I am thinking the wall tile will have to be at least as high as current tile, or should I go higher with it? Can't go lower since wall will be messy after tile is removed? You would most likely have to do some wall patching anyway to retile, because you need a good smooth substrate for tiling onto. Depending on how the tile was installed it's often quite a bit easier and faster to demo tile by just pulling it out backing and all, which means it can be simpler to just rip it back to the studs and put new wallboard up than diddle around with little patches. So if you aren't actually thrilled by the idea of tiled walls, put up drywall or greenboard depending on your local codes, and paint the walls. I have had many bathrooms with plain painted walls and have never had any problems at all. Tiling bathroom walls outside the tub/shower area is totally an aesthetic choice, it is not a necessity unless your family members are total slobs. (If the males in the family whiz on the walls the way some people on this forum have reported, you have a far more serious problem!) So don't feel like you are trapped into tiling the walls again unless YOU really want to. Not sure of cost of new style glass doors, but could be ok with shower curtain. Shower curtains are wonderful because you can change the whole look of the room just by changing the shower curtain, and the options you have really run the gamut, from froufrou to ultramodern to downright nutty. The fabric of a shower curtain also reduces the "echo chamber" effect of many bathrooms, from all the hard surfaces. Nylon shower curtain liners are washable and I think are a lot classier than vinyl. (IMO the nicest liners are the 100% cotton Watershed liners in the Plow & Hearth catalog. I have one and it's wonderful. But, they're more expensive than the nylon liners.) I have never had any of the "flapping" and "billowing" problems that people complain about, but I don't use vinyl curtains and have always bought curtains with weights in the bottom hem. Plus if you wet the bottom of the fabric liner it will cling nicely to the inside of the tub, supplemented by the weights. You can always start out with a curtain for a few months and if you find you really miss the glass doors, then you can get them. I don't like shower doors at all so I can't advise you on them. Vanity is 36 in, it is a small bathroom but I need storage space. The wood looks better quality than what I have seen, and new vanities are expensive. I was thinking of just restaining and adding slide out drawers. Then adding a nice sink and counter top, like granite, etc. Or will it just be better to get a new slightly smaller vanity that has drawers and a door and then get a nice wall storage to match it. Price out both options. The interior pull-out fittings can get a little pricey (and some of them waste a lot of space), and unless you have unlimited time to spend, consider your time investment in refurbishing the vanity as well. Take off a door and test out your restaining idea - the finishes on some cabinets is a real stinker to remove, and you can't restain something properly without stripping every trace of the old finish off. (I have not been impressed with Minwax Polyshades at all.) Painting may be easier. A wall-hung storage cabinet does not have to match the vanity, in fact it's a great way to introduce another decorative element to the room. Also figure out exactly what you need to store where. A lot of people keep things in the bathroom that don't really need to live there permanently, or accumulate "stuff" in the bathroom that they rarely use and could be stored elsewhere. In addition, if you have untiled walls, you can have additional storage between the studs - there's a company that makes prefabricated wooden storage units that fit between the studs, as an example here's the 48" tall version. You could have a local carpenter copy them if you did not want to order them from that company. I plan to use these in our new house. So here is where I would spend on this bathroom: New vanity with top/sink or new vanity top w/sink, new faucet. Tiled walls or drywall, as you wish. If tub surround is tiled, retile it. If you do not have a good vent fan, prioritize this. Additional storage, either in-wall or decorative on-wall. Mirror or mirrored medicine cabinet if you like them (I do), lighting (huge impact for relatively little cost if you shop intelligently), new hardware like towel bars/hooks, TP holder, yadda yadda. Spiffy shower curtain, window treatment (if there is a window, obviously), bathmat/rug, and if you don't have some nice towels get yourself some (I bought some fantastic ones dirt cheap on eBay) because it's a drag putting ratty old towels in a newly refurbished bathroom! :-) Since the vanity is so huge I was thinking of replacing it with a slightly smaller model and making it into a double sink again with a nice countertop. If you want a double sink, most people will say to keep the 72" vanity. We have a double sink in a 60" vanity and have no problems with it, but the prevailing attitude these days seems to be "the bigger the better". Is the plumbing for the second sink still in place or would you have to replumb? If you do need to replumb, think hard about whether you really need that second sink - how often do you have two people using that bathroom at one time? If you stayed with a single sink and downsized the 72" vanity to a 60" or even a 48", what would you do with the extra space? I am wondering though, since I can get matching tile, to spend on the new vanity and sinks, and mirror(s)and stay with the same tile since I can get matching. Or will that look too dated. _I_ think the gold-flecked white tile is a bit cheesetastic and just screams 1970s, but I imagine other people must like it since it's still made. (Is it a 100% perfect match for yours? There is not much worse in decorating than "tried to match and missed" AFAIC.) If you actually LIKE it, keep it, but if you're just settling, find other corners to cut. Here is where I would spend on this bathroom if it were mine: demo the white/gold tile, drywall and paint the bathroom walls, and if the tub surround is currently tiled, retile that with something very basic and untrendy. (Can't go wrong with a plain white 4x4 or 6x6! Set it on the diagonal for a more interesting look.) Vent fan if there isn't one. Paint the vanity if you're keeping it, install a new countertop with sink(s) in either solid surfacing or granite, new faucet(s). New mirror(s) and lighting, towel bar/TP holder/blahblahblah, shower curtain/window treatments/rug, et cetera. What's on the floors? If it's a pleasant, neutral tile in good condition, refreshing the grout with a grout colorant can make it look almost newly-installed. Chipped, worn or cracked tile or tatty vinyl should be replaced because it will drag the whole room down. There are a lot of very pretty vinyls available now so there's no shame in using it if that's what works for the room and the budget!

