Ok I'll be the first -
I LOVE THAT BATHROOM JUST THE WAY IT IS.

If anything, if you must destroy it, offer everything in it on craigslist to someone who will come demo it with care and reuse the vintage elements.

There's about to be a huge fight between the "keep the pink bathroom" people and the "gut it" people. If you hate it and don't want to rip it out, you could try painting it, but if you really really hate it ... I would suggest living with it until you can afford to totally redo the entire bathroom :)

This has been covered (exhaustively) in previous posts. Searching apartment therapy for "pink tile" yields several relevant articles, including the following:

Simple Way To Cover Ugly Bathroom Tile?
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/simpler-way-to-cover-ugly-bathroom-tile-good-questions-172152

How to work with green & pink bathroom tile
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-work-wit-146731

Before and after: a demo-free bathroom renovation
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/a-demofree-bathroom-reno-138632

Lots of good tips/advice here!

I don't have to look at the bathroom every day but I too love it. Please do not paint over the tile! I like the use of black in there with the pink. I hope you grant the tile a reprieve and wait to make a decision on it until you've switched out other elements, like the tub & toilet & floor. And of course that shower curtain. I think that may be your real problem!

I think it's AMAZING. I would just get a new floor.

If you do remodel, do it right and take these fixtures, including the tub, to a good salvage place. Someone will love them and buy them.

I don't like the pink tile either, so I'm with the "gut it" people. I'm not a fan of painted tile, or partial fixes, so I wouldn't do anything right now, save money, and do a full renovation eventually.
That also has the advantage of allowing you to live with the pink tile for a few years which will let you pick your side in the "great pink bathroom fight" - after a few years of getting ready in a pink bathroom each morning, you will either love it or hate it!

Well, if the pink really isn't your style, you might want to wait to do anything remotely $$$ or even $, and just save up for a major bathroom overhaul. In the meantime, play up the kitch factor, perhaps? Acknowledge its datedness and get posters from the 1950s or 60s to cue yourself and your visitors that, yes, this room is a blast from the past. Maybe an I Love Lucy poster? http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5mtfk_BzA2c/SLj1-Ny2QnI/AAAAAAAAASw/9FN5tulgcs4/s1600/I-Love-Lucy-TV-History-Posters.jpg Or Attach of the 50 Foot Woman poster? http://www.aarongreufe.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/1950sposter2.jpg Or conduct a full-on assault and go for something anti-pink like tatoo art or skull and crossbones.

Though if you're not into kitch, this might just make everything a thousand times worse for you. :)

Do some research and find a local porcelain patch/glaze company. They put a glaze over your tile that lasts for 7-10 years or until you remodel.

I have a pink and black bathroom myself. I wish my tile was in as good of shape as yours is. If you're going to keep it (which I hope you do, but I won't judge if you don't), then I suggest painting the walls a light grey. For all your accessories, (shower curtain, window treatment, towels, rugs) I would go white. For fun, I added a touch of bright yellow in the art on the walls and some of the hand towels. Good luck!

Awww, don't destroy it. Ditto jeanmarie above, at least find somebody to use all the vintage elements. (I am old enough to remember when people were routinely trashing claw-foot bathtubs . . . .)
Sad to say, much of what you might replace it with (bowl sinks, 12 x 12 marble tile, brushed nickel faucets) is going to look dated before all that long, too.

I think it takes certain personalities to love pink tile and if you aren't one of them, by all means, gut the thing and donate the materials to someone who will use them. I definitely don't think you should keep it just because it's vintage, because it's your house and it should reflect your personality.

But I will say that you need to do a full gut renovation. There's just so much pink tile that there wouldn't be a good way of covering it up without having to redo it later or it looking totally professional. If you want to keep some vintage charm, I would replace all of the pink tile with white subway and keep the black tile. Except for that weird square of black. I have no idea why anyone thought that was stylish.

...and here I am picking the right shade of pink to paint my bathroom....

I am not affiliated with the site but Save the pink bathroom dot com might help you come to terms with the pink! I think the pink could look super, super awesome with a lot more white...white floor tile, (maybe white octagon with black dot?) white toilet, white reglazed tub, white sink. Also may help: watching Jessica's Daily Affirmation.

Oh and if you like pink, but can't tolerate so much of it, keep the sink (if it's still in good shape). I actually like the sink for its vintage charm and I think it would look decent if it wasn't floating in a sea of pepto bismol tile.

Why do the same questions keep showing up?
Your bathroom is fabulous, including the toilet and vanity! Put some bricks (in ziplock bag) in the tank to save water. Get some storage to go next to the vanity. Regrout if needed. Get kitschy/period appropriate shower curtain, rug, towels, and lighting (can't see it in the picture).
http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/
Seriously, read it.

First, you need to take a look at this website please: http://savethepinkbathrooms.com

I think that bathroom is awesome. It's original and unique, and looks like it's still in good shape after 50 years. Anything you put in will not be of that kind of quality. You may grow to love it if you live with it for a while.

