I think your bathroom looks great as it is now (minus the shutters and glass enclosure) and think it's a shame to tear up such nice tile.

I am all about all white bathrooms, because they should feel spa like, soothing and clean.

I like the floor tile idea always classic.

Paint the trim and walls white and a freestanding sink with cabinet, the cabinet could be a washed or pickled finish distressed wood or natural walnut.
All white fixtures white and maybe a beautiful antiqued framed mirror to give some personality.
Antiqued brass simple transitional hardware and fixtures.

I gotta ask the question:

What's wrong with the bathroom as it is?
Looks beautiful to me and those mid-century bathrooms were seriously built to last. You start replacing the sink & countertop and it will stick out like a sore thumb.

If anything, I'd paint the door, windowframe and shutters and the upper walls a creamy white - leave the vanity alone and call it a day...
...and leave the other $1200 in the bank.

I think the second illustration looks gorgeous. Also, I love the sliding doors. Replace the counter and sink, keep the rest, and you would look sleek without being sterile.

are you open to the idea of painting the wood? we recently painted our vanity all white with brushed nickel hardware adn have a similiar formica type counter top...i can't BELIEVE how much cleaner and more open the space looks! we did the same treatment in our kitchen (http://www.casacullen.com/2009/12/rwd-home-kitchen-redesign-before-and-after.html) and it really just looks clean and fresh and will look STUNNING with your blue accents! you can do teak/river rock bath mats for a spa feel...
check out my awesome master bathroom layouts at this link too...they are INSPIRATIONAL for sure:
http://www.casacullen.com/2010/02/interior-inspiration-great-master-bathroom-layouts.html

I really like it, actually! I think with the right top and sink that will match your spa look, it'll fit right in as a teak spa bathroom!

I think of looks like this:
http://www.westelm.com/products/w411/?pkey=x|4|1||6|teak||0&cm_src=SCH

PLEASE do next to nothing to this poor bathroom: poor, in that it will suffer elder abuse if you turn it into the by-now-dreaded "zen retreat."

Spa bathrooms will be tomorrow's avocado kitchens. Think of all the old craftsman and victorian homes that were torn down in the 60's . It might actually be worth more is you leave it. I love this bathroom. The vintage blue fixtures and original tile is quality stuff and getting difficult to find. If I was buying a mid century house I would buy one with original features over remodels that don't fit the character of the home.

vintage toilet? I have one of those and it leaks and waste water. I guess I am not seeing the vintage feel here, just blue tile and matching fixtures and wood veneer that needs some updating.

"Spa bathrooms will be tomorrow's avocado kitchens" lol, great comment and so true!

i agree with all the comments in favor of keeping your presently gorgeous bathroom. it's really rare to see one in such fine shape. but do get rid of those retrofitted shutters and frame, and that's all it needs.

Consider:
http://www.fixtureuniverse.com/bathroom-vanities/duravit-x-large-unit-bath-vanity_g265822.html

I would also re-think the hex tile. If you are going for a spa look, its all about minimalism (and continuity). A floor full of hex tiles means a floor full of grout lines. Think about a large format 16x24 travertine. Also consider tiling at least the tub/shower and vanity wall to the ceiling. I just saw an AMAZING porcelain tile that was 16x36 for FOUR DOLLARS A SQUARE FOOT! For that price you could clad all of the walls and really get that high-end hotel look for not a lot of money.

Also, replace the toilet.

test

if you are interested in trying to paint the counter top, take a look at this product. I bought it for the same purpose, but haven't put it on yet, this weekend will hopefully be the start.

http://www.gianigranite.com/

If the vanity is in decent shape, I would just consider giving it another coat of finish. For the countertop, since it's a relatively small piece you might be able to find a remnant of a more expensive material for cheap (try Craigslist or a local salvage place - even a local tile/slab distributer might have something). A new sink and faucet will do wonders and you might consider a new toilet...if it's "vintage", it's probably using a lot of water. These changes might offset the blue enough that you could leave the floor and wall tile (are they both blue? It's hard to tell). Tile demo and setting can be really labor intensive so if it's in good shape, I'd consider leaving it.

With such a small budget, I think you might not end up with the spa look under the approach you have. I like others, actually really dig your bathroom as it is. The things that I don't like as much are the glass around the shower and the shutters. I would place your money there first. A sheet of glass open on the end would give your tub a great spa feel. If your floor is in bad shape, get white marble tiles (they can be found for cheap). Right now, that power blue is VERY popular with chocolate brown. Inspirations here:
http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/design-gallery/index.jsp?roomid=100073&roomtypeid=100008#roomid=100073&roomtypeid=100008
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/living-room/woodnotes-090094
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thedecoratingdiva.com/images/bath-design/contemp2-serif-lg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://thedecoratingdiva.com/soothing-zen-spa-bathroom/&usg=__aSkStn_POwLW8HV84dwTXIFQOeM=&h=430&w=567&sz=21&hl=en&start=10&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=yvoOKZtig5_dLM:&tbnh=102&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspa%2Bbathroom%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1
http://www.mymodernkitchen.com/bthrm-contemp-blue-tile-rs.jpg

assuming that the tile and vanity are in decent shape, i agree with the people who say don't replace them. also, i have to confess that i don't entirely understand the concept of a *spa bathroom*...

echoing the comments above/adding on a few more suggestions:
- take out the sliding doors on the tub and replace with a neutral shower curtain (white waffle-weave or similar) or a shower curtain w/ a nice pattern that ties in the blue tile. will tone down the blue on that side of the room.
- paint the vanity (white? dark brownish grey?) and replace hardware.
- replace vanity sink and counter. laurenz is right that you can prob get a remnant for cheap somewhere.
- new faucet.
- new water-efficient toilet.
- paint the walls a nice light color that complements the blue tile.
- replace shutters with a simple curtain or window film on the bottom half if privacy matters.

Re-top the vanity with a thick (or thick appearing) white quartz, with new sink and fixtures; Leave the vanity itself as is... you'll need the money to do just this for $1200...

If you can make it work, do double sinks.

I really like the bathroom. To update it I would remove the shower doors, replace the mirror, replace the light fixtures, and upgrade the counter top to marble. Painting the vanity will take away from the teak spa look and make it look more traditional. If the tile and floor are in good condition I'd keep them.

Diana,
I agree with parttimedesign* and Lauren Z: toilet is a higher priority, change-wise; also - you might be able to score a real stone or composite material slab for your counter by browsing Craigslist (or even calling the stone&tile shops; they sometimes have remnants of expensive granite that would fit your dimensions) - look for dark gray, charcoal, dark blue or imperial black; and the mosaic tiles on the floor means lots of grout lines, i.e. constant cleaning - I wouldn't recommend it.

On your "proposed" perspective it looks like the walls have no tile at all; what is your proposed finish there, paint? Not practical. Blue tiles on the wall (look like standard Daltile) could be left alone, if your budget doesn't allow change, or if it does, I'd look for large-size porcelain or composite tiles (but not the ones marked "floor' - they tend to be thicker and heavier and require more substantial installation methods) and adhere them horizontally full height to the ceiling, in strips - one to the width of the sink, another - in shower enclosure. And the rest of the room I'll keep the tiles at 3'6" height around perimeter. The color might be ice-blue or aqua - to fit with your theme of spa-like environment. Or you can even do combinations - strips of full-hgt black against contrasting low-hgt tile. I'd do studies in colored perspective first, to see if I like different combinations. The rest of the walls I'd paint the matching to tile paint in semi-gloss; you can get now match the color pretty closely if you bring the tile sample to the paint store.

Instead of self-rimming I would recommend undercounter sink: again, like with the floor, less joints exposed to dirt and water the better. American Standard has relatively inexpensive sinks, although I'm sure you can find showier but more expensive pieces elsewhere.

About the cabinet: if the sliding doors are in good shape, i.e. not warped from moisture, I'd leave the cabinet as is, just give it a couple of coats of poly for water protection. Instead, I'd throw out the entry door - it seems it is of a hollow core variety - and get a solid one instead.

Kerf's cabinets would look great in that space:

http://www.kerfdesign.com/

If you want to update the sink, replace the top and sink only. I would not paint any of the wood. If you can't stand the cabinet, replace the whole thing -- but save the wood base 'cause some day it will come back in style. Or sell it to someone who appreciates and wants to return their bathroom to it formal glory.

You could also put a frame around the mirror to give it a whole new look without actually changing it.

I really like the bathroom as it is now. Ditch the shutters and replace the pebbled glass tub enclosure with something a little sleeker and simpler and I think you're good to go.

With old, water-hog toilets, can't you just put a couple of bricks or something in the tank to reduce the water used with each flush? I think I've seen that done before.

While this looks nice in the photos, living with a 1960s vanity is a different story. Just from looking at your photo, I would guess that vanity is about 50 plus inches long, 21 inches deep and short. Vanities from the 60s are only about 28" tall which makes for an uncomfortable experience either washing your face or brushing your teeth. That sink is probably cast iron and that metal rim on the counter never gets totally clean. Plus depending on the condition it may be starting to rust through.

Having faced almost the same issue during my recent 1960s bath remodel, I can tell you this, standard cabinetry may fit, depends on how much space you have to work with between the vanity and the toilet. Decent quality cabinetry for that size will run between 800 to 1000, for stock. Custom build more than that. If you plan to stay in the house for a few years, don't buy cheap cabinetry. The cheapest solid surface remnant that I found was $40 per sq foot installed with an extra $80 for the polish and undermount sink. So that alone would run you about $500 for the countertop. Skip the double sink. With the larger sized sinks today, there won't be enough counter space left. If you keep your sink in the current position you would end up with a drawer stack on the left and doored cabinet under the sink. Not the best configuration, you might consider moving the sink to the center if your budget permits.

You don't show it in the photo, but I am guessing that you have a custom sized linen closet behind your shower, it is hidden by the bathroom door in your photo. I would guess 25" inches wide. If you also have cabinetry in that are, the sizing for that is most likely custom.

As for all the posters that say keep it as is, most likely you are doing the remodel not only for cosmetic but plumbing reasons. Go ahead and replace, you have to live with it. Enjoy your new bathroom.

I love it! Ditch the shutters and convert the toilet to dual flush.

Honestly, your bathroom has a lot going for it already! Your blue wall tiles are really nice. The sink is also very sharp, especially the metal edging. And I love the blue toilet.

If this were my bathroom, I'd keep everything. But I'd paint out the window trim and shutters, paint the walls a fresh new colour, and tile the floor (white).

i like your vanity and i think it would work well with the spa style you are going for. it's hard to tell from the photo whether it would be better to leave it entirely as is or refinish it. i do agree with a previous commenter about rethinking the hex tile - i think that's more traditional than the look you are going for. good luck!

As someone else mentioned, larger white tiles would work better in this space with the existing vanity style. We have hex tiles on our bathroom floor (our house was built in 1910 though) and the grout lines are busy. If you go the hex route, don't grout with white. Go light grey. It will hide the dirt better.

yeah! i'm so glad to see several people weighed in against the spa bathroom. man, am i sick of those.

i'm in the camp that thinks this bathroom has great bones and should be left largely as-is, with the spa elements incorporated through accessories - great towels and bathmat, appealing window treatments, waffle weave shower curtain, and other accessories.

I'd be astonished if you could do this for $1,200.

The faucet you drew looks like the Toto Soiree which costs $400 - you can probably get it 35% off if you shop around. That being said, it doesn't come in polished chrome - only unpolished - so you'll ALWAYS be wiping it down. http://www.homeclick.com/web/catalog/product_detail.aspx?pid=194908

Read up on toilets on Terry Love's plumbing forum.

If you do re-do your place, think carefully about heights. I just did a 33" high sink and a shower head that is 80" at the bottom (where the water comes out). Most of the "standard measurements" on-line are old and need to be revised.

We had a pink bathroom but didn't want a full scale gut job. We replaced the pink toilet, pink floor and vanity. The biggest expense was the new vanity. We lucked out and found one on clearance from Restoration Hardware. We now have white hex tiles with a black hex border. Take a look.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjburke/sets/72157616107304156/

The mid century quality "bones" are already clearly evident in your bathroom, just add some quality towels & subtle/neutral accessories to create the luxurious effect.

The louvered shutters have to go, simply frost the glass with some opaquing film from your local glazier to retain privacy.

And for the inexpensive way to make your toilet water efficient, just put a house brick in the cistern & save at least 1-2 litres per flush!

I like the vanity. I think it would look beautiful in a spa inspired bathroom. Just replace the counter top with something more modern. If you have room, two raised bowl sinks would look really sharp

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your original tile bathroom. In fact, I just purchased a vintage 1959 sink and bath tub set in the same blue as yours for the add-on bathroom in my 1950 home. I already restored the original pink-tile bathroom to it's original glory. Many of my neighbors were inspired to do the same after seeing it. I think your blue is very beautiful and calming...IOW, "spalike". With some well-chosen wallpaper, accessories, lighting (very important!), towels, etc this bathroom will be stunning!
Take a peek at these sites for inspiration:
retrorenovation.com
savethepinkbathrooms.com

P.S. If you choose to remove that blue wall tile, pls send it to me. Thx!

IF you don't mind sacrificing some storage, you might be able to find a table about the same size and add holes for the sink.

You are fortunate to have a bathroom with such attractive tile, in the original style appropriate to the house. It would be a shame to alter it.

Like everyone else, I think you should keep most of your blue bathroom tiling intact and limit your changes to cosmetic updates like losing the shower doors and the shutters. Try spending money on low cost items that may give it a fresher look than overspending on a remodel.

I think a combo of white (paint, towels, shower curtain, bath rugs) and greens (paint, bamboo stalks, orchids, or other houseplants) will spruce it up nicely for that "spa look".

The only part that looks dated to me is the metal trim on the formica countertop. Having just updated a similarly laid out vanity, I know the off-center sink location really limits your choices for replacement countertops.

If you do go down the route of replacing the countertop and sink (and keep the vanity), I would highly recommend spending part of your budget on a plumber to relocate the sink to the middle of the vanity. A centered sink will be more functional and allow future changes to the mirror and lighting that won't be off kilter.

If you're set on replacing the floor, I think a slate floor in blueish tones would fit in much better than hex tile.

Well, I have to disagree with all you young whippersnappers. I think pastel tile and especially fixtures are disgusting, not "cute". The toilet is in no way ever going to be ecological, and I think well done "spa" bathrooms will always look contemporary and elegant. (If you go too kitsch with your spa detailing, all bets are off, but I have seen upper scale bathrooms from the 1940's that look a lot like spa bathrooms of today... good design is good design.)

You could try looking at free standing vanities at big box stores. We found some we liked a lot at Home Depot and Lowes, and a slightly more expensive one at the now defunct Expo. You can even get pre-fab granite countertops with built in sinks (not as sexy as t he o ne you chose, but pre-mounted white porcelain ovals) at those chains for between $150 and $200 or so. Just be picky, but not obsessive, and I think you could do your vanity, sink and faucet for maybe $600 or so.

Fabulous, another person who bought their house in prime vintage condition and wants to zen/spa/whatever the place so that no one else will ever want to live in it. It's a perfect original bathroom, leave it at that! Visit RetroRenovation please!