Week Five | October 25 | Mid Modern Bathroom
For the Fall 2022 One Room Challenge we are taking our guest bathroom down to the studs and starting over. This project is LONG overdue, and we can’t wait to get started!
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
If only I looked this elegant in my boudoir…
Just a quick second — let me put on my gold lame evening gown for this week’s update.
Ok. Better. Let’s go!
Only one piece of this project has progressed this week which is incredibly frustrating. But we aren’t going to dwell on what is NOT happening right now which is beyond my control. If you’ve been around awhile, you know that I have a passion for research. Well, in planning this bathroom I did a lot of research into what it might have looked like originally. Sadly, the bathtub is the only original piece of the room left, but I have some ideas about what might have been.
More on that in a minute, but here’s what HAS happened…
We are using a contractor for parts of this project (long story), and the plumber they had set up to do the work backed out, because they are too short-staffed. Backed out is not accurate, actually — they just didn’t show up to a scheduled appointment. And when I called to ask if they were still coming, the receptionist, who sounded harried, said they just didn’t have the bandwidth to do the job. The contractor is working on getting another plumber, but nothing can move forward until the plumbing work is done which is not work we are willing to DIY. So another week wasted… Ugh.
But here’s what DID move forward: I applied two coats of NanoSlic to the tub surface. I will be honest: I was really nervous doing this. I just didn’t know what would happen, and if I would like the results. But I do! In fact, I am really pleased with the way it turned out. The product isn’t hard to apply. It dries clear. And the finished result is satiny and smooth. The good thing about not having a plumber come is that the tub is fully cured and was able to cure without any disruption, so let’s find the good in that!
I will have a how-to guide for refinishing a vintage bathtub in the near future. I am so pleased with the results!
And here it is! Cleaned, shined, and sealed. I am in love!
Ming Green Bathtubs
A 1930’s version of the Ming Green bathroom. Image from a Standard Sanitary Mfg. catalogue from the 1930s.
There’s the tub — the Pembroke Neo-Classic. Check out the price chart! Image source: Standard Sanitary Mfg. catalogue from the 1930s.
So, let’s talk about that tub! Our home is part of a subdivision developed in the late 1950s. Our particular home was built in 1958. Since most of the original character of this house was stripped out sometime in the 1980s, I’ve been watching real estate listings in our neighborhood — hoping to spot bathrooms that hadn’t been renovated. There have been a few, and they all have a few things in common: a colored suite of tub, toilet, and sink with coordinating tile floors, and no one has a big bathroom! These houses were built for the middle class, afterall. They had all of the modern conveniences, but they are relatively modest at the same time. That’s part of the appeal!
I did a deep dive into bathtubs of the 1950s and found that our tubs are from American Standard. And the tub in this bathroom is a color known as Ming Green. Ming Green appears to have been one of American Standard’s best-selling colors from the 1930’s through the 1960’s. While their other colors changed and earned new names, Ming Green remained. And this particular tub is called the Pembroke Neo-Classic which was also available for at least those three decades.
Our Ming Green Pembroke Neo-Classic tub by American Standard
Our upstairs tub is Persian Brown — not my favorite color, honestly. Will we keep it when the time comes? I’m not sure. But that’s a discussion for another day.
Vintage Color Schemes from American Standard
Helpfully, during the 1950’s and 1960’s American Standard offered suggested color schemes including paint, fabric, towel, and tile samples to coordinate with their bath fittings. So without consulting a designer, anyone could have a well-coordinated bathroom. Pretty smart!
These are from a 1957 catalogue. I’m partial to the pink and green combination, personally — and that was one of the inspirations for my flamingo-tastic bathroom scheme.
Color schemes by Lee Childress from a 1957 American Standard catalogue.
By 1962, the color schemes and recommended materials looked a bit different:
The cover of the 1962 American Standard catalogue.
Ming Green color scheme from a 1962 American Standard catalogue.
Given what I have seen in other homes in this neighborhood, I suspect the materials used — that 1” x 1” square tile, for example — were closer to the 1962 scheme than the 1957. I’ve seen that flooring in several of the homes around here.
But as I have said many times: this home is not a museum. We are bringing it into the 21st century with nods to the past. It isn’t an architectural marvel which needs to be preserved. However, homes that live into their origins feel more comfortable and just fit together better. Turning a Mid Century home into a faux farmhouse, for example, just feels anachronistic.
So, for this bathroom, I leaned into the shades of green in so many of the American Standard concept drawings. I chose a penny tile instead of 1” x 1” squares, but it will have a similar effect with a little modern edge. The large-scale floral wallpaper feels both retro and modern — a little Miami Beach then and now. And the glass tile in the shower? Well, that nods to the retro vibe, too, without being farmhouse or fake.
Wallpaper from A Street Prints with tile samples from Modwalls. They are all layed out inside the bathtub. I love how the greens work together!
Even the bath fittings will be a modern interpretation of the originals which were available at the time.
Bath fittings from the 1950 American Standard catalogue.
From the Lura Collection from Speakman.
So, while we won’t have a matching sink (too small and too pricey) and toilet (not efficient) set, I think this bathroom will fit nicely into our home’s history with an eye toward the future, too!
Vintage Bathrooms from 1958
Here are a few more contemporary bathrooms for reference. I always think it is helpful to look backward before moving forward.
Friends, cross your fingers and toes: we need a plumber this week! And here’s to progress being made at last!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
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Here’s to a week of work and progress! More next week!
Cheers!
Angela
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