Think KIS......Keep It Simple! I have a 80 plus old FIL who lives by himself. The most important thing to him about his surroundings has been to have things out where he can get to them and to have them easy to use. This has meant finding the easiest microwave on the planet for him to use, no more than two buttons. Phones with large numbers and a phone sheet that has pics on it as well as names so he can find who he's calling easily.......one of the great grand kids made that for him, lamps that are easy to turn on and off and a tv big enough for him to see clearly with his bad eyesight, oh and HIS chair. Apparently as you age getting in an out of a chair is hard, so finding a good comfortable chair that is also easy to get out of is VERY IMPORTANT. We just had his bathroom redone with a toilet that was higher than his old one, so he could get up and down easier. There is only one area rug in the whole house. In the bathroom for when he steps out of the shower and it has a no slip grip on the back and is very easy to wash and dry. I see in your bath it has a shower curtain....if it is at all possible I'd replace the rod with one of the newer hotel types that bow out. That extra space it creates in the shower is a real plus for seniors. Be careful on bed heights too. They need to be able to get out of bed easily. Given how drab the basic apartment is I'd go for colorful things to cheer it up BUT only after the basic needs of function are meant. It's more important at 80 something that things function well and easily than it is that they be pretty. You also need to take into account what she already has. You maybe surprised at what she won't part with because it has an emotional tie to her past.

Binsd--The Ranch Style lives! Love this thread because I too am the proud(?) owner as of last Feb of a 1960s ranch home. I got all the cool stuff from the 60s and 70s: avocado appliances, gold flocked wallpaper, pink tile, gold colored accents. Oh yeah! Immediately took the house down to the studs to turn it into a Modern Farmhouse. I took inspiration from these: Walker-Warner Sonoma Farmhouse (http://www.walker-warner.com/indexf.html#POR-GRC-001) Christine Lane, Boston, MA (http://christinelaneinteriors.com/) I think ranchers are particularly suited to blend styles. They were a bit funky then and they can still be. Yet, if you want to lean slightly more traditional, they can sustain the transitional. I think they are way more flexible than many styles. Your home in particular has some good bones! The raised ceilings and open one-story floorplan are great for toddlers since you can see them from most rooms. If you can mix some of your Spanish furniture with some more contemporary pieces, I think it will have that California Spanish casual style--with a cleaner look. Love it! In the green bathroom, take out the brass and replace with frameless glass. It will immediately look more contemporary. A glass company should be able to make the shower enclosure (this one's traditional, but you get the picture): From Misc photos If you want to embrace the modern look, peruse: Atomic Ranch (http://www.atomic-ranch.com/). I think they have more Eichlers than Ranch, but it gives you an idea of that style. Here's my old house and the old stuff that was in it, then here are two exterior shots of what it looks like now: From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse I wish I could cite all of the great pics I have seen in magazines where they have remodeled a ranch. Each had their own flavor: slightly more modern, slightly less modern, more funky, somewhat traditional, etc. Search: mid-century, modern, ranch home. Have fun! I think your house is a great choice!!

Love everyone's comments! It seems like some 70's homes have more character than others. Mine is more on the "character" side. It has some architectural features that could enhance the whole place with the right decor. I'm still figuring out the last part about the "right" decor! Gscienceschick: RetroRenovation is fabulous! I checked out their 70's lighting catalogs. How come we had dreadful fake bronze/crackled smoky glass fixtures instead of those beauties? I have already replaced all the lighting because it was so dim. Palimpsest: Thank you for the historical perspective. It helps understand the context the houses were built in. I'm not American, so it is very educating for me. Funkyart: I wonder if you have a picture of your accent wall somewhere on this site? I'd love to see your creative solution. It appears that in the 70's the pendulum swung from the openness of the mid-century architecture toward a more cloistered and intimate feel. I do like an earthy palette and I think it can be done tastefully. The see-through mid-century modernist interiors are impressive but I never could picture myself living in such a place without putting ceiling-to-floor draperies over the window walls. I'd like to find a balance - having some airy and bright spaces together with a few cocoon-like rooms. Our house has a potential for it. We have a bright dining room (a slider to a 2nd story deck and a large window on the adjoining wall) and roomy kitchen facing south, and we like to have meals alfresco on our large 2nd story deck. At the same time our two downstairs rooms are dark, although the floors are only about a foot below grade. I'm toying with an idea of re-making the downstairs in an Art-Deco-ish style - cozy, cocoon-like and in a rich color palette. Speaking of an ultimate blank state for a home, the only examples I can think of are new construction condos in Moscow, Russia. Most of them are sold "bare bones" - no interior finishes, lighting, cabinets, floors, etc. The assumption is that the new owners would rip out the builder grade stuff anyway and redo the interiors to their taste. There's no landscape to influence the style either since those residences are in high-rise apartment blocks. There are all sorts of creative interior solutions, some interesting and some outlandish. Unlike in the U.S., the "resale value" concept hasn't taken a hold in Russia yet. For those who are curious, here's a link to a interior finish/remodel company in Moscow area that serves middle-class customers. The top video is the apartment at the time of purchase. The bottom video shows the work done by the company on it. These owners opted for a modernist design, but if you click on the links in the top section of the vertical bar on the left, you'll see other projects done in a more traditional style. Many of them are fairly pedestrian - recessed lights, IKEA bathrooms, etc, but I like browsing such portfolios for occasional novel ideas. One of the projects on this site features a bathroom with a plaid yellow/black floor tile. I have yet to find tile like that! Here is a link that might be useful: Interior Finish and Remodel Company in Moscow