Some decor suggestions: bright white paint is adding contrast, and I think lowering the contrast would make the bath more modern looking. I would suggest looking at some neutral taupe paint colors that have some pink. Something like First Crush or Angelica (from Benjamin Moore). Also get towels in a taupe tone. Keep these neutral, as the bath already has a lot of color.

Next, get a big print of a painting that has some pinks and blacks in it, and mount it in a thin black frame. Artwork is a perfect way to shift a color palette of the permanent fixtures in your house to something you prefer.

This is a fantastically preserved bit of design history. I say: don't touch it, expect maybe getting rid of the linoleum floor, and painting the walls (maybe a soft grey?). Give it time and see if it grows on you. Notice how often your guests will say "I love your bathroom! It's straight out of the the 50s!", and then ask if you really want to replace it with some generic mid-2010s stuff.

Keep the tile, put in a white toilet white pedestal sink, and black and white penny tile on the floor. Decorate with black/white polka dots. (I'm living vicariously through your awesome pink tile!)

I also like it the way it is, but if you absolutely hate it, you can get the tub and tiles professionally reglazed. It is cheaper than ripping off everything and much faster.

The bathroom doesn't look that bad and actually looks like it's in great condition - no yucky mold in the grout or cracks!

Pink would not be my first choice either and I can see how gut reaction is to GUT, but there's lots of ways to "distract" the eye - get some framed photos, stuff you like and see if it can grow on you. I like @Magoo1's idea. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! From the post, this doesn't sound like your primary bathroom, so if everything is working - why spend the extra $$ doing partial construction and have fun with the comic 50's theme for the time being.

It's too bad you don't like it, it looks like the tile is in perfect shape. I would live with it for a while (and maybe add some chrome elements into the space) until you can do a full reno.

Can we all agree that while the poster may grow to love it after some time, that it is totally OKAY if after that time, she does NOT love it and wishes to do what she wants with her house? I think one of the things that gets lost in the weeds is the fact that not every vintage thing is to everyone's liking. She shouldn't be vilified for wanting to gut or renovate something she does not enjoy. Your house should not be an albatross of what you dislike about it, no matter how vintage it is.

I honestly hated my pink bathroom at first, but over time (and after toning it down) have come to appreciate it. I've got some tile damage and may have to redo the it at some point, but I will keep my pink sink and tub. Do donate to salvage (or Craig's list, or the seller's section on Retrorenoation.com) if you decide to gut. Somebody will go nuts for your fixtures!

I happen to dig a good Mamie Pink bathroom for the kitsch value, but you can have the tile coated as you would a cast iron tub (http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,197046,00.html)--and of course, the tub at the the same time. We saw some houses in our 1930s neighborhood with original bathroom tiles that had been made gleaming white this way. If you do decide to go that route, consider keeping the black tiles. You'll keep the house authentic with a much more classic look.

And here I was looking for retro floral wallpaper to fix some of the holes in our pink half bathroom. :)

It's unfortunate to see it go, but if you have to, just gut the whole thing at once. (kill it swiftly!) Painted tile just sounds like a bad idea altogether and I'm sure someone else would be interested in your fixtures that are in great shape from the looks of it.

If I were you I wouldn't love the pink either! If you have the means to gut it then I would say go ahead. If you don't but anticipate being about to in a year or so then live with it. If you think this is a longer term project (3-10 years) then I would get several quotes for reglazing. You could also gut the walls and replace it with drywall for now with the intention of replacing the room full of tile later. One last suggestion (and I actually did this in my 1930's bathroom) is to cover the wall tile with wainscoting. This required an insert in the tub and then a bit of custom molding on the top to cover the depth of the the tile and wainscoting - but it wasn't too expensive and made a world of difference with the appearance. Good luck!

The pinks are very different, but I think modifying this psychedelic pallet would be really fun to spunk up the bath, while you save up for the eventual re-do:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/rohdes-energetic-inspiring-room-room-for-color-contest-178401

Turquoise and a golden orange in your preferred shades, vintage gold/brass, and warm all that tile up with rich, natural textures. For example, curvy storage furniture, wood accents like bowls and nicknacks, rich textiles (esp. in velvet and/or chenille), and anything else to make that pink recede into the background where it belongs. ;)

Okay this is shameless self promotion fer sure... but I JUST addressed this issue on my new blog. I have 4 different shades of green tile in my bathroom. I used a "distract and conquer" method:

http://hauswitch.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/design-challenges-bathroom-tile-edition/

just saying....

When I went to view my apartment for the first time, the pink tile looked like a flamingo exploded in the small bathroom. When I moved in, I realized that I love the colour just BECAUSE it was so unusual and totally 'in your face'.

I added black accents including a black curtain on top of the clear curtain. When I tie back the black curtain with a pink ribbon, the look is just perfect (to me).

When you find a way to work with something unusual in your rental/small space, there is a felling of accomplishment! I learned to not only live with my pink tile, but love it. Maybe you can too!

