Perhaps the next best thing to a well-maintained time capsule bathroom is a … blank canvas? Setting that annoying issue of money aside, don’t we all dream about creating new retro bathrooms — from scratch? Jean had pretty much this opportunity — the old shower was made of cinder blocks — so she took the whole thing down and designed and installed a new “super groovy” bathroom into the “basement bunker” in her 1951 house. Let’s take a look inside the new, wee loo — and like all wonderful Retro Renovators, Jean shares her complete list of resources, too >>
Jean writes:
Hi Pam! I’m the owner a a sweet little Weyerhauser #4144 house from 1951, and we have been renovating it for a couple years now. Your site has been such an inspiration and resource I can’t begin to thank you. I am ready to share some photos of recently finished projects and before and afters.
Finally finished the “bunker’ basement bathroom. It started as a bad 70’s makeshift bathroom with questionable brown floor vinyl and cinderblock shower. There was no sink! It had to be gutted to replumb for new drains.
The vanity was designed by me, built by my better half.
The door is a salvaged five-panel that we sanded, cut out the panels and inserted some free scraps of a resin plexiglass from 3form that a local glass cutter had leftover from a big job. We had enough to do five doors in the basement, and what a difference it made in that dark space!
Many more pictures to come from [the other projects in] our little 1951 Weyerhauser #4144 atomic prize of a home.
Jean’s resource list for her basement bathroom remodel:
- Vanity: Custom-design and DIY-built vanity covered with: Wilsonart “Field Daisy” laminate, trimmed with aluminum trim from M-D Building Products through Home Depot. Tapered feet from a flea market find finished with Heywood-Wakefield champagne stain
- Bathroom sink: New hudee-rimmed Kohler Tahoe sink from Home Depot. Pam notes: You also can get this sink from Amazon (affiliate link). “We tried to use a vintage blue drop in sink with hudee ring found on eBay, but the rust and possible leaks scared us off,” Jean said.
- Faucet: Union Brass faucet from Locke Plumbing
- New Rangaire mirrored cosmetic box from Faucet Warehouse. Also available on Amazon (affiliate link)
- Flea market find etched mirror.
- Pendant light from Kichler “Sabine”- Lowes
- Field tile off the shelf from Lowes and Home Depot. The color tiles came from Daltile, and the black matte hexagon floor tiles from AmericanFastFloors.
- Toilet — “The toilet is the original 1950’s American Standard that I fought to keep,” Jean said.
- Toilet seat — The silver flecked acrylic toilet seat is made by Ginsey – standard Deluxe Silver Foil with chrome hardware through Amazon (affiliate link).
- Shelf above the toilet — “The shelf is a piece of a salvaged cracked ice cabinet top, and we have been using these cracked ice tops in many custom pieces throughout the project.”
- Shower enclosure — “The shower is a custom enclosure, just the perfect size for this small bathroom. I wanted to bring in as much light, glass, and reflecting surfaces to make it feel less tight.”
What a delightful little space, Jean. Thank you for so generously sharing it with us — and greedily, I look forward to seeing more of your basement (and other room) transformation soon!
Want more inspiration from real-life retro bathroom remodels:
- See our entire category, Readers & Their Bathroom Remodels
Es says
This is so terrific! We have a bathroom that I’m itching to redo…I have a blueberry blue round sink that I bought NOS for $10, and I can so picture it in a vanity like the one you made. So perfect. Yay for that awesome combo of designer-fabricator. My husband is so talented that way, too. And I LOVE to design!
Would you be able to share a picture of the floor plan of this sweet bathroom?
DJ Sparkles says
Your bathroom is a work of art! The tile, the vanity, the doors, the lights, the toilet seat– it’s all utterly fabulous!!!
Jean says
DJ Sparkles, 1st of all, what a great name! Thank you for commenting! When I first started I kept in mind what a friend who went to art school with me back in the day said, “you should live in your art.” I decided that I would look at my home as art and stop feeling guilty about working on my surroundings instead of a canvas. I mean, it’s a bathroom but still. It makes me happy!
