I’m obsessed with vintage glitter decor. Obsessed with vintage toilets. Obsessed with woddities. Obsessed with folks who find motherlodes of New Old Stock in old hardware store warehouses. So here’s where all my Age-of-Aquarius planets align: In a gold-glitter-embedded NOS Olsonite toilet seat
(affiliate link) made by the Swedish Crucible Steel Company*, Plastics Division, Detroit, Mich. It’s from one of our favorite ebay sellers, nomoredrama4me, who keeps pulling stuff out of that insanely wonderful attic warehouse treasure trove of hers in Kansas City.
*Super duper interestingly: Swedish Crucible Steel Company is credited with the invention of the all-plastic toilet seat. Nels Olson was the owner of the company, hence the new product was called Olsonite. More fascinating info to share at cocktail parties with all your friends who already think you are nuts for your retro fascinations.
Midcentury American industrial designers LOVED glitter:
40 historic designs of glitter laminate — from Formica, Textolite, Wilsonart and more- Glitter vinyl floor tile — we found a source (alas, I was told be a reader this is being discontinued so get it while you can)
- Ceiling glitter — where to buy it — and my very pressing questions
- Ruth Richmond for Weiser acrylic doorknobs — what we’re lusting after now
Links for more information:
- To see all the New Old Stock from nomoredrama4me, click here (affiliate link) … and once there, take a look at “Sold Items” to see what got away…
- See our other stories about products we’ve spotlighted from nomoredrama4me’s stockpile.
Rare 1962 Marx metal dollhouse — with a fallout bomb shelter 
Monel — rare and wonderful vintage kitchen sink and counter top material 
Can you guess what this cabinet holds? 
Vintage Hall-Mack Extendo-bar towel bar woddity spotted at the NOS hardware store 
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dan says
I would buy this just for the box that reads “Tops For Bottoms”.
Carolyn says
“Tops For Bottoms” gotta be drinking something when you read that! The Bemis Company makes seats for the toilet industry and wrote a book called “Have a Seat”.
That kind of stuff just cracks me up!
Sparkles just might encourage “some” people to put the seat and lid down. Makes a good argument to see it to its best advantage.
Kathy says
My mother got a wedding shower gift in 1948 that was one of those white enamel with red trim pots with lid (kinda looks like a stock pot) and the giver pasted newspaper clippings with funny sayings like you mentioned all over the pot.
Joe Felice says
I’m with Dan, but I think most won’t get it.
Landon Pelt says
Oh my gosh! I love that. Why don’t companies still make things like this? There is a toilet seat that’s clear with gold fol instead of glitter but I like this one much more.
Still it would be a good choice for a vintage bathroom.
http://www.touchofclass.com/gold-foil-elongated-toilet-seat-clear/p/E280-001/?code=PMS10
Marilyn says
That would have gone perfectly with my Aunt’s Counters from the 1950’s…
Lynne says
http://www.fastfloors.com/Search.asp?SearchPhrase=glitter&Page=1 Is this the glitter floor that is being discontinued?
pam kueber says
Well all my links are bad, I see. I will fix them. Argh.
pam kueber says
Yes, Centiva https://retrorenovation.com/2015/01/29/glitter-floor-tile-vinyl/
I fixed the links. Thanks for calling this to my attention.
Lynne says
Happy to oblige !
I wonder if this company in my link still has some old stock available?
pam kueber says
I just tried to find out about black. Nope on that color. But you won’t know until you try….
pam kueber says
Well that was fast: Sold! The RR bump!
Jay says
Just getting around to seeing today’s post. The picture of the carton is hilarious. Isn’t the Church t-seat company slogan “Best Seat In The House”? Shame the glitter finishes are not popular these days, it provided a certain neutrality with pizazz.
Mary Elizabeth says
Yes, I remember that “Best Seat in the House” slogan in old magazine ads from the 1950s. When I was 7-10 years old and reading the newspaper, I thought puns were the greatest humor going. Still like them, in fact!
lynda says
I will stick with a Toto Washlet seat! Glitter seat so fun to look at.
tammyCA says
I’m obsessed with vintage glittered items, too..what a great seat & boohoo sold already. All the best fun stuff was made back then & from all those U.S. companies that ended in ite. ????
Joe Felice says
Glitter was en vogue. Ceilings and counter tops, but now toilet sets. Who knew? I’ve heard of lots of “-ites,” but never Olsonite. I notice the mounting holes are different than on today’s toilets. So the seat would probably not fit on newer toilets.
Heidi E. says
I may be slightly tangential here, but it occurred to me while reading this set of instructions to turn laminate countertops into faux granite, which I doubt many people reading this site would want to do, that actually you could very easily subvert these instructions to turn a boring countertop into a fair facsimile of the much desired and no longer available glitter laminate. Just do the opposite of what the blogger says about only using fine micro glitter, and put it over a solid background instead of sponge painting granite texture! I’m seriously considering making a Galaxy theme because I think my astronomy nerd side may be even stronger than my history nerd side…
https://everythingsbetterwithsparkles.wordpress.com/tag/envirotex-lite/