All good advice. I love modern bathrooms but we have friends who live in the same age house as ours , 1956, and they have the original batrhoom and it really is awesome shape like yours so listen to the above advice and have fun.

Could you do something like this?

Greys go beautifully with that... I would do a gray vanity, white top and gray walls...Remove the cabinet over the toilet and the medicine cabinet. Do a mirror or recessed medicine cabinet and a couple of glass shelves over the toilet.

Good luck! Post after pictures!

A professional tile cleaning firm may be able to strip old wax, clean, and seal the old floor and wall tile. It will be much easier to keep clean afterward. Sometimes the grout in old floors can be painted over with a lighter grout paint that will make it look almost new. With mosaic tile, it would take a lot of patience. Something to consider.

Congratulations on your house and thank you for saving a beautiful MCM tile bathroom. I had a couple in my lifetime and the tile could not be beat. I agree about checking out the tile behind the vanity to see what you have to work with, then get back to us with that info. Are you keeping the shutters? If you want privacy windows, you can achieve that with a static cling or adhesive-backed vinyl cling like this, which has a touch of rose in it that may look good with your tile.

This one has watery blues and greens and peach flowers that could go very well.

Especially if you went with a light aqua or turquoise wall paint. Turquoise or a certain aqua green would be MCM colors to go with for contrast on the walls. Gray might look odd in an MCM bathroom. A lightly tinted peach would also work. If this is a typical MCM tiny bathroom, then you may find a pedestal sink would look good while giving you needed room to move. How much room do you have between the sink and the tub? Does the room have a linen closet, or do you need lots of storage? Someone who knows how to frame can make the right sized hole for a large recessed medicine cabinet. It is worth it, in a small bathroom.

Love it! Good idea to keep that tile. Floor is great too. Colours that go well with peach and maroon: teal, aqua, navy, peachy-pinks and gold.

If you haven't already, make sure to check out retrorenovation.com.

Such a cute bathroom. Great to hear you are trying to freshen it up, rather than like so many tear it all out. I would remove the wallpaper, prime the top and paint it. Gray is a good color for your room, both for wall paint, and cabinet paint. White would also look nice on both the walls and the cabinets. You may be able to paint the existing cabinet, if you use the correct primer. I would leave the medicine cabinet, because it is part of the charm of the room. A nice new countertop all in one sink, would look great (white). I would leave the cabinet above the toilet too, and paint it also gray or white. You are not trying to modernize, you are just trying to refresh, an already very nice bathroom.

Egads. Half a century of a working bathroom. Rip it out for cleanliness sake!!

For cleanliness' sake, Brown Dog? I imagine this bathroom has been cleaned a few times in fifty years. Do you not believe in the power of bleach and assorted cleaners?

following

congrats!

Awesome! My 1957 house has a very similar tile look in the original baths. Sharing photos so you can see what the original vanities on mine look like in case it’s helpful. (Ignore the weird window decor on the second bath...that was original owner’s....but we’ve kept both baths intact except a new toilet in one.)

Also adding, I had good luck on the grout myself using TSP, a steam mop, and some tile cleaner.

@HKO, they look look like they are in great condition! My bath tile is very similar to your second photo. Thanks for ideas

I'm glad you're keeping the tile!

I have this exact peach tile in a small beachfront rental condo.

I thought it would be hard to work with this peach color, but I have grown to like it.

Not the best photo, (bounce-back mirror shot), but this mosaic tile makes the peach and sea salt paint work together better!

By freestanding sink, do you mean pedestal sink? If so, you might have no tile under the existing vanity cabinet. It would open up the bathroom, but you also lose great storage and counter space. I lived with an old pedestal sink in one master bath for 14 years. We had to put a shallow shelf above it for toothbrushes, etc. Never again.

I like the suggestion of gray paint for the walls. Very on trend right now without overdoing it. Make it pastel and look closely at the other shades on the color chart. Some can paint up reading blue. The other shades in the family will tell you.

If you have tile on the wall behind your vanity, check out Kohler’s Kathryn Console sink. It is fabulous and can be paired with chrome, fireclay, or mixed metal legs for a vintage look. Pricey, but gorgeous! You can place baskets beneath it to hold extra towels and supplies. It will compliment the tile of your peach bathroom. Good luck!

Good for you for saving this cool old bathroom. Agree with everyone that the first thing is to find out if you have tile under/behind the vanity. The Kathryn is a gorgeous sink, but if it's out of budget there are quite a few other, smaller console sinks available. But it's hard to find a real 50s-style shelf sink in new sinks right now, although there are a lot of pedestal models at the moment.

If you're in an area with a fair number of older homes, I'd keep an eye out at places like Restore for an old one in good condition. They do come along from time to time, and legs are not that hard to find new if it doesn't have them.

In our previous house (a 1950s ranch), we installed Toto wall mount sinks and retro looking faucet sets in both bathrooms. The wall mount sinks opened up floor space and allowed space for our then-toddler to use a stool to reach the sink. The tile was intact on the wall behind the sinks, but there were a few bolt holes. It was a small aesthetic price to pay, given the classic look and sturdy construction.

@abbycat9990...the wall mount sink is exactly what im hoping for . Have to check to see what’s behind the current vanity. Love your choices. Thanks for sharing

I had that tile in my former home. It was salmon color with the black trim. i had the walls above the tile painted in peach linen (ppg porter paints).

Great that you are keeping the tile. I like a grey wall with peach. If you have the heart for wallpapering, here is a great before and after from someone on houzz who kept the original wall tile and got stunning wallpaper to compliment. Also be sure to check out Retro Renovation that dedicates and entire section of their blog to peach/pink retro tile bathroom renovations. They have a whole guide for how to select wall and accessory colors that will take into consideration your Burgundy accent color.

If you can replace the sink with something open to the wall, I would try to get a console sink, meaning one that has legs in the front - instead of a pedestal, which has one leg in the center. I found a fantastic console sink from the 1930s on craigslist. It has glass legs. Beautiful. Here are just a few Houzz examples of consoles.

Cheviot Products Nuo Console Sink, 23 5/8", Single Hole Drilling, Chrome Frame · More Info

Cheviot Products Mayfair Console Sink, Chrome Frame · More Info

Here are a few random peach tile pics from houzz for encouragement.

Nice white wall with patterning from curtains

Livable Family Home · More Info

Pretty shade of grey paint with pink tiles

Doverland Road · More Info

More grey and crazy though perfect wallpaper

Eclectic Retro Bath · More Info

Eclectic Retro Bath · More Info

Lastly, what is the lower metal door for to the right of the sink? So curious.

Not, the OP, but that’s a laundry chute. It is a piece of ductwork or even an open hole that allows you to drop dirty laundry down into the basement. I believe that they are no longer put in homes because they can be a route for a fire in the basement to move upstairs more quickly. Three of my four 1950s homes had them.

Is that why? I always wondered. Makes sense. Thanks for that info, Nancy. Our 40s house had one in the linen closet. So practical.

Love the combo of peach + white + metallics + green plants.

Egads. Half a century of a working bathroom. Rip it out for cleanliness sake!!

Do us and yourself a huge favor and never buy an old house with beautiful old features. It's folks like you who remuddle old homes.