Vintage ceramic bathroom accessories — such as towel bar holders, toilet paper holders and soap dishes — can be difficult to locate and match with new or existing ceramic wall tile. Recently, reader Kristen reminded us about HCP Industries, which makes 33 colors of ceramic bathroom accessories, including matches for B&W Tile colors. Pam first wrote about HCP Industries in 2009, not long after she had started Retro Renovation. Years of daily posting have added nearly 3,000 posts to our archive, and her original story seems to be been buried among the strata of content, making it difficult for some folks to find the info they needed. We have been receiving questions from readers almost every week asking where they can purchase these types of ceramic bathroom accessories in addition to tips from readers like Kristin, so we decided it was time to revisit the subject. Kristin writes:
I contacted B&W tile and they informed me they do not make ceramic accessories such as toothbrush holders or soap dishes, etc. However they said they normally stock items from HCP Industries in 61 Light Pink which they claimed was a close match to B&W 70W pink. I ordered sample tiles from HCP in 61 Light Pink and also 62 Light Rose and compared them to my sample B&W tile. The 62 Light Rose was the closest match. It’s just a minute touch less warm colored than 70W pink but extremely close overall. The 61 Pink is much darker than 70W although it is warmer and more peachy-colored in tone than 62. (I think the ideal match would be 62 pink with a speck of 61 mixed in.) I found a place to order the ceramic HCP accessories online: prosupplycenter.com I haven’t tried ordering yet as I thought I would try emailing deabath first to ask if they have any vintage accessories in stock. If that fails then I will try ProSupply Center.
According to the HCP Industries website, the company has been making ceramic bathroom accessories right here in the USA for the last 50 years. If you are on the hunt for a specific color ceramic soap dish or corner shelf and are having no luck sourcing vintage, ProSupply Center offers samples of all of the HCP colors, which can be ordered through their website. Thanks to reader Kristin for reminding us about these colorful ceramic bathroom fixtures, which we first profiled in 2009.