Pam Kueber says
“Live in your art” is my theme for my week!
Leila says
I love it! I love the toilet seat, I would consider buying one but I’m not sure how it would look on a blue toilet. I, too, did a random design on the bathroom walls- only I used decals. You’re right, the hardest part is figuring out the”randomness” of the design. Your tile turned out great! One question- there is no close up picture of the faucet. I clicked the link but not sure which model you have. I’m guessing it’s the one with the triangle-shaped knobs?
Jean says
Leila, yes- thats the one. I used the same for the shower works as well. I think the clear seat with silver flecks would compliment your blue toilet very well. Upstairs in the main bathroom I have a Ming green toilet/sink/tub and the seat looks great there, too. Thanks for commenting!
http://www.lockeplumbing.com/detail.asp?c=Bathroom%20Faucets&s=&s2=4%20Inch%20Centers&sku=UNI-72A&r1=&r2=&r3=
Karin says
Fantastic!
Nikki says
Hi Jean & Hubby!
What an awesome bathroom! I love everything about it, you both did an amazing job! I was sooooooooo excited to see how you managed to add a tension rod towel bar since this exactly what I need for my bathroom. I had no idea they existed! I’d be ever so grateful if you could source it for me.
Looking forward to a “whole house tour” someday.
Jean says
Nikki, thank you so much! My better half, Steve, had his eagle eye at the ready and saw that tension pole in the corner of a vintage shop. It has acrylic towel bars- it was perfect cause we had no where else to hang hand towels. I wish someone would make them again. You might be able to McGyver a light tension pole, or a stand up light that had a swing arm. I’m all about McGyvering….(hope you know the reference…)
Pennie says
Lots of inspiration here! The mirrored cosmetic box just sollved a problem in my 1961 guest bath remodel! Love the vanity!
Jean says
Pennie- thanks for commenting! The mirrored box was a must for me. The company I got it from even makes it with the mirror and light attachment.
Lisa Compo says
Very nice job on the whole room. The colors are fantastic and keep it light and cheerful. All the white makes it fresh and so clean looking.
Although I adore the vanity, with everyone else, the shower door is my personal favorite. The windows are so cool, ribbed glass for privacy, but allow light into the shower area. It’s just so much better than a plain slab of glass. It has character.
Can’t wait for the next story and pics. Job well done.
Jean says
Lisa Compo, thank you so much! “Fresh and clean” is quite a departure from what was there after the 70’s wreaked havoc. I think you mean the blue bathroom door having textured glass. I needed to keep an illusion that there is light coming from somewhere else. The shower door is plain glass- but it has a black frame to define the space but still keep it open. The black is used as a design element with the grout lines and tile work. Also the shower pan is black so that it defines but sits back and blends with the black hex floor. It was all about making the minuscule space feel less teeny. Tricking the eye is all thats needed in small areas.
Mary Anne S says
Absolutely beautiful! Every last detail thoughtfully made wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
Jean says
Mary Anne S, thank you for commenting! At least I know my art school years weren’t for nothing! I looked at it like a painting- balance, color, line, texture, space.
Carolyn says
Funny that a blank slate can cause issues the same as trying to retro-fit. One would think it’d be easier!
When I first read Pam’s headline I thought you had made a bathroom that had something to do with jeans…
Jean says
Carolyn, right? Once the walls go up you still have space constraints. Then what you thought was still available is out of stock, discontinued, or just plain wrong. That’s funny about the jeans…
Pam Kueber says
Note, I added a link to our stories on vintage Satin Glide vanities — which look very similar to what Jean designed: https://retrorenovation.com/?s=satin+glide+vanity
Jean says
Pam- you got it! Thats the holy grail I aspired to. I would have no chance of finding one, in the right color, making it fit, blah blah blah. Steve is a perfectionist when it comes to measuring and thank goodness cause math and me can’t even.