Starting here. Starting now.
This little website grew out of concern that pink bathrooms are being ripped out of 40s 50s and 60s homes way too hastily. The reality is: Pink bathrooms are a wonderful part of our home design heritage. And there is no doubt in our minds whatsoever that they are poised for a comeback -- starting here, starting now. Read more.The post that started it all
More Pink Patriots
Michael, pink procrastinator
Click right HERE to take the pledge today
March 25, 2009 by 50s Pam
Save the Pink Bathrooms
Our goal:
A gazillion people pledged to preserve vintage pink bathrooms.
Maybe you have a pink bathroom. Or you just love them.
All are welcome.
Your Comment is your Pledge…
and while you’re there, share your pink reveries.
And, be sure to visit my main site: RetroRenovation.com
Comments
642 Responses to “Click right HERE to take the pledge today”
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Build a pink bathroom
You can still get Mamie pink tile from this place in California -- tell 'em we sent you
Decorative liner tiles custom glazed to match
A Carrera marble laminate would be nice
Or, try local suppliers for retro stuff still made
For fixtures, we love Re-Store, Re-Build and Habitat for Humanity resale yards
Deabath is a good resource, too
We like terrazzo shower pans, still available today
Wicked expensive but Lefroy Brooks can do you an entire Vespa Pink bathroom suite
Vintage wallpapers can be a lot of fun
So can Bradbury & Bradbury 50s papers
And their 60s papers will wake you up in the a.m.
J.C. Penney has sweet vintage-style rugs
I pledge to help Save the Pink Bathrooms? Pink bathrooms: (1) Make you look younger what with all that pink light reflecting off your skin, (2) Speak to an era when we were eager and willing to take more design chances and have fun with color, and (3) because they almost always fit with the house they are in. If I had a vintage pink bathroom, I would surely treasure it!
I just bought into a house with a pink bathroom (a huge selling point for us!). The previous owners partly renovated it, although they left the pink sink, toilet and tub! I can’t wait to retro-renovate, and return my pink bathroom to it’s former glory!
I pledge to honor and respect the pink bathroom. Unfortunately, I am not the owner of such (I wish!), but my mother has a lovely one with blue-flowered trim tile. It fits perfectly in her 1950s ranch.
I think “Save the Pink Bathrooms” should go on a letter-writing campaign to the offices of HGTV. Let’s deluge those home-renovation gurus that tell everyone to tear out those pink beauties (and blue and aqua and mint green and gold-speckled lovelies) and replace them with faux-Italian tumbled stone. I want them to stand back and realize that colors and styles have their day, and that even their precious granite will look outdated in a few years. Of course, what’s in style is what keeps the U.S. consumerism machine grinding on, in interior design as well as clothing.
So please, take a step back from what you think is in style today and what the house magazines and TV shows are telling you is in style, and take a good look at your pink bathroom. Think for yourself. It’s probably petite (as were most bathrooms built in this era) and nicely designed, with interesting details and contrasting trim. Your sink and tub probably have cool geometric details, and you might be lucky enough to have the original space-age looking faucets. Think about how happy pink can make you feel, and as Pam said, even look better in the mirror. And thank your lucky stars that you are the lucky owner of a vintage pink bathroom!
I love all the pictures, very inspiring to those trying to embrace their own pink treasures. I hope to do mine justice!
I pledge. If I ever remodel my bathroom again I pledge to go retro pink and hunt near and far to save the pink from certain doom.
I’m in! I have a great appreciation for those old “pink bathrooms”. I had a pink and black bathroom in my house in Kansas which also sported a turquoise and black kitchen with a beautiful pink Frigidaire with a soft mint green interior! I also had a chance years ago to buy a 1956 (?) Airfloat Travel Trailer that was built by MGM for Elizabeth Taylor for location work. It had a beautiful birch interior with rose colored features, like bathroom, kitchen and phone! The guy selling it lived in it and smoked himself into a case of Emphysema and was going to sell it and move to Palm Springs. He decided to take the trailer with him… Anyway that’s the sad account of how I lost Elizabeth Taylor’s Trailer, and a pink bathroom as well! Alas!!
I believe it’s a cardinal sin to destroy pink bathrooms! I have one now and I pledge to do all I can to save them wherever they are found . . . Pink bathrooms, the endangered species of home renovation – LET’S MAKE T-SHIRTS!
Hey Crystal, I like the tee shirt idea! – Pam
I think granite is a sin! Someday in the distant future I will perhaps be able to buy a house and save a pink bathroom, but until that day all I can do is spread the good word. I’ll put up a link on my blog shortly. Keep up the good fight!
Thanks for using the widget on your blog, Andrea!!! – Pam
The first house I ever bought in 1985 was in Lakewood, WA – it was a 1940-something ranch style and it was amazing. The main bathroom was green and pink tiles. Some of the tiles on the floor had been broken, and I was young without the extra $$ to get the floor fixed appropriately, so I just left them. The tub & other fixtures were pink and it had this amazing counter space to sit down and primp/put on makeup. I wish I had photos of it but I don’t. The house I grew up in was in South San Francisco and had (I think still has) yellow and green tiles in the bathroom. Very art deco, very cool. I would never consider ripping out a beautiful vintage bathroom. The house I live in now we purchased from a model new – but I tried to get as much of the art deco & mid-century feel to it that I could with the limited options, so my master bath has the white tiles with the black bullnose trim. No granite, no vessel sink basin. I still need to get some great art deco light fixtures for the room though. I’m with you – save the pink bathrooms (and green, and yellow, etc etc etc)!!!!!! Anita
Of course I’m on board. Unfortunately, my efforts to create an authentic 1950s pink bathroom failed when I was unable to find a matching set of truly PINK fixtures, so I had to go for 1950s blue instead. Thanks to all of those HGTV desecrators, most of the pink pieces are now only a memory. I wonder … can we be genrous and include saving colored 1950s bathrooms of all kinds? Blue, yellow, gold, black……..
