When we last heard from Kristen and Paul, the couple had a stash of Daltile Aqua Glow wall tiles stacked in their garage and were eagerly awaiting the day when they could be installed in their charming 1899 home’s main floor bathroom. Fast forward a year — and their bathroom is now complete. Kristen loves it so much she wanted to sleep in there for the first few days after it was complete, and yowza, we don’t blame her — what a gorgeous bathroom!
While Kristen and Paul loved their original bathroom’s color scheme, the vintage wallboard just wasn’t standing up to daily abuse and cleaning, so they marshaled their energy to gear up for a gut remodel. After months of careful planning and finding just the right tile, they began their bathroom remodel. The couple was able to keep and reuse their vintage tub, sink and medicine cabinet, saving them a bundle and allowing room in the budget for them to hire a contractor to do their tile work.
Daltile Aqua Glow field tile with black trim
Kristen writes:
So here’s the story on our new vintage bath remodel:
Our bathroom is the last room to be remodeled in our entire house. We are used to doing most of the labor ourselves however I knew that with the precision of the tile that I wanted to hire a professional. And though it is a small bathroom I knew it would be costly so we waited to do this room last until we were absolutely sure we knew what we wanted.
What we started out with was not bad by any means. The last major remodel to that part of the house was done in the 40s or 50s so we were left with very nice vintage fixtures including an Art Deco style medicine cabinet. Although I loved the original turquoise wallboard, it just did not hold up to splashing, flushing and toddler potty training over the years! We were told that this type of wallboard paneling was a thick paperboard with painted surface. We could never be clean it properly without wiping the finish and painted surface off and eventually it just got too gross! (see close-up photo). I knew something more permanent and cleanable would have to be installed.
I basically knew that I wanted the same kind of look…just done the way it should’ve originally been done with shiny and scrubbable tile. I even selected a tile in the same blue family… The glorious aqua glow ceramic 4 x 4 wall tile from Daltile.
Just a note… My local Daltile showroom said that this tile was discontinued, but I was able to find it online although I had to wait for 3 months for it to be delivered. It was well worth the wait because I can’t imagine a more perfect shade of vintage blue. I love it so much…I wanted to sleep in the bathroom the first couple nights after it was finished!
- Editor’s note: We reached out to the PR department at Daltile to ask whether or not aqua glow had been discontinued and were told: NO, it has NOT been discontinued. However, it is a custom order. We’ve heard from a few other readers who were told by a tile retailer that this color was no longer available. Hey, we’ve also heard from readers who say that their local tile store doesn’t know about Daltile’s Mosaic Tile Designer. These retailers are wrong. Moral of the story: Push back, people! Vendors are so accustomed to selling what is popular today and are often not as informed as customers like us who have done the research about less frequently purchased materials. Call Daltile customer service directly if your local store tells you they can’t order this color or the mosaic flooring — special order may be more work to buy, but it is do-able.
- And: Looking for 4 x 4 pastel tiles for a vintage bathroom? See our story 30+ places to find 4″ x 4″ ceramic bathroom tile in vintage colors.
The floors are sheets of 1″ black-and-white hex tile by American Olean. I had considered a more square or rectangular motif tile floor, but decided I had a lot of block/rectangular angles going on and wanted something to contrast – I love the way they look like little polkadots!
6″ wide black cove base tile — a wonderful detail
I asked Kristen what inspired her to use the black 6″ cove base tiles around the bottom of the wall — a detail that both Pam and I absolutely loved. She replied:
Well, I like a lot of contrast. So I knew I wanted black bullnose borders at the top with pencil stick trim… it just seemed to make sense to add the black cove at the bottom. I think the tile guys actually suggested that’s how they usually finish the bottom…. and I studied vintage bathrooms. And I could not find Aqua Glow specialty pieces, so we had to fill in with the black. Yes, I believe they are 6 x 6… on that detail, I pretty much just referred to the tile guys, I had never heard of cove base before. 😉
At first my tile guys were not crazy about working on an older home with plaster and lath board walls, but as the work was finishing up they really started liking the look. They even said it was nice to work on a project with a bit more color than the taupe and beige tiles they are putting in newer homes.