Unless a total gut renovation is possible, just embrace the pink and make it fabulous. Paint the walls black, or a dark emerald green might be interesting too. Paint the wood door and all the trim (window and door) black. The floor isn't great but cover it up with a couple of math mats to coordinate with the new wall color. Get a dramatic black and white striped shower curtain. Don't bother painting the tiles or covering up the tub. It will just look weird.

I have a similar bathroom. I painted the walls slate. The dark color tones down the pink and it looks really nice.

I love this bathroom. Wow. Maybe adding some gray or charcoal paint or accessories, some earthy stuff to tone it, have fun with it. It's beautiful and classic.

I was with the "gut it" folks until I visited savethepinkbathrooms.com as many of the other commentors suggested. I do think you should keep the pink & black tile as-is (except for maybe that one swatch of 4x4 black tiles; replace with some more pink) and just replace the toilet and sink in white. There is something heartwarming about your bathroom and I think in the end visitors to your house will find it charming, not ugly.

I'd also:
1. Replace the light's switch plate. Something about it screams college dorm bathroom to me. Maybe black?
2. Replace the blinds with something black or dark grey.
3. Obviously, get a new shower curtain. Bright white would probably be best.

I would have loved to see what's going on in the sink area. I'll just make some decorating stabs in the dark here. It looks like there is plenty room on either side of the sink. Maybe add a black lacquered side table to hold perfume bottles, a jar of q-tips, a canister of cotton balls, folded towels, etc. Some shelving would also probably be helpful. I'd also somehow work some black trim around the mirror.

Patterned bath rugs. grey and white chevron ? Also, hang bath towels immediately above the tile so that they hang down and cover some of the pink. I like the entry / sink area but there is a lot of pink in the toilet / tub area.
~ C

That truly is a glorious bathroom. It is a shame that so often the folks that find vintage and in remarkably good shape don't want it.

You, in reality, only have two choices with this bath. You should either embrace it in all its glory or you should gut it and start over. Anything in between won't turn out satisfactorily. Patch jobs will just be that and look rotten.

Whatever direction you are inclined to go at this time, Don't. Live with the bath for a while the way it is.

Ok, I would replace the pink porcelain elements, but I think the tile can be worked with. A few decorative touches and that bathroom could be fabulous!

great photos on your place, hauswitch !

I would live with it for a while and embrace the silliness, and save your pennies for a year or two from now when you will make a final decision on renovating it.

I bought my house with beige square tiles and a purple painted accent strip on all 4 walls of the bathroom, including the shower stall area. I didn't love it but it wasn't awful to live with. Then the purple paint started peeling, and I found myself picking at it compulsively. The underlying tiles weren't my style, but I would have much rather worked around them than have to deal with the peeling paint. We ended up gutting the whole bathroom within the year because I just couldn't take it anymore.

So, if you decide to paint, I would look at it as a short term solution only. If this isn't the bathroom you'll be using on a daily basis for showers and such, the paint may serve its purpose better.

Start with the toilet, vanity, and floor. Buy a shower curtain you love that will ease the pain you feel with the tile. Make other cosmetic changes before painting the tile to see if you can make it livable for yourself. When you reach your breaking point, rip it out.

For what it's worth, I hate that pink tile too. :)

If you don't like it by all means change it but personally I would embrace it until I had the funds to completely redo it the way I wanted. I wish I had pics of my old pink bathroom. I basically went for kitchy glam. Bronze accents, ruffles, and a print that read "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Lol. As a person that often tries to recycle the old into the new, including in my recent bathroom reno, I can tell you there are a lot of people looking in salvage yards for tile, toilets and sinks just like that. I understand you don't like it, but looking at the comments on here you should understand at least, that many people don't think it's hideous.

Before I do anything in a new place, I have found it's best to live there for a while. I would be for not gutting this bathroom at all. Especially, as I imagine, it goes with the period feel of the rest of the house which is what most people pay for these days as "contemporary" can easily be purchased anywhere by anyone.

I would try and bring out the charm and make it as period as possible. Maybe even slightly French/30's. Meaning a chandelier (yes, they look lovely in a bathroom), better lighting and a tri fold mirror like the owner of Waterworks has in her own personal bathroom. You may have seen the post yesterday. I would also put in penny tile on the floor. Please think about it...if the owner of a designer sought bathroom fixtures company chooses to track down a sink from the 20's for her own bathroom...is your pedestal sink really that hideous? Even in pink? The best remodels these days are a mixture of old and new. When you go into an old house where the owners have desperately tried to make it like a mcmansion in the burbs, knocking down walls and putting up all the latest modern light fixtures from home depot...it doesn't work.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/trifold-mirrors-178770

I go both ways on this pink tile debate. On one hand, that is original and very common of the period. It is style I love, but not so much for the pink ones. Sometimes you see teal, yellow, etc but pink is probably the most common. And I hate the color pink. I think I could try to embrace the pink for what it is. If I were you I'd rip out or at least tile over that floor with something clean and white, get rid of the pink items like toilet, sink, which shouldn't be that difficult nor costly. And I am sure you can find an option for the tub. Fresh paint. And then bring out the black in your accessories. Make the pink less of a star and more of the highlight color.