Here’s one!
http://desiretoinspire.blogspot.com/2008/07/ashley-roi-jenkins.html
I know I need to get some pics of mine, too. Very soon!!!!
Hi. I hope I am considered a charter member of Save the Pink Bathrooms, since my pink half-bath was featured on Dec. 29, 2007 on retrorenovation.com! I did get rid of the blah lavender-gray paint on the upper walls by painting them white, but, I still haven’t attempted wallpaper. I suspect 50sPam has launched this new site partly to keep sending me the message to take care of that oversight!
Thanks, Pam, for another creative and inspiring effort!
(Exclamation points are a given when it comes to discussing pink bathrooms — as you can tell from this post and previous ones!)
Great site Pam! I have a pink bathroom and wouldn’t change it ever. Samantha, thanks for the link! That is a smashing pink bathroom that was featured.
I pledge to Save The Pink Bathroom !
Kit
I cant tell you how thrilled I was to find this blog! I too have a delightful little pink bathroom, it was one of the reasons I bought the house! I cannot imagine tearing it out.
Does pinky peach count?
I hereby pledge to preserve the pink bathroom in our 1956 Doelger home in the Westlake division of Daly City, California.
In 2006, my partner and I decided to relocate from Washington, DC, to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he’d grown up. His parents had been renting out the home in which he’d lived from birth through age 8, and it had recently become vacant, so they offered it to us. Though I’d been to San Francisco many times, I’d never heard anything about Daly City, and I had never seen the house until one month before our move. I was a little worried about it, since I had no idea what to expect.
Imagine my great surprise, then, to discover that the house is part of a classic mid-century development, Westlake (the inspiration for Malvina Reynolds’ “Little Boxes”), and that it was in near original condition (so many of the homes in the area, while maintaining their original eclectic facades and exterior charm, were renovated in the 70s to my horror and despair, as we’ve seen when hitting open homes): original metal cabinets with chrome fixtures, yellow tile with chrome accents in the kitchen, original fold-down ironing board and cosmetic cabinet in the kitchen, original dark wood paneling and flagcrete fireplace, original parquet floors, and original pink tile with chrome accents in the bathroom (the sink and original toilet seat were replaced at some point, but we intend to address this). I love the house, and we’re slowly but steadily filling it with appropriate mid-century furnishings and accessories.
Some pictures of the house here
Our 1949 house has it’s original pink tile. We kept it! I pledge to encourage others to keep their Pink Bathroom!
I pledge to preserve the pink bathroom! We are scraping the paint of the wonderful pink tiles in one of our bathrooms. The paint is a real pain to get off but thank god they just painted over them and didn’t do anything drastic like tear them out.
I closed on a 1956 ranch yesterday. While inspecting one of the bathrooms I noticed that the shower didn’t really have white tile but had been painted over. After much scraping I found pink wall tiles with pink mosaic on the base of the shower. The other part of the bathroom had the wall tiles removed along with the sink and counter top. The vanity used to be pink but was also painted over. I pledge to keep whatever pink I can successfully uncover!
I pledge to be an advocate and ally to the endangered pink bathroom, and any other mid-century bathroom color at risk of extinction, including but not limited to mint, yellow and turquoise. We do not possess one of these colorful characters; however, I additionally pledge to do no harm to the white tile and custom-built birch cabinetry found in our home’s bathrooms. I can hear our 1958 home quietly sobbing whenever we watch HGTV gut one its friends.
When we purchased our home in 1997 (the 1st time… funny story) a woman at the open house said, “The first thing I’d do is rip out that horrid peach and black tile.” We knew then that we’d have to buy the house and save the bathroom.
I take the pledge! one pink bathroom at a time. starting with my own.
Ok. I don’t have a pink bathroom to save but you have my upmost support! Although I do take exception to the fact that this is “pinkcentric”. What about the blue bathrooms? What about the yellow bathrooms? What about the black and white bathrooms? What about the seafoam green bathrooms? Are these not being destroyed for the sake of granite tile as well?
Anyway, I used to live in a great 1650 sq. ft. apartment in University City (St. Louis) that had two…count them, TWO pink bathrooms! One was pink and seafoam, the other was pink and…wait for it….maroon (eegad). I loved this place. I miss this place. Sigh…
Also I found this neat YouTube vid via a link on LottaLiving.com. It’s a beautiful 50′s house in New Orleans that was saved from destruction only one hour before the wrecking ball was to swing. About halfway through the vid you will see the amazing pink bathroom that was saved as well!
http://www.squanderedheritage.com/2008/03/26/a-house-of-the-future-almost-a-house-of-the-past/
pictures of my pb to come, it’s a doozy!
I have a pink bathroom that will be saved! My husband and I just bought our adorable 1954 contemporary ranch two months ago, and we are lucky enough to have many of the original fixtures (our other bathroom is dove grey). The former owners tried to cover up or “contemporize” over the mid-centrury charm of the house, but we are bringing it back!
I saved my pink bathroom! I bought my 1951 house in 2001. It was in sad condition after years of being a rental and surviving a series of cheap and stunningly talentless DIY owners. All that remained of the original pink bathroom was the remarkably pristine box shower and separate white tub. It took a lot of research, patience and B&W tile (they manufactured the original tile so the pinks matched exactly!), but I am now the delighted owner of a fully restored 1950′s Pink Bathroom. I couldn’t be happier. Call me crazy, but I swear the house is too.
