HELP, Retro Pink Bathroom with Brick wall - Ideas anyone? Mid Century

last year

last modified: last year

So I am conflicted on what to do with what I call the Pepto bismol Bathroom. This bathroom belongs to a mid century modern/ranch home built in 1954. I am conflicted on what to do here. Don't want to spend a fortune as majority of my renovation money is going into the kitchen and backyard but this bathroom definitely needs some love. Should I try to refinish the tile or bite the bullet and put a little money into it. I have also attached what the "living area" looks like to give you a feel for the house. Thank you in advance for any input :)

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Beth H. :

last year

last modified: last year

If you can't appreciate a fabulous vintage bathroom like that, you should move.

Oh come on!

The paint on the cabs are all worn and chipped (and unless you're a very short person, is too low. A tall person would get backaches from bending over that sink)

The windows are just horrible for energy bills, not to mention they also look like they're on their last legs.

The pink/gray/and green tiles, along w/the yellow and orange brick (which I bet were never original. one was done after the fact) is great if you're colorblind.

We're coming on 70 years here. If she doesn't like it she should move?? 70 years is a long time for a bathroom. If the room was a bit more cohesive in colors, I'd say live w/it. But this bathroom is NOT. It's also nothing special other than original tiles. (which, btw, you can purchase and redo in a better looking 'vintage' layout)

for now, maybe painting the brick a color like this, might hold you over?

this one is in nice shape and has the appropriate floor tile. (I think something got removed and replaced in your bathroom at some point)

You could always have the tile epoxied (in the shower area or walls) if you need to get through a few years. at least w/the white tiles and white brick, it would be liveable

You could also paint the vanity if you must hang on to it. strip off what you can, repair chips, prime and paint white. paint the brick a dark shade, or go for the soft white/pink shade.

And if you had an original wood vanity w/the cool atomic hardware, I'd be all for refinishing it. but you don't!

I bet if you stripped off all of that paint on the vanity you'd find some old wood. you could try doing that and seeing what shape it's in

That's a nice large bathroom space that could be better utilized by a new layout. It's a gut job. The vanity has done it's job and it needs to be retired. Ditto the easter bunny tiles.

That brick? no way. paint it if you want to keep it.

save the money for a gut and brand new layout, new windows, plumbing, etc. you're going to need it.

You can keep the mcm look but w/nicer elements. a walnut vanity, terrazzo tile flooring, cool lighting

a bold floor tile w/walnut

modern wood vanity w/mosaic tile in the mcm colors

even something simple like this would look good. So much potential

If you like the mcm look, the living room is fine. you just need furnishings that suit that look.

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Comments (33)

Susan
last year
Modernize the bathroom…but keep the brick if possible!
N Johnson
last year
https://romabio.com/masonry/limewash/ageless-beauty/

Everything looks incredibly functional still — why not lime wash (since it’s reversible) the brick above the sink using a tone that is similar to the tub? OR paint the tub a shade of white to match one of the white lime wash (or go for the Romabio paint??) OR look for a retro wallpaper that would incorporate all colors?

https://www.spoonflower.com/en/wallpaper/8611907-atomic-flamingo-oasis-vertical-by-studioxtine

https://www.spoonflower.com/en/wallpaper/12861289-weeds-pink-blue-dandelion-print-by-jennifergeldard
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KW PNW Z8
last year
last modified: last year
Is the tub gray or white? Can’t tell if it’s a trick of the light making it look gray, What is the line above the shower rod in bath tub? i’ve read many times on this site that old tile like you have, when in good condition, is far higher quality as far as waterproof etc than anything one might replace it with today. Aside from that, there’s the charm of retro that is an asset of the home, again assuming the retro bath is in good condition. I do like the suggested wallpapers & though I’m not a fan of painting brick, I might do it in this bath just to reduce the number of colors. Otherwise, all that I would do is paint the walls the same white as the cabinet - they look too ivory.. Get a patterned shower curtain that incorporates the white, pink, green in a retro pattern - like the flamingo wallpaper! Put a huge white rug in front of vanity, hang fluffy white towels & live with it while you do whatever else needs doing. You might find you love it as is. You might be able to upgrade the shower head only & if more light needed, change out to an appropriate period light fixture. Have to say the floors in Living room are gorgeous! Please don't paint or change the brick in that room!
Maureen
last year
last modified: last year
Living room is lovely and when budget allows, I would definitely update bathroom. Suggest getting a few quotes to help with your decision. Love the look below.

If not in budget to gut, you could lime wash brick, add white subway tiles, and update counter. Paint walls and vanity white, add black mirror/lighting, hardware and faucet (which can be reused in eventual gut).
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
IMO a gut job and I do not agree to keep the brick it is an odd choice for any bathroom I have a 1956 MCM ranch nad IMO the kitchens and bathrooms need to always be brought up to the 21 st century since very often there are issues with the plumbing in those old bathroom s and of course lots of issues in the MCM kitchens I think when you are going to all this trouble do not cheap out with that bathroom. BTW love the LR please do not change the brick there
palimpsest
last year
last modified: last year
This is what a lot of current bathrooms are going to look like in 60 years, if any current bathrooms actually don't fall apart before then.