Oh yes...I just read through all the comments and went to save the pink bathroom. This is the penny tile I was talking about. There was a GORGEOUS designer redo in LA house tour a few weeks back and the designers PUT IN this penny tile in black and white with the date of the house in the tile. This pink bathroom looks gorgeous. I am saddened you don't see the beauty in yours.

http://retrorenovation.com/2009/04/22/where-to-find-retro-vintage-pink-bathroom-til/

I can see wanting to both keep and destroy this bathroom.

My suggestion is that its actually not so bad, as its just a two toned tile pattern.

This is what I would do. Change the flooring to something less busy. White or black tile. Then I would replace the toilet with a regular white toilet, and ditto with the sink. I'd go with a modern, clean white cabinet. Something along the lines of this:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49906039/#/S99908385
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09903523/

And finally, keep the linens crisp and neutral.

I feel really all this needs is a light hand, and maybe eventually you can do a total renovation if these small changes don't make it at least tolerable.

SWOON. I love it just how it is- especially that sink!! If you rip it out, can I have it???

This bathroom is so amazing! If it were mine I would definitely be playing it up with girly sparkly accessories and so forth. (I would put in something different for the flooring, though.)

Since over-the-top colorful obviously isn't your thing, though, you can probably paint the tile (or ask a professional about options for longer-lasting coverage) - it would look great with all the pink tile painted white and maybe a black-and-white penny tile floor, and that would keep it period-appropriate with what I'm guessing the rest of the house looks like.

When you rip out the pink fixtures, please please please craigslist them - someone might love them.

At one time, I would have said the same as you. Hate it. But no more. I have come to love the feel of these bathrooms and think the pink is fabulous. Paint the bathroom a light gray. Accent towels in white and dark gray and call her done. Oh yes, and spit shine everything.

New floor, new shower curtain, coat of gray paint -- boom, you're done and it's perfect.

Many visitors are likely to swoon over a vintage pink bathroom. Few people swoon over painted tile.

Gut the f*ck out of it. /thread

This is the house tour I was talking about. They had to do two period bathrooms. The penny tile really made a difference. And I like pink better than black/white which really seems like something you see in older public facilities.

http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/la-design-vidal/item/365392

I hope we hear back from you. I think many people are voting for you to keep your period bathroom. If there is anything I've learned from AT is that you mix the old and the new...it provides the best results. Seriously...vintage stained glass window just casually hung over your old window, new mirror, old metal floor towel rack (I saw one at Anthro for 3000$ from the 40's lol)...so many possibilities here. We're all jealous we don't have the period elements you have to work with!

I'm with you, Carolina. Some people may love it, but that doesn't mean the rest of us "just don't know how to appreciate vintage bathrooms" just because we hate pink. IMO, it's hideous. Preserve and sell it if it's really worth the effort, otherwise kill it with fire.

cool wallpaper and rugs might do the trick....

Haven't read the entire thread, but just in case this hasn't been shared:

http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/

by way of contrast, my last house had the bathroom painted in the 60's. I called it Safety Cone Orange and we needed sunglasses to tolerate being in that room

I'm not coming down on these people for not loving it. I don't think anyone is. I'm just saying that after about '80, we haven't really had a true design style movement...like "arts and crafts" or "art nouveau". People are hungry for it. The stuff from China that you can buy now is dating quickly. Those pedestal sinks can go for 400 or more dollars and people are combing salvage yards to try and find ways to add character to their reno. The best remodels we see on here are when the owners opt for bringing out the character instead of obliterating it. Granted...this needs freshening. More lights. Fixtures with nickel (not polished chrome). Getting rid of the blue in the linoleum (blue can suck the light out of the room) and replacing it with period penny tile. If these owners want to get the most $$ out of their house, it's best to keep the period feel. I can't tell you how many houses I've been in that don't work because the owners did a gut of all the period elements of a house.

If you decide to live with the pink for a while Damask Pink from Benjamin Moore coordinates beautifully with Mamie pink tile. Restoration Hardware used to have the perfect pink hotel shower curtain and bath mat although this is a reasonable substitute http://www.rhbabyandchild.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod102036. If you have to gut it please do try to preserve the tiles and fixtures to sell. You will find many pink bathroom owners clamoring for them!

It could be worse. Instead of the pink, my bath has faux-sponge-painting mushroom colored tile, and the border is a lovely rotten flesh color. It's EVERYWHERE: on the walls, behind the toilet, behind the vanity and mirror. When I walked in, I thought "so, this is hideous and it will be gutted". A few months and other urgent and expensive projects in, I am surprised by 1) how many of my friends have commented on the "nice" bathroom, and 2) how little it bothers me anymore, with a few updates.