Incidentally–My neighbors love the pink and are kicking themselves for ripping out their yellow, dusty lavender, blue and yes, pink tiled bathrooms.
I don’t have one, but I lend you my full support! I feel the need for a full-fledged “Save the Vintage Bathroom” campaign!! My personal fave is aqua, but let’s not forget about the yellows and even the avocado ones. This is a part of our architectural heritage and they can’t be lost to weekend warriors and flippers!!!
I had a pink bathroom–and a pink kitchen. They were charming and wonderful. I miss them dearly.
A bathroom should be pink, don’t you think?
Here’s mine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28718267@N06/
I am a pink bathroom appreciator, though I do not yet have one of my own. Save them by any means necessary!
“Please…won’t someone think of the pink bathrooms?”
Hi,
I came here from Mabel’s house
http://mabelshouse.blogspot.com/
I featured Mabel’s pink bathroom in a blog post here:
http://doves2day.blogspot.com/2008/07/everyone-has-bathroom.html
What I really wanted to draw your attention to, though, is not my post so much as the quote I found of what I think is the most amazing description of a pink bathroom in all of English literature, from A. S. Byatt’s novel “Possession”:
“The bathroom was a long narrow rectangle, space saving, coloured like sugared almonds. The fitments were a strong pink, tinged with a dusky greyish tone. The tiled floor was a greyish violet. With little bunches of ghostly Madonna lilies – they were of Italian design – on certain tiles, not all.These tiles extended halfway up the walls, where they met a paisley vinyl paper crawling with busy suckered globules, octopods, sea-slugs, in very bright purple and pink. There were toning ceramic fitments, in dusty pink pottery, a lavatory-paper holder, a tissue holder, a toothmug on a plate like those huge African lip-decorations, a scallop-shell holding pristine ovoids of purple and pink soap. The slatted, wipe-clean vinyl blinds represented a pink dawn with rose-tinged bulbous cumuli. The candlewick bath-mat, with its hide-like rubber backing, was lavender-coloured and so was the candlewick crescent snugly clutching the lavatory pedestal and the lavatory lid. On the top of this, alert for house-sounds, and urgently concentrating, perched Professor Mortimer P. Cropper. It was 3:00 A.M.”
I think that description is hysterically funny and wonderful, and you being a lover of pink bathrooms, I hope you like it too!
I inherited Nana’s pink and black bathroom (1952) in 2003 my sister and husband #4 had removed the classic plastic tile around tub. Still have pink tub, black formica, custom mahogany chevron designed cabinet and found a pink iron sink to replace pink steel one that was chipped. I love the inspiration I get from pictures and comments on this sight. I am dedicated to the pink/black 50′s bathroom.
I pledge to save and love pink bathrooms! Oh how I envy those who actually have one…
A pink bathroom? Ooooooo la la! I have never had one but after looking at the photos on retrorenovation my dreams are of pink tiles, sheet vinyl flooring, groovy fixtures……so I have a pink bathroom in my mind and pledge to keep it just as it is. If I’m ever lucky enough to have a real one, pink it will stay!
I pledge to do anything I can to save the pink bathroom, and if I’m ever lucky enough to own one, boy will it STAY pink!
THINK PINK!
I was blessed to find a late 1962 model home in good condition. Bathroom #1 broke my heart at first sight: a pink sink, a pink tub, and pink and white ceramic tiles all around, all of these in perfect condition. The bathroom needed only repainting. I chose Sherwin Williams bright white in eggshell finish for the walls with hi-gloss finish for the cabinets, door, and trim. This bathroom looks lovely with a pink and white floral cotton shower curtain, pink rhinestone curtain rings, and a matching rug all by Shabby Chic. I also purchased three pink towel sets.
I have spent the past 2.5 years restoring the house. I am now in the process of restoring the second bathroom. It was originally a half bath. There was an adjacent utility closet, and I thought that it looked big enough for a bathtub. I searched high and low for a blue bathtub, and found a 60s porcelain blue tub resting in a warehouse in its original shipping crate, and still wearing the factory sticker. It has been installed, and I am thrilled with it! I am now in the process of looking for the ceramic tiles for the walls.
Pink is my favorite color. When I walked into this house and saw the pink bathroom my heart said This Is Your House! My little girls take bubblebaths in the pink bathtub. This is my dream come true.
I came across your website a few months ago as we began our pink bath renovation. I am proud and pleased to say that we have painstakingly preserved all that is pink while updating and enhancing non-functioning elements of the bath thanks to B&W tile selections. We have a few finishing touches to add and then will post our results. Your 32 page photodocumentation of the pink baths is true artistry. Good, bad, beautiful, ugly, timestopping, tacky, and heartwrenching, all rolled up into one. Thank you for the view.
Di Di
We bought a 1956 ranch house in Las Vegas two years ago with a wonderful pink and chocolate brown bathroom. When the pink toilet in it passed away we searched until we found a new pink toilet (from Kohler) so we could keep it pink! Our plan is to put in pink VCT flooring if we can find it. We still have a long way to go in our restoration project but we are so happy to have our lovely pink and brown bathroom.
Now we are investing in a second mid-century modern house just a block away. I was excited to see that the master bath has pink tile in the shower and a pink marble countertop and backsplash. We will be keeping that bathroom as pink as possible, too!
Long live the fabulous pink bathroom!!!
Just enjoyed reading about all the pink bathrooms.
My home has 6 bathrooms and TWO are pink, the front powder room and the one I call the kids bathroom which has maroon trim. All of the tile is in perfect condition as in the old days they did it right-in cement.
