How To Remodel 1955 Pink Bathroom? Good Questions

Q: I am remodeling/updating a pink bathroom in my 1955 limestone ranch. The house is uniquely mid-century modern and we have tried to update it with modern, mid-century modern fixes. I think we have done a great job so far (if I do say so myself) with the rest of the house, but this bathroom has me perplexed.

We have both a pink and blue bathroom. The blue bathroom is part of the master suite and we are saving it for later. The pink bathroom is the guest bathroom. I would love any tips on how to keep this bathroom pink and authentic looking while updating it to be modern (and not retro). I am not sure what to keep and what to let go of and I can't decide on how to integrate new tile (and therefore a new color) into the shower are.

Here are the things we want to keep:

Pink floor tile

Pink tub

Large mirror

Medicine cabinet

Butterfly tiles (in some way-- we can try to move them. The blue bathroom has seagull tiles.)

Here are the things that we need to change:

Add a shower

New tile on the shower area walls

New lighting

Here are the things that are up in the air:

Do we keep the pink toilet? It works well, but is quite inefficient. The blue one has started to leak and we may need to upgrade it.

Do we keep the pink counter top? I am erring on the side of replacing it (we removed white laminate in the kitchen and put in gorgeous black granite -- we could put in black here too). The blue bathroom also has laminate, but its blue. We would eventually be doing the same to the counter top in that bathroom too.

Do we keep the pink sink? We would need a new faucet as this one is leaking and the blue one has a broken knob. How would the pink sink look with a different counter top?

What tile and in what color should we use in the shower area? How do I integrate the old cream color wall tile and the new tile? I was thinking that a whole new color would be the best way -- vertically running black subway tile? Grey glass tile? Do I remove all of the cream in the shower area and make the whole thing new -- or is there some way to integrate the new into the cream?

Also, I am hoping to do this without breaking the bank. Would $1,500 get me somewhere?
Any advice would be much appreciated.

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Comments (5)

You should definitely check out retrorenovation.com and http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/. http://retrorenovation.com/category/bathroom-categories/pink-pink-bathrooms/

Those will help you with ideas and sources for lights and fixtures and color ideas. Of course Rejuvenation has fantastic midcentury pieces, but they are pretty expensive.

For the tile, you could always go white or try to find a coordinating color such as light gray or even pink tile. If you find another color, you can coordinate curtains and a shower curtain with it. I would NOT put black granite in there. It will look so disconnected from the room. If you want to update the counter, I'd go with something white and simple, which is very MCM. But I think it looks fine and the sink is pretty cool.

Look into those frames that fit around mirrors that are already on the wall. A silver one would work. If you can't find a place to put the butterfly tiles, consider using them as art in the bathroom. Have you considered painting the cabinet to brighten the room? As for adding a shower, I assume you will just add a showerhead to the existing bathtub.

I have to say, I think trying to keep the pink sink, toilet, and butterfly tiles is going to make you batty. That bathroom has way more tile than it needs already, so I think removing all the white tile and replacing the toilet with a new, efficient, white one is the way to go. You can find very simple and affordable sinks and faucets at any hardware store, and save your money to pay the tile and drywall guy. I like your idea of vertical subway tile in the shower area, you may even be able to find an affordable source for this. Depending on your skills, you could spend the 1.5k on materials (the shower valve and tile will be the big ticket items) and do a lot of the work yourself. We hired a drywall guy to tape and mud after we hung the drywall, and a tile contractor to do the shower plumbing, install a window, and tile in the shower (we did our own tile on the floor and backsplash). If you're planning to hire a plumber, and a tile professional, I think you'll need at least $3-5k. We did our project in two phases for a similar reason. Everything was more expensive than we'd hoped, and we needed more professional assistance than we'd anticipated.

Overstock.com has a good selection of modern/simple fixtures at reasonable prices. Also check your local salvage yard for sinks, faucets, and tile, if you're lucky.

Good Luck!! It will be so satisfying to have it done! And you are starting with some seriously adorable tile on the floor, so that's lucky.

A friend recommended Miracle Method and we used them to reglaze our tub/tiles to white. Turned out great. You just have to clean it relatively carefully and know that you may need touching up in five years or so. (Miracle Method is a franchised business so you have to see if someone does it in your area.) Sorry, I can't remember how much it was -- maybe like $300-500? But way less pricey than a tub removal and new install. We also had an excessive amount of tiling in our old bathroom. And after an unhappy day with a crowbar, my husband gave up on removing the tiles and did a very nice white beadboard directly over the tile. Good luck! Maybe a combo of all these posted ideas will help you!

I did a reno using reclaimed fixtures from Habitat for Humanity. I went looking for items like your pink tub, toilet and sink. If the enamel on them is in good shape, keep them. You'll need to give them a good cleaning once you've pulled them out, but it'll be worth it! The butterfly tiles will, most likely, be hard to salvage. Use caution as you start to dismantle your bath, but it's not that hard to save the sink, toilet and tub.

I would tear out all the tile and start fresh. White with a black accent would be in keeping with the traditional look, though it's possible to get the pink tile to match your bath, in which case I'd go for pink with black trim. Depending on what's behind your bath faucet, it might be the only way to add a shower. You don't need to tile the entire room. I would just do the shower alcove and dry wall (green board) the rest of the bath and paint.

Both toilets are worth keeping. The blue one probably just needs some new seals. I had a plumber fix a 1921 toilet and made it good as new. You can place bricks or something in the tank to reduce the amount of water used each flush.

Faucets are easy to replace with the right tools (a basin wrench), and an easy way to make your bath look great.

I would find a complimentary solid surface counter top and replace the laminate. Another option, would be to tile the counter top with the same tile you use in the bath. I never had a tile counter until I moved to California, but they are everywhere here and not as hard to clean as one might imagine. Really in keeping with the style of your bath.

I would fine some simple, sleek cabinets for under the sink in white or black.

Look for a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store near you. If you're willing to go repeatedly to find just the right thing, they can be a great resource and they're cheap!