Unless you're deathly offended by it, try a new floor, wall paint and decor as suggested above. Maybe a white toilet. The black tile swatch needs to be hidden somehow. Good luck!

Actually, the tiles appear in very good condition - maybe you should just embrace them. Change the floor to the traditional black and white and then use a white toilet and a white tub. If you use strategic lighting, the pink may be quite flattering.

I know I am going to incur the wrath of the AT community for this. My suggestion is to put removable wallpaper or removable shelf paper over the wall tile. Yes, it won’t look professional, but it will give you an opportunity to see how other colors look in the bathroom. The paper should be easier to take off when you gut.

I'm adding to my comment from earlier.... if you decide not to gut the whole thing and work with what you have, be careful with adding new (white) fixtures. They might look out of place, making the room look worse - like you couldn't decide if you wanted 1950 or 2012. If you keep the tile, I would also keep the toilet, sink, and tub. I like the idea of adding dark grey accents and penny tile for the floor.

Good thread.
I'm with keeping it but refreshing it. More lighting, more chrome. New chrome fixtures, new plumbing behind the sink (it probably shows and the pipes should look nice.) Chrome the color of the switch plate. Chrome towel bar. Penny tile. Like the penny tile with the pink dots on save the pink bathroom. Floating glass shelf above the sink with chrome supports. I really don't like the plaid shower curtain. It's like your'e fighting it too hard. Seeing the open door, it looks like the house is period, so I'd stay period but update it. Love the triple mirror idea and agree that people really want this stuff now and you'd be better off to make it look like it isn't just a case of an older person who never updated living there, but someone with an appreciation of the house who did the reno. It's ironic that all the people living in new houses in the suburbs are looking to add character to their home and dreaming of a period house and the people with period houses hate it. The period homes are what goes up in value, so I'd take the advice of working with it. Don't paint it. I've seen painted tile and it never looks right. Hunt for a vintage mirror and chandelier. Have your plumber put in all new fittings for the toilet. It will feel better than you think . Good luck.

Pink lovers, hear this. Some of us really HATE pink. We don't care that you love it, we hate it! HATE HATE HATE!!! ;^) So suggesting to one of us all the wonderful things you think about having pink is completely meaningless! That's YOU not me!

I would agree, since there are decidedly two schools of thought about pink, that trying to salvage and sell all the pink to someone who wants it would be prudent. Enough folks actually LIKE it (ugh) to make that worthwhile. But if you, like me, can't stomach all that Pepto Dismal, get rid of it.

I disagree that anything you might like to do will look dated very soon. Most rather plain white porcelain fixtures, except maybe for vessel sinks, are timeless. Most good quality tile is timeless enough -- cutesy little floral tiles look old, but I suspect glass tile, for example, although it may seem of a certain era, will always still look GOOD, even so. Dodge the trendy gimmicks and go for the good stuff and you will be fine.

If you feel you must you could paint the tile temporarily, but that obviates salvage, and causes you to lose an opportunity. If it were me, I'd scrape up the money to just gut the place and fix it ASAP. I'd rather get a loan to do that th an live with the pink -- but that's me.

WOOWEE, that bathroom is PINK! Agreed - the toilet and sink are over the top. I suppose I might be able to live with the pink tile if the shower area mimicked the rest of the bathroom. That is, a strip of black tile part-way up and replacement of the pink tiles on the top and ceiling with white tiles. Then it wouldn't be overpowering (or too costly) and you could pull in another color for more French provincial-meets-Matisse, and less Pepto Bismal-meets-Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Sherry, Advocates for the bathroom seem to be saying they are for keeping the period look of the bathroom. With the white walls and bad flooring, the pink really stands out. It could be made to look less so without ruining the period look by painting and refreshing the hardware. The bathroom will suffer with everything being new. I guess they could go out and scrounge a 20's pedestal sink and do a modern white toilet, subway tiles, and bathtub and have the same thing in white.
I think they're going to find they regret ripping this out. You get an inkling of design trends on AT and with this many people pointing out how good this bathroom is, it means at least 3/4 of the buyers coming through the house one day would think the same thing.

$290 on etsy for a sink not nearly as cool as it's wall mounted.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/111350048/vintage-1950s-pink-bathroom-sink-with?ref=sr_gallery_8&ga_search_query=chrome+bathroom+fixtures&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_vintage_rewrite=vintage+chrome+bathroom+fixtures&ga_original_query=2&ga_search_type=vintage

This bathroom needs these:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/108084972/antique-wall-mounted-chromed-soap-dish?ref=sr_gallery_29&ga_search_query=chrome+bathroom&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_vintage_rewrite=vintage+chrome+bathroom&ga_orig_facet=vintage&ga_original_query=2&ga_search_type=vintage

I love thee old school pink but it's definitely not for everyone. If you really hate it I would say it would have to be a gut re-do. However, if you don't have the funds or time for that right now I would say play it up rather than try to 'cover it up'. I would keep the tile (dont try to paint-it will not look right!), paint the walls above the tile high gloss black or get a great black/foil wallpaper and update the fixtures. I would not change the toilet or sink to keep the look cohesive. I would change the floor too (or paint it.) Not sure what the rest of your house looks like but I think it could look very cool, art deco, glam, old hollywood. Done right, very chic & stylish! Have fun with it! Good luck!