Everything is original and my fixtures are Crane so I have stocked up on the inner parts so that I can keep them forever.
Two of the other bathrooms are blue, one with a deeper blue trim and the other with maroon. Believe me, they are so beautiful.
My kitchen tile is a soft yellow trimmed in blue.
Then there is one bathroom which is yellow (with mint green trim) and the last and smallest bathroom is a half bath with blue tile but the toilet is just plain white. When it wears out, I need to change that one! MJ
VeryVintageVegas.com pledges to educate and re-train the hords of upcoming buyers who are about to discover the treasure trove of pink bathrooms of all colors that are so abundant in Vintage Vegas.
http://www.VeryVintageVegas.com is committed to the preservation of all classic homes and historic neighborhoods of Las Vegas. Pink bathrooms and yellow kitchens are just a small part of the mid century modern revival movement that is still in it’s infancy in Las Vegas.
I’m so happy i found this site! My sweetie and i purchased a 1956 brick ranch almost two years ago, and the pink bathroom was a MAJOR selling point. We are very lucky, cosmetically the bathroom is in wonderful shape, and we are comitted to keeping the pretty pink-ness of it!
I am taking the pledge. I moved into a 1969 condo. The bathroom floor tiles are dark pink, light pink, and white; and the shower tiles are light pink. I have just put in a special order for a light pink/dark pink/gray marble sink.
Can anyone recommend good places (or items) for a mirror – lighting – medicine cabinet?
Additionally I am doing the kitchen in a black/white/red 50s style and need cheap but cool cabinet and drawer hardware. Help?
I take the pledge! The house mom & dad built in the late ’50′s has a pink bathroom I still use when I visit. It has to large velvet black cats…very chic…hung on the wall…love it! I agree with the other comments about how awful it is when these home improvement shows demo these bathrooms! They are demolishing architectural history! Also, as a realtor, I see lots of retro bathrooms that are so cool…but the buyers want to update first thing! I just found this website and think it’s great. I’ve been a retro fan for many years and friends and family think I’m nuts. I will have to let them know about the site to show them I’m not the only one
My partner and I purchased an early 70′s rancher-the pink small tiled floor w/the pink fixtures was a selling point. We love it!
Long live pink bathrooms!
I want a pink bathroom. I have to resort to pink accessories and the like, but a 50s pink bathroom has always been one of my dreams!
Here’s a look at my bathroom:
http://tinyurl.com/5tqgxl
I take the pledge and salute pink bathrooms!
Thank Heaven I found this! I thought I was the only one with a pink bathroom obsession. I looked for my house for over two years because that was one my requirements. Mine turned out to be a peachy pink which is still amazing. And, that was to be the sellers’ next project.
I removed the scary eighties wallpaper, valance and light fixtures. Then, the mauve linoleum was changed to a fabulous retro Marmoleum. Now, it is my retro shabby chic powder room.
I cannot wait to look at everyone’s photos.
Just moved into a 1953 “mini-ranch” and while we ended up with a precious grey tiled bathroom, I honored it by painting the walls PALE PINK!!! It is lovely. Driving down the street yesterday, I saw in the front yard of a home being remodeled…a gorgeous pink toilet. They would not let me take it.
Our house is a 1920 bungalow, but the bathroom was redone in 1952– all my friends wanted to help me gut it, but I could never do that.
We were convinced by those who know better than we do to paint the walls burgundy– same color as the darkest trim tiles– and to go all out with art deco style fixtures. Love.
It really does make everyone’s skin glow!
I just hung a round 1950s bird mirror in our pink bathroom in our 1950s ranch. A dream come true! The other bathroom is green tile with yellow fixtures and all orginal hardware, including lucite knobs…very cool!
So I therefore also pledge to preserve all old bathrooms, pink and green!
My mother has a 60′s pink tile bathroom, and I NEED tiles!!!!!!!!! Repair, renovation-help!
I own a house built in 1954. It has a PINK bathroom and I love it! I am now on a quest to replace the Standard pink toilet, which is no longer working, and the pink sink, which has a hairline crack in the bowl. The tub is fine, just needs new fixtures.
The shower doors have the original pink and
blue Swan decals!
This PINK bathroom is really the heart of my house…THINK PINK…it’s beautiful!
Hello Pink Bathroom Lovers!
There is an awesome pink tub for sale on ebay….The square one with seats in the corners. I have made an offer for the sink and toilet, but I can’t use the tub. It will be destroyed unless someone buys it. Wahhhh!
The same seller has the exact same set in a
beautiful pastel yellow, also. Great price, too!
Hurry and check these out….Auction expires real soon!
(I am not promoting this seller’s auction in any way….just want to let everyone know it
is available).
We are in the process of closing on a house that has not one, but TWO pink bathrooms.
The hall bathroom has pink tub, toilet and sink. The master bathroom has a pink sink, shower, tile on the walls and toilet.
Who knew it was such a big deal!??! LOL
A somewhat ~ahem~ “different” take on saving the pink bathroom, from the IkeaHacker blog:
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/10/rustic-flooring-for-bathroom.html
“Chris saves his pink bathroom with some outdoor decking. It turns out pretty good, with an almost rustic ‘spa’ look. “
I’m sorry, I’m sorry – I had to do it. I just demolished a pink bathroom. There was no saving it.
I just closed two weeks ago on my adorable tiny two-bedroom 1958 ranch. Turns out there was termite-damage. We had to completely gut my bedroom and bathroom. My dream come true has become a bit of a nightmare, but we are weathering it alright.