I usually love vintage bathrooms but this one has a number of elements that were all trendy back then but don't coordinate all that well (just like people are doing now), complicated by the fact that you can no longer get a toilet that goes with any of the existing fixtures.

To me it looks like the original fixtures are grayish green mixed with a mint green floor.

For right now I would clean everything up and paint the walls and vanity probably a very pale tint of the floor color, or try to get a wallpaper that pulled in the various shades of pinks mints salmons and grays that are already in there. And then maybe it will grow on you.

Renovating this is going to be a big expensive project especially if you want to do something that really Suits the house instead of some generic "modern" bathroom.

It will have to be done, probably, but I would put it on hold unless you want to pour a lot into it immediately. I don't thunk there are many half measures here.
la_la Girl
last year
if it were me, i would freshen the space for now and wait for a thoughtful re-do. In the meantime, i would paint the walls, vanity and brick a fresh white, replace the mirrored cabinet with a simple mirror, and get a custom white (chunky weave) linen shower curtain on Etsy that is extra long and extra wide so it doesn’t feel anemic. Fresh white towels and a terrific washable rug (Ruggable) would be great as well - it’s a nice big space!
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I think La la has good ideas but IMO plan on a redo for sure. BTW I love my MCM home but not the kitchen or the bathrooms the way they were. The kitchen and DR we switched spaces and I love to have a bath at noght and a MCM tub is so shallow it does not work.
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Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
If you can't appreciate a fabulous vintage bathroom like that, you should move.
RedRyder
last year
I agree with @la_la girl - make it livable for now by covering the brick and walls with a nice white. Get a plain white shower curtain and a cute rug. Then save your money for a gut job that honors your house’s history. Cover the brick with white paint for now.

The vanity is not great but put up with it for now. Don’t spend any significant money other than paint, shower curtain and rug.
elcieg
last year
last modified: last year
Just thinking: what if you painted the brick a darker shade of the tile, flat finish, and wallpapered the rest of the room in the color of the floor?

Yikes, Jazzel, I think you have won the houzz dilemma of the year!

Your house is so great!
JP L
last year
It seems like you were drawn to the MC aesthetic in purchasing your home - my suggestion is to lean in to the vibe in the bathroom. Why would you "modernize" all of the charm out of the bathroom in order to make it a carbon copy of every tired HGTV flip? To save money and give yourself time to think about what you like/dislike/need in this bathroom, I'd suggest a coat of fresh paint on the cabinet (and brick, actually - provide a neutral background for the tile colors) and to "lean in" to the mixed pastels with a fun wall covering/wallpaper or accessories (artwork, towels, rugs, etc.) that combine the existing tile colors. From the photos provided, I see no obvious signs of water damage or leaks as Patricia alludes to, but as a fellow 1950's home owner, please do check to ensure you no longer have galvanized pipes and the like ... no one likes lead poisoning. Check out vintagebathroomlove on IG and remember - the thing about these bathrooms is that once they are gone, they are gone - people will grow tired of white subway farmhouse baths (if they aren't already) and these scarce original baths will increase in value. And while you can get retro tiles to recreate an original look (check out B&W tile), it will likely always feel like an homage vs. the real thing.

That said, Jalousie windows are the worst. I'd save up for a single large picture window with privacy glass. I do love the MC fascination with enormous arguably impractical windows in bathrooms, though - please don't lose it!
tozmo1
last year
Did Lily Pulitzer live here? Gotta lean into the pink and green! Can you cover the brick with a wallpaper liner meant to cover paneling and then wallpaper? Or, paint it pink as suggested above by @elcieg. But, go big or go home on the walls.

Our Palm Beach Color-Splosion Apartment! · More Info

Or solid color on the walls and wild fabric on the shower curtain. Something like these bedspreads. Lean into it!

Lilly Pulitzer Sister Florals Bedroom · More Info
Jazzel Aguirre
Original Author
last year
Thank you all for these wonderful recommendations. I will disclose i do love the retroness of the bathroom but was completely conflicted by the color scheme. The brick vs tile have the bathroom in a identity crisis meltdown with no obvious way to bring it all together :) after your helpful input, i am definitely going to lean into it.. (for now) i didn’t want to change the color of the brick but for now it’s what makes the most sense… update the brick to a color that compliments the pink tile, add a MCM appropriate mirror and we can’t forget some some cool wall paper. (Until i can fully update it and give it a beautiful MCM focused rehab)

The colors of the bathroom are as followed:

Bathroom floor: aqua green color
Tub: purple gray
Toilet: purple gray
Cabinets: chipped and faded baby blue
Top vanity: pink and purple gray
Back wall: brick with hints of red yellow brown gray.
Jazzel Aguirre
Original Author
last year
@beth h. Thanks for all narrative and pictures.
Truly appreciate everyone’s help.
tozmo1
last year
If you really want to keep the brick until the big reno, then look for a wallpaper that pulls it all together. You could even reach out to a designer you like on spoonflower.com and see if they can come up with a color combo that pulls it all together. Some of the pink/purple wall papers have a muddy yellow that could work with the brick as is.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
What we found when we did our 1956 MCM ranch is the plumbing and electrical needed an upgrade for sure in 1956 a 100 AMP service was okay now not so much we upgraded to 200 AMP and did all new plumbing since it was a mix of different stuff from different times My suggestion is check out MCM batrhooms on google there are many coices that do not need to embrace pink tile but still keep that style .
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
If the tile is in good condition I would work with it, it’s the most expensive part to replace. The brick is an outlier in that space (I don’t love exposed brick, in a bathroom it seems especially odd) I would cover the brick so the wall is smooth, could even be covered in a reversible way (1/2” plywood for instance)
Snaggy
last year
@Joseph Corlett, LLC..*If you can't appreciate a fabulous vintage bathroom like that, you should move.* Bit over the top don't you think !
palimpsest
last year
Frank Lloyd Wright, (whose work isn't really MCM) would often mix finishes his bathrooms, including tile and stone or tile and brick. He also was a big fan of pink(more in the blush tones) tile and fixtures at the end of his career, although this may have been the influence of Olgivanna Wright.

Surprising condition for this bathroom, (especially the teak or mahogany walled shower) the house was filled with deteriorated upholstery.

Newer sink.
ci_lantro
last year
Does the bathroom have actual baseboards or coved tile?

If you have removable baseboards, I would throw down a floating vinyl floor over the tile and paint the brick. Paint the vanity. That will pull it together somewhat by eliminating the green & kick the can down the road.
Susan
last year
Wow this has been a lively discussion! A lot of ideas have been shared, but it’s your home. If money wasn’t a consideration, aesthetically how would you want this bathroom to look? Do you want to preserve it the way it is, keep at least one original element..if so which one?, or modernize with new finishes that feel MCM?
Kat M
last year
I love this bathroom discussion.
I swear it’s our bathroom from when we were in college in a California duplex. We had geometric 50s wallpaper that had teal, pink, lavender, orange and silver in it. The cabinet was wood and looked just like yours.
I’d sand and seal the cabinet and go after vintage wallpaper. We have never had a tub that matched that one for relaxed soaking.
The other half of the duplex had green tile, full out lavender tub and beige floor tile. Haha.
The only thing that really looks bad is that window. The frame looks pretty rough.
Denise Marchand
last year
last modified: last year
Someone made a lot of money on bubblegum pink tile at one time. I have the same pink in my bath in LA and it's driving me crazy. I have been contemplating changing the floor (mine is pink also) to a simple white hexagon. Introducing the brick was a bad idea for whomever did it. Paint it the same as the wall.

I recently saw this pic using purple paint on the walls and ceiling! It has to be the right purple and I have several paint samples all over the bath.

Please let me know what you end up doing, I'm following.
tozmo1
last year
@Denise Marchand Hope you find your perfect purple, I love that bathroom.
JP L
last year
last modified: last year
@Denise Marchand - photos of your pink LA bathroom please! Someone unfortunately remuddled every bathroom in our 1950's Hollywood Hills home ... I'd kill for the original tiles (beige travertine was the early 2000's equivalent of today's white subway, so we're living with that in abundance - ugh). Thankfully they left the rounded cast iron alcove tubs though!
N Johnson
last year
This is an original bathroom in a swanky mid-century development nearby. Color combinations appear far different than we find pleasing these days.
palimpsest
last year
Well I really like the wall combination in that picture. I think the floor is a poor match but I would keep the rest.
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
I'd totally run with it! Pink bathrooms are back in a big way. Leave the tile and either paint the brick white or drywall over it. Then you could have some fun with the non-tiled portion of the walls, i.e. get some palm leaf or flamingo wallpaper that would add some fun to the vibe. Pull out the tub, replace it with a white one, and maybe also redo the vanity and counter top. Beth had some great ideas, but here are a few more:

Indian Wells · More Info

Love the use of terrazzo for the counter top in the above photo. Have fun!
palimpsest
last year
Revisiting this but just getting rid of the green floor, the yellowy wall color and the towels helps a lot.
kbatianis
last year
You could change out the countertop for a solid white surface (updated look) and paint over the existing brick wall in white paint. That could harmonize that wall with the remaining walls in the room. I would update the flooring with penny tile. I like the black and white penny tile look.

You could also change out the doors on the vanity cabinet to update. I would keep the white cabinet look and add black knobs/pulls. I would also update the faucet & shower to be black too.
hbeing
last year
Babe, I feel for ya. I don't miss that Pepto color either.