Hello AT,
Our small co-op bathroom was done up in cheap tile and formica when it was first converted (left), and we'd love to revamp it. Our tastes tend toward the modern but we don't want to fight the pre-war bones of the apartment (hurt re-sale value, etc.). Any recommendations for combining the clean/functional look of modern with the classic/old-NY look of pre-war?...
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it depends on your approach. i'm in the process of a very small scale bathroom makeover in my ww2-era apartment. i'm trying to keep with the general feel of the space and show off the beautiful original detail as best i can, but in a way that is quirky and modern and thoroughly my own. i chose midcentury hardware, and the decor is retro and quite traditional. but i'm not necessarily trying to be "period". i'm also limited by the fact that i'm a renter and can't get rid of stuff like the ugly sink and vanity, circa 1978.
personally, i'd avoid overly current details like glass tile or vessel sinks with ultra-contemporary hardware. not only will it not really gibe with the bones of your space, but you'll end up ripping it out in 10 years when that look is dated and passe. i would stay timeless with the more permanent details like tile and fixtures.
I used a modern pedestal sink with subway tile and square floor tiles. This is in a 1967 ranch and it doesn't quite fit in but it's less scary than what was there.
http://webpages.charter.net/apowers5313/%232%20Finishes%20001.jpg
When I redid my small bathroom, I gutted it. I had found a beautiful 16" square tile, each hand made and unique from one other, and I basically tiled the room with it. I had a jacuzzi installed in an alcove made out of the end of the room, and it came out great. I thought it was Italian tile, but when the boxes arrived, it was actually TURKISH tile. So I have a turkish bath.
Oh, I forgot to include in the above. I also have a 110 year old sink out of a hotel in New York City that I used. But I am thinking of replacing it with a wooden commode. I'm tried of looking at the plumbing.
Check out the supplies from Rejuvenation Hardware in Portland, Ore. Lots and lots of stuff -- both repro and vintage -- for pre-WWII era homes.
Should I ever get to renovate the bathroom in my 1920-built apartment, I'll face a similar design quandry. Sadly, original fixtures are long gone -- some apts in my co-op still had the claw foot tubs when they were converted, but I've got this huge flat sided monster!
There exists in Chicago a fantastic shoppe called aptly enough: "The Faucet Shoppe" and withing the never-ending assembly of scaffolding, boxes, tiny hallways and rooms upon rooms one will find everything related to user interface end of plumbing. They have original everything for just about anything.
If you're ever in need of a ceramic hot water knob for a 1915 Acme Co. guest bathroom faucet...they have it guaranteed and will only charge you a fair price.
hi - i don't think you could go wrong re: the pre-war bones if you tore out the vanity and sink and installed a pedastal. maybe an art deco polka dot or wide striped shower curtain would bridge the gap between pre-war an modern. throw-in a rug and i think you're set. maybe classic black and white?
ps - just saw the end of your post. i have those glass tiles in green and LOVE them. best decorating choice i ever made. in fact, i have a friend who wants them and i can't remember where i got them. where's the picture from?
check out kohler's website... I got a lot of inspiration there for updating a 70s-era bathroom in our brownstone. we went with a deco-y pedastal but with modern fixtures, hexagonal floor tiles, subway tiles on walls, and it turned out really well. keeping it mostly white with neutral paint on the walls also keeps it looking fresh, modern.
I had what looks like a similar ugly 1980's era "remodel" of my 1927 NY bathroom. Complete with very low-rise tub and a "wall" between sink and tub, built to accomodate the shower pipes and create a niche for the tub to fit into. The little wall cut off the light to the vanity, which may have been a blessing since the sink was so cheap and nasty.
It was surprisingly cheap to demolish it all--especially the awful "wall", which you do not need! (Put the shower fixture on the tub's long wall, instead. That's probaby how it was in the original bath.) That made the small narrow bathroom seem lighter and MUCH bigger.
I put in a deep white Kohler tub, and a curved shower-curtain bar with two groovy clear vinyl shower curtains from Waterworks, (which let in lots of light, but you better have an uncluttered shower and nice tilework). I redid everything in white subway tile (with narrow black border)going half-way up the wall all around the room, and up to the ceiling around the shower. Black and white square mini floor tiles, white toilet/ black seat, white pedestal sink. Very simple chrome fittings from Dornbracht, and a simple beveled glass medicine cabinet to hold everything out of sight.
It doesn't have to be deco cutesy at all-- and the effect is very clean and modern.
I love those blue glass subway tiles. But you might think about white ceramic-- they're very cheap, very modern, and you need a lot to do the whole room (which I highly recommend, since it unifies the space). Since I've done only half-way tiling for three walls, I've painted the top-half of those walls when I needed some color in my life. So far, it's been white, icy-blue, and pale-grey. It's easy and cheap to paint half walls in a small bathroom yourself, so you can experiment a lot. But choosing a colored tile sort of locks you in.
Sorry for the long post. Good luck!
what about tearing down that middle wall halfway and adding a glass divider to open the space up!
A couple of nights ago I caught a show on HGTV called "My House is worth what?" and it showed a NY pre-war UWS coop that the owner had renovated to a very high standard (bought for 380K 20 years ago, 100K in renos - now worth about 1.6MM - sorry don't know size but it was a classic 6) and one of her bathrooms came to mind when I read your question.
Unfortunately, there are no images on the HGTV page
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hhww/episode/0,3006,HGTV_27061_45101,00.html
but I did DVR it and can see if I can capture an image to post to flickr. It could take a few days so I will post to an open thread when I have done it so, if you are interested Joey, keep checking the open threads for the link.