The bathroom we had to demolish was *so* very pink, but not in a retro cool way that you would want to keep – it was pink and brown. Salmon pink tile, with burnt raisin brown tile trim, and the toilet and sink were a regular pink, but clashed with the salmon, so the overall effect was barfy. Before we knew about the damage, I was torn, wanting to keep it original, but really
I need to design a new bathroom, in appropriate colors, but I don’t think I will go pink.
Anybody in NW Florida need a free pink sink and toilet?
Hi again!
Here’s an update on my quest to find both a replacement sink & toilet for my pink bathroom. I lost the bids on ebay, which turned out OK…shipping would have been more than I could afford. My daughter, visiting from PA, found a pink set for bathroom #1, and a mint green set for bathroom #2……so I can restore BOTH with the vintage pieces. The best thing is that she found all of this from one seller in Atlanta,Ga for $200! From here, Atlanta is about a 5 hour trip, so daughter & son-in-law drove there to pick up everything (and spend the day doing the town, as well).
Renovations begin next week. I’ll post before and after pictures later. I’m happy that I can keep my pink bathroom..and I LOVE my kids!
Life is good.
Phyllis
I need tiles and a towel bar to repair my 50s pink bathroom. I have been searching and not having much success. Can anyone give me a website that might have what I am looking for? I AM going to keep the bathroom pink and just need a few items
Thanks,
Kathy
I am looking to buy this 1956 house in Broomfield CO, it has a pink bathroom- I need to save it from the remodelers!!! I want to get my hands on this house and restore the kitchen back to the 50′s also. I think it is still in vintage shape but needs some 80′s tile removed from the kitchen backsplash- can’t wait to restore it to turquiose or yellow and pink!!!
more later~
thanks for this site!!!
Dana a.k.a. Dottie
Wow! I just found your website via AuctionWally and Vintage + Goodness. Count me in for taking the pledge.
I fell in love with this 1945 house when I saw one of the bathrooms: it’s pink tile (walls and floor) with green tile edging PLUS a square bathtub. So many people have laughed at this room it’s very irritating! My husband wanted to remodel and get rid of the pink bathroom and my two-toned blue bathroom. NO NO NO
I’m so glad there are other people out there who love these older designs.
I have a dark red toilet & sink from another older home but don’t know where to put them. Toooo cute!
Does anyone watch the HGTV show “Property Virgins”? It seems like every week these young people who’ve never owned a home look at wonderful old bathrooms and original tile and say “that has to go”. What are they thinking? Beige tiles from Home Depot?
I pledge! We have a 1960′s built home with a pink bathroom, and lots of other wonderful mid-century original features. Think recessed lounge room lighting behind the pelmet, giving a cascade effect down the curtains at night! The original owners tell us they used to have red and blue flouro lights in there! (Haven’t quite got to restoring those yet!). We love it!
I just found this website and am in awe. This is wonderful!
I PLEDGE! I bought a 1959 ranch in Pittsburgh 3 years ago, and after the 3 diamond windows in the front door and the circular laundry shoot in the kitchen, the TWO pink bathrooms were definitely the top selling points. The hallway bath is pink and grey, featuring pink tub, pink toilet and pink Barbie-esque vanity with peg legs and the fixtures on a slant (two photos features on this website). The master bath is about closet-sized and is yellow and pink, with a pink toilet and pink sink. The best feature, though, is the incredibly small yellow triangular shower that barely fits one person.
Here in Pittsburgh we have a great architectural salvage warehouse called Construction Junction. I know there is something similar in Baltimore and probably several other cities. Great place to find old tubs, sinks, toilets in every color, plus fixtures. Not always bargains, though.
Many many years ago I worked for the publishing arm of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We published a book that I got to name — The Well-Appointed Bath — which basically reprinted pages from early American Standard catalogs. I see some of them here. It was quite a status symbol to have these bathrooms after WWII!!! The book is out of print but you could probably find it online.
Here’s a 1937 ad with a very nice PINK BATHROOM.
Don’t know how long the image will stay up, but here it is. Not overwhelmingly pink, either.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Ad-Armstrong-Linoleum-Floor-Bathoom-1937_W0QQitemZ220102716530QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
you cannot be serious!!! this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of
We applaud your effort! One of our customers told us about this site. Yes, we also love those great pink (& other colored) bathrooms. And yes, we are an architectural salvage firm that sells, YES-PINK vintage toilets, sinks, bath accessories, tubs & more! We believe in saving all those fab bathroom pieces. If you don’t have the love for those wonderful old vintage bathrooms…at least have the sense to recycle the items so someone else can have the opportunity to have & enjoy them. Check our site out at http://www.coolstuffiscoolstuff.com. We have hundreds of vintage plumbing pieces available. 888-243-6915.
I bought a bungalow in old Tampa with a remodeled bathroom. Under the sink I found a shoe box full of replacement tiles for the original bathroom. It broke my heart to discover that the bath had once been tiled with pink hex tiles, but some cretin remodeled it and tiled it in beige. I long for a day when I can own a house with an original or a retro-fitted pink bathroom.
I just found your site and Flickr group. I currently live in a vintage house (with a plain white bathroom that was remodeled in the 70′s with boring white tile, that is now worn and cracking.) I am hoping someday to purchase this little house and Remodel the heck out of it. I PLEDGE (well I was going to do it anyway,) to re-do the bathroom in PINK (and black) tile and fixtures as soon as my budget allows.
My grandmother’s San Antonio house back in the day- my earliest memories were of her house and it’s pink and maroon tiled bathroom (well my own family’s house had a pretty cool baby blue bathroom too- gotta represent.)