And something like this:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/102141642/vintage-chrome-and-diamond-cut-glass?ref=sr_gallery_12&ga_search_query=chrome+bathroom&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_vintage_rewrite=vintage+chrome+bathroom&ga_orig_facet=vintage&ga_original_query=2&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=vintage

I like a pink bath, too.

There's a reason they made bathrooms pink. The color is very flattering to the skin tones.

I think a change of toilet and sink would help freshen up the look. Paint the walls, and put in accessories and curtains, and the pink tile will fade into the background.

Im not a fan of pink either so don't feel pressured to keep in just because some other people on here do like it. For now, work with it! Gray paint on the walls, feminine shapes and make it sort of french you know?

Wow, that is a beautiful bathroom and the tile is in good condition too. I vote for keeping it as is but I don't live in your house plus that is not what you asked. Too bad there isn't a way to match pink bathrooms with their fans.

I don't understand why pink haters buy a house with a pink bathroom. It would seem to be a deal breaker unless the house is a fixer-upper in general and/or the hater is doing a bathroom reno immediately. Otherwise you are facing a bathroom you hate every day and who wants that? Yeah yeah, first world problems and all that.

I would die for that bathroom. Can we switch? Paint the walls and molding silver or black and get a fabulous shower curtain (silver, black, etc). Embrace glam/regency. The master bath in my rental house is an 80s explosion- pinkish marble with lots of brass accents. Ugh. They even used a large lace patterned frosted film on the ENTIRE glass shower and installed white washed chunky wood cabinets.

I would keep the bathroom as is and ad white /black striped rugs and shower curtain.
like this: http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/album112/item/60784
I think it would look great with the pink tile.
or
striped rugs and a transparent shower curtain.

I love this bathroom! I have a vintage bathroom with funky colors too. I'd use the "if you can't beat it, join it" mentality. It's already funky, so I'd use funky styling. No sense trying to fight against what it is. I think using black and white would be one way to go. A black and white, faux zebra stripe rug, shower curtain with *thin* black and white stripes and simple black and white towels. Keep the walls white. As another reader posted, I'd go with pops of color in the wall art (go with vintage/retro. prints or pictures or black and white photographs with black frames.

and....

I think, replacing toilet vanity and tub into white would not do the room any good.

I'm not a fan of these pink bathrooms at all, but painted tiles and drop-in tubs always look awful to me. They look and feel cheap, which they are.

If it were me I'd live with it until I could afford to do a gut renovation.

Meh. Pink is not love, at my house.

I had a bathroom with aqua-blue tiles, a slightly different aqua tub and toilet, and yet another aqua sink bowl. It was super cool in 1963, and maybe (a big maybe!) the color would have matched someone else's taste even now, BUT... it was 45 years old, and it looked it. A bit shabby, a bit limy, a bit dingy. It just happens. I suspect this pink bathroom is not in immaculate condition "up close," even if it looks good from afar.

I kept my blue BR for 3 years, and then sucked it up and took out a home equity loan so that I could have a (white) bathroom that didn't make me nauseated for the 10+ years I knew I'd be in my home. I am delighted to have a neutral, clean (tiny) bath that doesn't offend my senses. And I should have the HEL paid off in 2 years. Woo hoo!

Having said that, new toilet and sink (in white) will dilute the uberpinkness of the room. That will make it less unendurable until you CAN fix it.

Obviously this is the original 50's bathroom, very kitschy and mid century. Keep it or lose it, but don't go halfway with it. Live with it until you can afford to gut it and do it right from the bottom up that is what I did with my pink bathroom when I bought my home. Lived with it for two years { you would be surprised at how many people actually liked it that way} and then got the bathroom of my dreams. It really wasn't that bad. I played up the kitschy part of it.

I understand what you're going through. When we first moved into our 1950's ranch 4 years ago, my first order of busines was going to be a complete redo of our pink bathroom - almost identical to yours. Every morning in the shower I imagined taking a sledgehammer to those walls. But I gave it a few months and you know what, its now my favorite room in the house! We spruced it up with gray walls and stripes of VCT tiles on the floor in dark and light gray, along with bright white shower curtain and accessories and its awesome - so much character!

Hell000000 Katie, Come back and say SOMEthing plz.

Hell000000 Katie, Come back and say SOMEthing plz.

Beautiful pink tile! Keep it!

I am with you, Pi.

Personal advice to poster is, live with it for a little while as you save your pennies, then either keep it if it's really grown on you or gut it at will.

