An original pink and black bathroom is always a crowd pleaser — and today, we have a beautiful example. After figuring out relatively early in his house-hunting journey that he was likely to end up in an older house, eader Robert set his sites on finding one with either a pink-and-white or black-and-white bathroom. Of course, the RDGs delivered unto him the pink. To put his own stamp on the space, Robert needed to complete only minor defroufrouification, and the bathroom was good to go. <– bathroom pun, teehee.
Robert addressed his first email to Pam, writing:
Hi Pam – I always enjoy your blog and I thought you might like to see my pink bathroom. I’ve included probably more images than you want (i’m a photographer, sorry!)… The house is in Connecticut from 1950, and the bathroom was in pristine condition. Not a crack or chip anywhere. It’s like it was never used. It originally had some pretty u*** [edited] wallpaper and drapes which all came down immediately! I decided to work around the theme and have fun with it adding vintage stuff, rather than try and make it look current. The walls are painted with a silver iridescent glaze paint.
Funny story – when I was looking at homes I kept seeing h****** [edited] bathrooms. I remember thinking to myself, “If I have to have an old bathroom, can’t I find a black and white, or pink and black?” So when the realtor walked me in {to this house}, and she starting apologizing for the bathroom suggesting how I could work with it, I held my hand out stopping her, and said, “NO, no, no!! this is GREAT!” She looked at me and was like, “It IS??!”
Decorating a pink and black bathroom
Robert, we agree: This is great! You were very lucky indeed to land a vintage pink and black bathroom that was in such great shape and which *needed* only modest cosmetic updates to suit your own personal style. We don’t include a resource list with this story, because it looks like most of your decor items are vintage. However, we will say, it looks like you added black porcelain bathroom sconces from Rejuvenation — correct?
Painting the walls a metallic silver and adding the black crown molding really played up the contrast and angular detail of the space — making this bathroom feel handsome. The crown molding also nicely echoed the black bullnose and liner tile that outlines the bathroom — and helped to balance out the dark flooring.
The graphics used to advertise and market vintage bathroom products are so cool — a relatively easy way to make a nod to a vintage bathroom’s history — and great decor, too.
Other black accessories — like this retro wall clock — repeat the “outlined in black” motif.
Agreed: No matter how sophisticated a pink and black bathroom might get, there’s always room for a pink poodle in Paris. We are sure that lots of readers will be green with envy over this vintage laundry hamper.
Another clever trick that Robert used to continue the room’s outlines was to paint the inside of the shower opening black — thus continuing the tile outline all the way around the shower entrance.
A few other vintage details like this pink Detecto bath scale amp up the retro factor.
Vintage advertisements framed as art in pink and steel finish out the space.
We can certainly see Robert’s visual skills — he is a photographer with a nifty retro site design — in this thoughtfully designed space. Thank you, Robert, for sharing this gorgeous pink potty with the appreciative tribe at Retro Renovation.
Lucy says
HI
This is beautiful!
I’m looking for a sink almost exactly like the one you used in this renovation. Do you (or anyone reading this) know where I might find one?
https://retrorenovation.com/2013/03/12/pink-black-bathroom-makeover/
Thanks so much!
Pam Kueber says
You’ll need to find that vintage. eg https://deabath.com/product-category/antiques/wall-hung-and-console-sinks/
Elizabeth says
I am looking for a black plastic tile corner cover one piece to replace a lost plastic tile from my post WWII black and pink bathroom. If you have any ideas of where to purchase I would be delighted
Pam Kueber says
ebay has these often…
Pam Adler says
Where can I buy a pink scale?
Pam Kueber says
Start searching ebay
Elizabeth says
Robert this is amazing! What a great job and I’m sure it makes you happy every time you walk in. Love the vintage ads and toiletries. My favorite is the toilet paper ad for colored toilet paper. Wish they still had that around. So much fun. Enjoy your new (lol) digs.
Elizabeth says
I have a friend that has a beautiful aqua blue squared tub and sink. He had the toilet but in georgia you can’t keep the water wasting toilets in some areas so they made him remove it (sad). The floors are black and white checked. He plans on keeping them and decorating around them. He loves it.
Cynthia Newport says
Love this pink and black bathroom! Great decor. I also have one in our recently purchased 50s house. So much fun to see what you have done.
Tawanah Dagan says
I love your pink bathroom! We stayed in an older motel in Panama City Beach area and had a new pink and black bathroom. It was all new tiles but kept the vintage feel. Thank you for not tearing yours out.
Lola Montez says
Robert, I absolutely love this. I am a big fan of the “pink bathroom” (and all the other wild & crazy colors). You did a wonderful job updating the decor but keeping it true to the 50s origin.
My grandmother had almost this identical bathroom in her house, which is partly why I love this style and admire it so much! Her bathroom was pink with black trim, and the only real difference is she had a tub and not a shower.
She had it decorated to the HILT with a black poodle on pink theme. I only wish I had the items to send you! I adored them as a little girl (early 60s, at which time the house was about 10 years old). She had a similar hamper…waste basket…tissue box….water cup….all with black poodles on pink. The poodles were hand-painted, not stenciled or printed. She also crocheted black poodle “covers” for extra rolls of toilet paper – -so they looked like little cylinder-shaped black poodles. Hard to describe. I’ve never seen them anywhere else! she got the pattern in a magazine somewhere.
She also had a set of “fancy” towels in pink, with black poodle appliques on them — they were for display and NOT to be used! LOL!
I wish I knew where all of this went. She sold the house around 1969 and the stuff is long gone, except in my memory.
***
As a young woman just out of college, I had an apartment (built in the late 1940s, I think) with an mint and peach bathroom — peach walls edged in mint, and mint fixtures. The floor was a mint/peach basketweave! It was in very good condition, considering it was an apartment, around 1981 when I moved out. The other units in the 6 suite building had similar bathrooms — the people across the hall had a mirror image suite, and their bathroom had PEACH fixtures and MINT walls (which I preferred; I was jealous!).
It was hard to decorate around, and VERY out of style in the early 80s, but today I would be thrilled out of my mind to find an intact, 50s, pastel bathroom — any color would do!
Patti says
Hello. I have a pink and black bathroom. What is the paint color you used on top of the tile? I love it. Thank you.
Carly Biondy says
Robert,
I was wondering what brand of Metallic Silver Paint did you use?
robert says
It was this Benjamin Moore Glaze: http://www.worldpaintsupply.com/benjamin-moore-latex-metallic-glaze-620-1-quart/
Carly Biondy says
Thank You 10x!!!!!!