Anyway all of those HGTV shows with the home remodels ripping out the cute green, blue and above all PINK bathrooms (and let us not forget the avocado green kitchens!) can just go straight to “H.E.-Double hockey sticks!”
It has been my lifelong dream to have a pink bathroom of my very own and I will someday.
– Janine
I have a pink and black tiled bathroom, and love it! I did add a new toilet and sink when I bought, and replaced the horriffic laminate flooring with white tile. It adds such character to the house!
Okay, I’m taking the pledge! My pink bathroom is safe.
But, here is my dilemma: the person that owned the house before us replaced the pink toilet seat with a new one that doesn’t quite match. And the tank is cracked. So, do I replace the pink toilet with a white one (leaving pink floor tiles, wall tiles, tub and sink) or try to find an exact matching pink toilet!
I feel like a white toilet would stand out too much and an exact match will be too hard to find.
What’s a retro girl to do?!
I’m gonna keep ours!
I’m not any great retro person but it’s very functional and I”m way too cheap to replace it with something I know won’t be as nice.
We have a 1955 cape with 2 bathrooms: 1 yellow and black tile, 1 maroon and pink tile. We are re-decorating the pink bathroom now and have been looking for a retro wallpaper that will help us embrace the pink tile. The wallpaper we like best is the pink and grey geo wallpaper on the banner of this website. Could you tell me who the manufacturer is and where we could order it. Thanks, and long live the pink bathroom!!
Sorry, Rich, that’s from my private stash! Send out your vibes – and the retro decorating gods will surely send you what you want/need. Thanks for your pledge!
I pledge!
hello 50s pam, love your blog and your retrorenovation philosophy.
i recently bought a beautiful 1956 apartment here in caracas, venezuela… with a very run-down pink bathroom: pink wall tiles and green bathtub, toilet and sink. all the pieces are in bad shape, some tiles are broken and stained from use. my dilemma is that i wish to keep my pink bathroom, but there are no places here in caracas that sell pink 50s tiles and my budget is not so big to order items from the US. any suggestions would be immensely appreciated.
I thought I had signed months ago while I was stalking everyone else’s pink bathrooms, but I guess that’s what I get when I think! Okay…
I hereby pledge to prevent the pulverization of period perfect pink potties and to persevere over pressure to part with my practical pedestal where my pint size prince and princess piddle…I Promise!
We have restored a 1936 Tudor Revival with an original pink bathroom (photos uploaded to your Flickr). Of course, later owners in the 70′s replaced most of the fixtures with 1970′s bathroom chic, but we found the original sink and toilet in the garage! We then re-plumbed it, and re-installed!
Love our tub, too.
I pledge! One day I hope to find the vintage home of my dreams with the pink bathroom (and kitchen) to match!
I’m so glad to find others who cringe when people destroy perfectly nice vintage bathrooms (especially pink) on TV.
I pledge! I just bought a house built in 1904 and they remodeled one of the bathrooms in the 50s. I have the pink and sandstone combination
You can see it on my blog where I just posted it.
rue
We’re keeping our pink bathroom, primarily because I hate fibreglass tubs and won’t give up the enamel. Also, it works, so why toss it in the landfill and spend money on new? It’s growing on me. The tiles are halfway up the wall: grey with a row of black at the top. The lino is curling and has to be replaced, haven’t decided what to go with, but we’re removing the moldy wallpaper on the upper half of the wall and painting it fushia. Not sure how it will look, but have a feeling it will be awesome.
I take the pledge a long time ago…in fact, years ago to love the color pink forever and forever. I have a pink toilet sitting in my garage (mint) that is waiting for a pink bathtub (northern Michigan, if anyone has one). PINK RULES!
Pink is the new Black
Love that you are embracing all things pink,
especially in the bathroom.
Your images are inspiring and motivating.
Thanks for this..I will be sure to point all my pink friends in your group’s direction.
Who needs pink tile? I removed it from the walls of a small bathrooom. I think it’s 50′s 60′s tile. They have Monarch on the back. They could use a little cleaning from the thinset and grout. They are about 4 inches. Some are from the shower and some from the walls. I’m about to take the floor tiles up but they don’t look to hot and I don’t know if I can save them from breaking. If you want to know more, please email me at deloachden1@yahoo.com.
I’ll probably list them on eBay if I don’t get a response soon.
I adore my parents’ pink bathroom in their early 1960s home. I pledge to continue advocating that they keep their pink tile along with the light brown and pink floral wallpaper with splashes of silver as well as the tiny mirror that’s painted with a pink and brown Vogue cover from the 1910s or 20s. What can I say? I’m a sentimental gal.
What about pink kitchens? I have a built-in counter blender that’s stainless steel and pink plastic (ebay item # 220375349843).
A year ago while house-shopping, we saw a wonderful two-bedroom GI Bill style house with a pink bathroom — small pink squares going halfway up the wall, gloss white painted walls above it, and shiny chrome faucets. I fell in love with the bathroom and even Mr. Bassora thought the bathroom was really nice.
We have now owned the house for a year. Mr. Bassora added a pink toilet seat on the white American Standard (he actually likes pink … for the bathroom). A clear shower curtain (being held up by white flowers) allow us to see the pink plastic lace curtains above the bathtub.
I have added various pink (and some white) items — can sometimes find REALLY good deals at Target.
I love our pink bathroom. I’ve had friends actually compliment our littlest room in the house.
I pledge to keep my pink bathroom in my Craftsman style house. I have decided it’s too hard to keep up with trends, so I am decorating my home to match its style. Dark wood trim, stained glass windows, etc. My pink bathroom is completely tiled, including the ceiling! I only wish they had installed a drain in the middle of the floor so I could just wash it down with a hose.