The paint color is It is Gold 3 by Laura Ashley.
I have included one preview shot of our mid century modest winter home that we just bought in southern Florida! (It has a pink tile bathroom — the floor is very similar to yours—hooray!) We are super excited about it and plan on decorating it up retro and renting it out on the off-season…. So if you’d like I can keep you updated about that as well.
Well, thanks again & it is always an honor to be featured!
No: Thank you, Kristen and Paul, for sharing yet another lovely project with us — you are very talented indeed. We absolutely love the tile you chose for the walls, trim, floor — your bathroom is adorable, just like your family. We look forward to hearing about your new adventures in your little slice of retro Florida, too. Keep us posted!
See more of Kristen and Paul’s home:
- Mixing old & older: Kristen and Paul create and artsy, retro home on a shoestring budget
- Kristen’s 7 step-by-step tips to make a pleasing gallery wall
Link love
- Kristen and Paul’s Ebay store The Robot Parade
- The Etsy version of their store The Robot Parade
Debbie says
I love everything about this bathroom, from the aqua tile down to fishy Kleenex holder. Thanks for the good news about the tile, too. I had my shower done in that color a couple of years ago and need more, but I hadn’t been able to find it. Retro Renovation to the rescue yet again!!
tammyCA says
That is one sharp bathroom..love it! I wish I had known about the aqua glow daltile before we bought our B&W aqua..I really think the daltile shade is more what I wanted (plus less expensive)..darn.
I really love the golden yellow paint against the aqua and the black accents..so retro and chic. I actually thought the bath was original because of the black cove tiles..very authentic looking. And I love all the ceramic figurines, shelves, hamper..my kinda style.
I don’t blame you for wanting to sleep in there.
cellen says
Glorious! Another beautiful bathroom. I could look at these pictures all day.
Dawn says
My original pink and black bathroom also has the 6 inch black cove base with 4 x 4 tile. It aslo has a black and pink thin tile as well as a black topper. So this must have been a pretty popular way to tile back then! I am also noticing that your tile guy set it up very similar to how mine is set. There is no drastic offset of the tiles like a subway pattern. Mine looks very similar to this just a different color so he did a fantastic job!
Jay says
Very nice indeed! I have always been a fan of the black and minty green combo so your aqua tile is very dear to my heart. Your frameless mirror medicine cabinet is very modern looking. Glad you were able to save it. I also envy your black metal shelf over the loo. I have been looking for one for some time now. Thanks for sharing your reno project.
pam kueber says
Jay, for shelves like the black one, I think etsy is a great place to look. Hmmmm…. I have two somewhere in my hoard.
Jay says
Thanks for the tip! The seller had them in the baths when I looked at the house and I hoped they would be left behind but no such luck.
Wendy M. says
Beautiful!! I love the color combination and all of your accessories. I hope you enjoy it for many years.
Also, your family portrait is fabulous! In addition to your lovely looking family, I also admire your curtains and other furnishings. You really have an eye for mid-century!
(Oh, one other thing- I was jolted into the past when I saw your hamper…we had one just like that in black when I was young and I’d completely forgotten about it.)
Jenny A. says
Two gorgeous bathrooms in two days! What a great way to start the morning. I love this aqua tile with the black accents. So, so pretty.
Roundhouse Sarah says
The colors are absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!
Andi says
Wow, I LOVE this bathroom—everything about it! Daltile’s Aqua Glow is one of my favorites. We recently completed a tub-to-shower using that (a close match for my original tile in the rest of the bathroom) and yes, it took months to get all the pieces).
I love love love the black liner tile, bullnose and cove base tile! I was certain that you had installed the white blind with the black tapes to go with the black tile work, and was surprised to see that the blind was among the original items. The valance you added in the new space is the icing on the cake. Perfect!
I also like high contrast and your other choices in the room are wonderful, from the gold wall color to the pink (coral?) accents. What a cool bathroom and all around great job!
Emily says
Wonderful job on the bathroom, the tile and wall color look great! You said you were able to reuse some of the fixtures, is the toilette new? And if so, what is the brand?
Kristen says
Hi Emily, It is the original toilet… probably from the 40s or 50s…. still going strong!