That tile might be the same as in my bathroom, but sadly my sink/vanity and toilet don't match. :(

I have a yellow and black bathroom, so I can understand, though I'm a renter and can't change a GD thing. But I do have a white sink, tub, and toilet so there's that.

Many moons ago, AT posted a tour of a pink and black bathroom where the owner tricked it out in vintage style. It might inspire you to go with it.

Disclaimer: I'm in the 'paint it dark gray' camp here. This guy did some faux vintage wallpaper that looks cool, but I would have just papered it rather than put in all that work (lazy).

Totally Agree! I know a lot about these pink monstrosities because I'm have designed bathrooms for years and now I'm a faucet designer. Ain't nobody going to tell me I don't know how to "appreciate vintage". The truth is that when these kinds of bathrooms were hyped, there was really no interior design community. Check out this hideous ad:

http://uglyhousephotos.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/phx50sbathnational1950kohler2.jpg

And in the words of Lou Reed, I don't like nostalgia, unless it's mine.

paint the walls a cool pale gray like http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/horizon and cherish your retro bath room

Yeah, this might have been a "good" question the first dozen times it was asked, but at this point, I just want to refer them to let me google that for you

Don't paint over it, if you hate it then do a gut rehab and donate the tub/sink/toilet to a Habitat Restore.

Um, ditto to Pi. I also agree to the "If you don't love it, gut it" argument and also, be sure to sell pieces to someone who does (because apparently there are a lot of people who are very sensitive to the "vintage" (ooo) pink tile. ;D (Sorry I wasn't more helpful : / )

I would get a white toilet and sink, and paint the walls black, use a white shower curtain with fancy tie back, and a crystal chandelier.Black and white accessories. Go glam.

http://retrorenovation.com/2012/06/04/ideas-to-decorate-a-vintage-bathroom-mike-and-lindseys-retro-modern-pink-bathroom-before-after/

Or here is a good version of a bathroom with similar tile.

SAVE that lovely pink bathroom - it's beyond hip 'n happening. Wish I had it.

JamieO2 wrote: "There's about to be a huge fight between the "keep the pink bathroom" people and the "gut it" people."

How astute *chuckle* . Past my bedtime but I'll definitely be back to read all the comments. Always amusing. I've actually written down my guess as to how many times the 'save the pink bathrooms' site is mentioned in the 94 comments currently posted. If ya wanna place a bet now the odds are in my favor.

@lynnindc - I bet this was a fixer-upper. During my house hunting adventures, I found numerous homes with charm concentrated in certain areas. A lot of homes had wrecked kitchens but pristine bathrooms, or great backyards, but crumbling patios. How people take care of their homes or where they put their maintenance priorities is interesting. It wouldn't surprise me if this was a fixer-upper and the bathroom happens to be one of the more minor dislikes that didn't dissuade her from buying the home.

I love a great 50's tiled bathroom, with all the matching fixtures and fabulous graphic lines and angles. they just look very art-deco-esque to me.
look at this work of art!
http://www.joelp.com/bath/index.html
imagine this is Ginger Roger's bathroom, what would she have in it?
(sigh! 30 minutes later... I was searching for "Ginger Rogers dressing room" images and little did I suspect, I should have searched for "Jerry and Horace"!!)
http://pinterest.com/pin/14144186301190001/
http://pinterest.com/pin/14144186301189932/
those images are from the divine
http://www.glamamor.com/2012/02/cinema-style-file-fred-astaire-and.html
... aaaaand there goes the rest of my day.

chrome, mirrors, silks, clean lines, luxe finishes, crystal facets. see the big round mirror behind Fred's head?,
http://pinterest.com/pin/14144186301190036/
something big and glam like that could go on that entry wall next to the sink, open up the space, make a big ass art deco statement.

alright alright, I gotta stop. I do have a life to live.

I apologize for not having any answers as to how to fix it, I just wanted to read the comments and laugh heartily at the crazies that "love" this bathroom. It is ugly. I am very glad you are trying to fix it. If I went to a house and walked into a bathroom that looks like that I would either mock them endlessly or throw-up.

Don't do it!!!

http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/

We have the same bathroom, but in teal/black. The toilet and sink we changed out for a white toilet and white pedestal sink and the floor tile is white and black now, too. We decided to work with an Art Deco look and we added a white/black shower curtain, a huge black art deco mirror, art deco style light fixture, and we have black and white prints of different art deco buildings/landmarks on the wall. My towels and bathmat are all black, too. I dreaded the bathroom when we bought the house, and now it's the room we get the most compliments on.

Just a response to the idea of buying a house with a bathroom you hate: mabye the location, price, number and layout of rooms, general "infrastructure", and other aspects of the house were just what they wanted. The ickiness of the pink bathroom (to me) is a cosmetic issue, and as such, one that can be changed. And should!

I hate pink too and of course, it's up to the owners to decide what to do. But in our 1949 apartment building we have more or less the same thing but in pale yellow and my neighbour just spent a LOT of money buying original sink, toilet and tub so that he can restore his bathroom from its current blah-looks-like-a-hotel bathroom.