Great website!
I live in a 1964 ranch house with a small pink master bath- which I LOVED the minute I saw!!! We actually sold our brand new cookie cutter style vinyl siding house to buy an older one… with CHARACTER! I pledge to never destroy my awesomely pink bathroom!
Oh- and my parents still live in their 60s ranch, and it also has a pink bathroom…maybe that’s why I love mine so much!
I pledge to save the pink bathroom.
I just bought a 1959 ranch. We’ve begun peeling away the 70s renovations, as well as washing away 50 years of wear and tear.
I think this must have been a very low end, starter house. The shower is tiled in pink, with pink around the sink basin, but the toilet and other porcelain fixtures are white. So to answer the question above, I think a white toilet would look fine.
What wouldn’t look fine is brown/gray vinyl asphalt flooring. I’m afraid we’re going to have to cover that! It’s a very small bathroom, so we’ll probably be able to afford to do a nifty mosaic tile, but I am exploring more modern floorings with a similar look.
Thanks for all the photos and ideas!
I love ALL things Pink. Always have. On of my college professors had a Pink kitchen complete with pink ‘fridge/stove. I have wanted one every since and I will have it!!
Yeah – save ALL things pink!
PS: Both of my grandmother’s had those pink fish.
We were delighted to see the pink bathroom saved in St.Louis.
We, also saved our pink tiles and built the colors in rest of the room around them. Our 39 year-old son said we should change those “old things.” We did have the tub re-enameled white and changed the off pink sink and toilet to white.
Our fixtures are black tile.
So glad to have found this site and the retrorenovation one as well as I have a 1957 Ranch with a Lovely (with a capital “L”) pink bathroom.
I will have to get some pics for you. Pink tile, through out, pink sink, pink toilet. I’d love to put some of this wallpaper up…
http://www.wonder-walls.net/flamingo2.html
and redo it a bit but right now I’m working on my kitchen.
I’m saving my pink bathroom!
Dear Pink Bathroom Loving Folks,
God help me! Until a friend pointed out your blog I thought my Pepto pink bathtub was disgusting! In fact I planned on tearing it out and replacing it this week. I am only slightly enlightened to what appears to be a pink bathtub following and I need your help coming to terms with my pink tub. Quite honestly and in all due respect I do not like my pink bathtub. We’ve posted a video on Facebook jabbing fun at our pink bathtub. Yet, out of respect for your following I must ask for your help in reconciling my differences. Maybe I could even come to appreciate this pepto pink bathtub (I hesitate strongly to say ‘love’). I am an open minded person that with some guidance and perhaps design ideas might even appreciate it’s pepto bismol color. Your involvement would be most appreciated.
I only wish I had a pink bathroom to save… during our last round of house hunting we saw a flat with the most fantastic 1960s pink bathroom – the corner bath was enormous, ceramic, and shaped like a scallop shell, complete with ridges down the inside, and the sink and toilet were a matching shade of pale salmon pink. Sadly my husband hated the bathroom so much he vetoed the entire flat, even though it was perfect in every way.
I still dream of that tub, tarted up with some full-length mirrors, vanity lighting strips and wallpaper with a geometric pattern in pink, almond, chocolate and raspberry…
I LOVE PINK BATHROOMS! I just bought a 1935 house from the original owner (the daughter of the people who built it in 1935) and it has a beautiful, perfectly intact pink bathroom with black tile trim. The fixtures are white (thank goodness) but the bathroom is pink pink pink! It’s so hard to find old bathrooms people haven’t ripped out all the tile and charm from! It’s my favorite room in the house, and was a huge selling point, even though in the ads for sale they didn’t put photos of the bathroom b/c it’s so retro.
I pledge to spread the gospel of mid-century design, reminding all those who decry the pink bathroom of the subtle charms of that rosy hue. I promise to honor sea foam green and aqua and sunny yellow and baby blue. I even shall honestly try to embrace the unloved- the avocados, the harvest golds, and the browns- those banes of my youth that I now am grudgingly beginning to appreciate. All of these colors tell stories, and I vow to do my best to pass the stories on- in my own boring 2001 box that I have equipped with its own faux pink bathroom (replete with poodle, ballerina, and tropical bird chalk plaques), and everywhere I see a pink diamond in the rough waiting to be shined up and treasured!
I’m happy to say that we’re in the process of purchasing a 1950s bungalow with an intact original pink bathroom. Only the floor tile has been replaced, so I’ll be looking into replacing that with something less contemporary and more in keeping with the pinky-ness. So exciting!
I was about to de-pink my bathroom in my 1924 home and, as I was looking for bathroom inspiration, I somehow stumbled across this site. I’ve now decided to keep the pink! Somehow, your site did what my design-savvy friend’s urging to “work with the pink” could not do.
Thanks!
OOO! Wow! I am so glad I found this site.I live in a 1950′s vintage beach cottage and have a peachy,pinky bathroom! I am looking for vintage bath accessories too!
I will have to take picks when cleaned up!
I love pink bathrooms!! I just lost my job in a decrotive plumbing store after 10 years, and felt devistated. But like all good old house lovers would do, I pulled it together opened my own business, and here I am leading people to the Preserve The Pink side. Love it, Leave it, accessorize!
I pledge to Save my Pink Bathroom w/ it’s AMAZING Turquoise & Silver Wallpaper! I am not a PINK person, HOWEVER I would not trade in my bathroom for anything! I’ve just posted Pics to the Flickr page! Hope you enjoy them!
I do pledge to help save the pink bathroom. Mine is safe.. very pink and black, not touched since the 50′s… and will stay that way safe in our house.
