mother) to dinner; a lovely roast turkey or some baked chicken. I’m married but no children, sadly…still, a girl can dream!

    And the bathrooms are something special, too. What I love most is the counter space…that would be perfect because I’m not the most organized person and more counter space would really help. I can’t decide which bathroom I like most, so I’ll just state which ones I like in particular and why.

    Pink and black…it’s retro but with some modern elements. Oodles of counter space and the counter has a beautifully glossy finish. I love the windows on both sides, plus the drawers add plenty of storage for beauty products and other items. I would hang some feminine pictures up in this bathroom, maybe of pinup girls or Hollywood actresses of the golden era.

    Pink ceramic tile bathroom…I’m not crazy about the bathroom itself, to be honest.
    But the vanity area? Yes, please! I would take that mirror and the window (natural light is good while putting on makeup) and that big chest of drawers which appears to be attached to the wall.

    Pink and blue…very cute, very retro. Again, the counter space is insane and I love the drawers.
    Looking at these makes me wish I didn’t live in a cramped apartment where I can’t decorate or renovate, and there is very little room to store anything.

  2. Jona says

    January 29, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    Yay! Beauty that’s appreciated and not destroyed for the sake of being “modern”! I was depressed when I saw a renovation in Houzz where the owners tore out their “ugly” (perfectly maintained original) pink & black tile bathroom. Their entire house is now polar white–BRRRRRRRR!

  3. Heart says

    October 23, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    What a Delight! Thank you for posting. What a Great house, the woman of this home ooozed Grace & Style. I can just imagine how she raised this family through the 50’s-70’s. What a Grand Dame, that dressing room off the bath, so Sophisticated! It’s those little touches like the mirrored tops on the vanities, the lights in the shower, the Dental Sink! Imagine brunches on the terrace, cocktail parties in the basement ‘rec room’ (anyone remember those?) And the wisteria swings for the children, what memories… If the new owners appreciate these touches & leave it, imagine what this will be like to discover in another 50 years.

    Agree with the previous comment re: 1942/economy. Wondering if the husband wasn’t a high level military man (?). Either way the woman/architect had the vision to put good bones in the house to carry them through. Just Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

  4. Andrew says

    August 2, 2014 at 2:34 am

    In “The Shining”, interesting occurrences in bathrooms, much like these time capsule photos.

    Three bathrooms:

    Bathroom in Room 237
    Bathroom where bartender tells Jack how he “corrected”…..
    Bathroom “Redrum”

    Also the contemporary bathroom where young Danny Torrance and finger have a conversation.

  5. Jan Hare says

    April 2, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    I fell in love with this house last year when it was first posted and have never really been able to pick a favorite bathroom, though I love the one attached to the master bedroom. I check back occasionally to see if it has been sold. I TRIED to ask all my Facebook friends if they wanted to go together and buy it and we could live commune-style, but some didn’t want to move away from their husbands or move across country. 🙂

  6. Tony Formica says

    March 31, 2014 at 3:13 am

    Hey check out this baby with it’s baths, but oh no someone hit the kitchen down the fairway sad…

  7. Sarah says

    December 22, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    I love all the bathrooms and I’m so envious of the dental sink. Hubby tends to leave toothpaste in our single sink master bathroom. That sink should be called “the marriage counselor”!

    Has the house sold, Pam? I hope the buyers appreciate it’s vintage beauty and craftsmanship and don’t mess it up!

    sarah

  8. Dani Correa says

    December 16, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    This house is amazing!! Every room is a dream room.

  9. Joanne says

    December 13, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    Seriously, that vanity/dressing room may have just spelled my doom! I’m having a heart attack!

  10. Jen says

    July 8, 2013 at 10:52 pm

    oooh, how could you ever move if you lived there?

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