I hated our bathroom when we first moved here (I'm not very fond of yellow either) and wanted to completely remodel but I'm not going to. I will:
1. Replace the current nasty 1980s vanity with the original sink which the previous owner happily saved.
2. Have the tub resurfaced.
3. Have the floor tiled in either black or white (I'm not sure yet)
4. Paint the walls black and have several plain mirrors. (Our bathroom is about a millionth of the size of the pink one)
5. Add black and white photographs in black frames.

I can picture it perfectly and it will be lovely.

Maybe some bold black and white damask wallpaper up top would add some elegance to it? Go Hollywood regency on it.

I had a Mamie Pink bathroom in a rental years ago... but it was more of a flesh pink than Mamie pink.... I just used everything else white to help suck up some color (considering it was a very small bathroom, about the size you can just manage to turn around in. ) white rug, white towels.

This bathroom is so completely mid-century pink that trying to make it look like anything else will be an uphill battle. I suggest maybe a wallpaper from Bradbury & Bradbury, to pick up the pink but add other color options for accessories.

http://www.bradbury.com/5w_goo_700.html

Alternately, one of these bark cloth fabrics for shower curtains and a window shade.

http://www.tonicliving.com/productsDetails.asp?categoryid=14&productid=1150&currentpage=1&onsale=0

http://melinamadefabrics.com/Fabrics/boomwhite.html

http://www.jandofabrics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=bar00005

Once you have a pattern that picks up a little of the pink, you can bring in another color for accessories. Gray, turquoise, brown and even yellow were used in combination with this pink. For additional inspiration, check out the galleries on this site.

http://www.midcenturyhomestyle.com/

when was this house built? is this the original scheme or a later owner's version of an update? we have gone from white subway/hexies to pink/yellow/mint/grey w/black trim & this floor to turquoise/yellow/spring green to burgundy/black to brown to avocado/harvest gold to bisque to white in one century. to keep or not depends on what may have been original, but do explore what is going on behind that bloc of black tiles. those are replaced for a reason & if this stays, would look better in the original pink. if this goes, please donate to a place where all the people who like or need this tile can source it. also be careful w/ drop-in fittings & sliding shower doors, as both can create problems w/water seepage & mold.

We had the same problem with the ugly pink tile on the walls. For a quick, inexpensive fix we purchased bead board and had a contractor cover the walls in white beadboard for a look of wainscotting. We had the floors retiled and are waiting to have the (pink tile) in the bathtub changed as that's more pricey and we spent our budget on the floor, walls and a new vanity.

@qtcrondesign, about how much was it for the contractor to cover the tile with beadboard? I'm thinking about the same thing for my ugly Band-Aid-ish bathroom tile. It is a small room, so I'm hoping it wouldn't be too much. . . .

Your bathroom looks to be from the 1930's based on the sink type and the fact that your bathroom/shower is tiled all the way to the ceiling and the ceiling in your shower/bath is also tiled. A great feature A Your bathroom is a classic for your house type. Play up the art deco elements using black ceramic art deco lighting, towel bars and soap dishes. Check out Rejuvenation Hardware's: Echo, Selma, Adrian or Rufus. https://rejuvenation.s3.amazonaws.com/catalog/products/a7336/images/grid/4e38667f9a86654d9a00022d/Z001648.png For hardware check out the hardware page at Rejuvenation Hardware.

Paint the walls an off white, antique white or warm white not the bright titanium whites of today they didn't exist in the 30's and will just make the pink tile stand out.

The toilet seat cover doesn't seem to match the toilet, try to find an original or try a black. You can also purchase a converter device for $20.00 to convert your 6 gallon a flush toilet to a 1.6 gallon flush for solids and a .8 gallon flush for liquids.

Change your shower curtain for something else in a solid color or black and white print.

Also take a look at my blog for 1930's art deco bathrooms at blogger tenantproof.com

chill out!

I would paint the upper walls black. Then substitute some of the ceramics with either white/ black (basin, bathtub, etc.). Leave the window sill white. And definitely replace the flooring with something more modern, a darkish textured tile...similar to 'natural looking granite' flooring. That should allow you to have some freedom with bright colours for accessories.

Okay, color me crazy, if you will, but... I actually like it! And I'm not big on pink, despite what my nick might suggest... I do believe it's the vintage elements that have been previously mentioned that do it for me here... while pink isn't the most desirable color for a bathroom, the 50s look of it along with all the matching they did really makes it pretty nifty looking... IMHO, of course!

Three words -- Valspar Lemon Sherbert. I have the same pink and black tile and it's amazing how it deemphasizes the pink tile. I like my pink tiled bathroom--I just didn't know what color to paint the beige walls. My floor tile was the same pattern but instead of the blue/green that appears in the photo I had a creamy yellow.

.....oh, and I LOVE that sink.