My dad was a plumber, he instilled in me the love of all things potty. The pink came from my mom, probably.
Great website!!
Hail to the retro pink bathrooms! I have one (pink & black) and we are very proud to show it off!
Barbara O
I pledge to “save the pink bathroom”. I’m so glad I found this site. We’re in the process of renovating our 1960′s Levitt home. The pink bathroom is next on the adjenda. I love the pink! My husband hates the pink! Thanks to this website I can now convince him I’m not the only person in the world that thinks Pink is Perfect.
I love your site!
I have been the proud inhabitant of three pink bathrooms in my lifetime. The first I did myself as a teen – Pepto walls with pink and grey atomic wallpaper in the alcove (and sadly very white, very 70s fixtures). Years later, a boyfriend and I moved into a mid-century mobile home with fabulous pink fixtures and original faux marble Masonite tub surround. More recently, I lived in a Victorian converted post-war into student apartments. My bathroom not only had 12′ ceilings, but pink ceramic tiles to a height of 6′.
Now I’m helping a friend slowly fix up his post-war tract house. I have no chance of getting him to go pink, but not for lack of trying!
I have always had the pledge inside ! I wasn’t in a position to do anything about actually raising “save the pink bathroom” consciousness, but I will do my best. I live near an old town with old homes, and I plan to search for anyone with a pink bathroom, and thank them for keeping it pink. Sad to say, most of those homes are not for sale. People treasure them.
I hereby pledge to do everything in my power to Save the Pink Bathrooms!
I do not own one myself but I think that they are FAB. I do however have a pink boomerang formica and knotty pine kitchen which I use to show nonbelievers that pink rooms are a good thing!
I just found this website while searching for design help on Google. I’m renovating my very own pink bathroom, which I treasure. I was looking for design help on how to take my pinkie back to it’s original glory. This site is perfect! Thanks so much.
Ps. I’m taking the pledge and vowing to preserve pink bathrooms everywhere.
How fun! I have a house built in 1947, and added on to several times – but nobody has changed the pink bathroom! And, I love it, I never will either.
So glad there are pink bathroom lovers out there aside from me.
I love mid-century design, and I adore the pink bathroom! For anyone interested, I found the following in my web-travels – a complete pink bathroom suite in southern CT.
http://www.urbanminers.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=18&sort=20a&page=2
I pledge to save my pink bathroom and to fight tirelessly to save any and all pink bathrooms I encounter until my last breath! They will have to remove the pink tile from my cold dead hands! This is personal to me…I grew up in a beautiful San Francisco 1920′s house with a great pink and black bathroom. Recently my husband and I purchased our first home and it too has a pink bathroom. No wonder I felt right at home when I saw this house. Prior to this, we were in a rental which had ghastly ‘earth’ tones in the bathroom decor. (If I want ‘earth’ tones I’ll roll around in the dirt in the yard thankyouverymuch). And I too cringe when I see the so-called ‘upgrades’ on HGTV of perfectly great vintage houses. It is criminal. It upsets me so much that I soak in my soothing pink bathroom to regain my composure.
I have a pink bathroom and I pledge to keep it. It’s from 1950. Someone had put pink and blue wallpaper on the walls in the 80′s and it looks awful!! I’m trying to go back to a retro theme. The easiest thing for us to do was to re-wallpaper it. If you go to American Blinds, you can search for wallpaper and select pretty much the exact color. It will show you which wallpapers include that color. Lots to choose from. I hope this helps you preserve your bathroom!!!
http://www.americanblinds.com/colors/colors_advanced.asp
I am in my 3rd home with a vintage pink tile bathroom!! In an ever renovating world, my realtor says we’re one of the few couples she knows that actually WANTS a home with the vintage tile. I’ve also had yellow, blue, and green. But the pink is my favorite!
Hello Brothers and Sisters of the Pink Bathroom Revival!
We just bought a house in La Habra that was built in 1955 and much to our surprise and joy the owners lovingly preserved not only their pink potty and tub but also their yellow tile kitchen with Western Holly range vent! When my husband called his mom to tell her about the house he opened with “I have a pink toilet” she said well rip it out and replace it with a white one, he answered “that won’t go with my pink tub.” Pink has never been my favorite color (shame, shame) but then I gave birth to a little girl and pink suddenly seemed sweet, reassuring. Even if I had not been converted to pink (sort-of) I am always for preserving the original. I still miss my metallic olive green 1972 Dodge Dart….
I am moving into a 1950′s style ranch house in a couple of weeks and am THRILLED that I will have a beautiful pink bathroom to work with! People really do not realize the history and beauty a Mamie Pink bathroom has. I’m hoping to be able to prove to my friends in the area that they are worth saving!
I can only decorate my bathroom, as I live in an apartment. I pledge to get pink bathmats and rugs, pink accessories…possibly a pink toilet seat. It will go with me when I move.
When I first bought my 1974 home with the 1984 rose-pink-NOT-Mamie-pink bathroom remodel (including rose-pink grout between my white floor tiles), I was dead set on doing what I could to downplay the color. I have since realized that I need to instead embrace it! Let the wallpaper hunting begin!
So happy to see all these posts, but I need support and advise for my grey/burgundy 50s bathroom.
Any direction toward sites for lovers of these 50s color tiles, please let me know!
thanks so much!!
Hi Benzmom – see all the resources in the right-hand column. There are lots!
My history with pink bathrooms. 15 years ago, we bought a ’62 colonial in suburban Cleveland. In the main bathroom, the tub, sink and toilet were all salmon pink. The one inch square floor tiles were white, interspersed with pastel squares of pink, yellow, mint green and sky-blue. