Simple Steps to Revive your Vintage Bathroom

What does it mean if your bathroom is vintage? It is difficult to truly define an arbitrary word like "vintage", but a good understanding is that if something that is old or outdated is beautiful or valuable, or important to you, you could say its vintage.

If you live in an older home chances are there are one or more areas that need updated; however, if it’s a space that you are fond of, you’ll find yourself referring to it as vintage, right?Just like one of your mom’s old band t-shirts, to her it’s just an old shirt, and it may be close to becoming a cleaning rag, but if you find it special and it holds value to you, you might save it and call it vintage. The adage that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is as true as it’s ever been, in this world of ever-changing styles and trends, things become outdated almost as quickly as they begin trending in the first place. So how can we keep our space feeling current and personal, while also embracing the eclectic styles of the past?

Let’s consider this blurb from a previous blog, “Imagine you wake up, saunter into the bathroom and flip on the yellow bulb lights. You check your reflection in an outdated and dingy bathroom mirror that is hanging above your too big, and weirdly stained vanity. Behind you, you see a towel bar, permanently fixed to the faded, cream-colored, floor-to-ceiling tile and as you wash your hands, you notice the tarnishing stainless steel faucet jutting out of the beige sink bowl.” The language and tone of this description manipulates us to read it and feel like this space is defunct and in desperate need of an upgrade, but what if instead this imaginary room has genuine value, and all it needs is a little love and a few fresh touches? From the blurb we can tell that it is filled with iconic decoration styles of the past, and there may be a few areas that are worth a second look.

Is there a space within your home that may seem a little outdated, but also beautiful in its own way? Consider the gap between what you currently have and what you wish you had and note the differences, this practice will help distinguish between urgent upgrades and minor adjustments. Understandably, living in a space that is not meeting your needs can be frustrating, but try to determine which features you are comfortable embracing before deciding to overhaul everything. This will help you see to your home in a new light, empowering you to appreciate what you have and potentially save some labor and money too.

Using the imaginary room above as an example, consider a few adjustments you can make to a vintage bathroom:

You know those classic old photos of bright pink bathrooms in which everything matches perfectly, and you can almost smell the pot roast and apple pie being baked from the kitchen? Those matching pastel fixtures were everything back in the day, and honestly, they are still widely loved, however they have become harder to come by, but thankfully we have an “in”. Peerless Pottery offers very fun, vibrant, and vintage colored toilets and matching sinks (in colors ranging from Venetian Pink, to Dresden Blue, to Harvest Gold, to Beige). Their sink varieties can be wall-mounted or placed onto a base. They are adorable and can be super trendy when styled correctly! Peerless Pottery has been manufacturing bathroom fixtures for over 115 years and are one of the only companies left that produce these peppy colors. It’s a privilege to say that Bath1 is the only supplier of Peerless Pottery products! If you’ve always admired the bright and happy bathrooms of the past, and you think a pink sink is exactly what you’ve been missing, than look no further and follow your dreams here.

On the other hand, if a lack of color is not the issue in your home and you need solutions to help offset your abundant pep, consider utilizing a neutral paint color or shower curtain and embrace fresh white linens. Vintage doesn’t need to mean kitschy or gaudy, try to include some simple elements within your space so that your eye knows where to settle. For example, subway tile is a wonderful, classic option, suitable for any style of bathroom. If you think you would like to incorporate subway tile, but don’t welcome the hassle of installation and grout, consider Transolid shower walls for your renovation, specifically this awesome collection called SaraMar, which are beautiful, compression-molded solid surface material bathtub and shower walls. They feature the look of 4”x 8” subway tile and they glue-up over your existing surface so there isn’t any real demo to deal with, also, the best part, they are virtually maintenance free. The solid surface material is nonporous, meaning there are no tiny holes for water or dirt to creep into and they do not harbor bacteria or mildew. Additionally, they are impact and scratch resistant, trimmable to fit any space, and have a 10-year warranty. They are available in a variety of colors and sizes, and I personally think they are super cool and would benefit any space!

There are many more ideas for updating and reviving your space, but for now, I hope these suggestions find you well and offers you a better understanding on how you can revitalize and appreciate your vintage bathroom and enhance it with styles that bring you joy. Thank you for reading and happy updating!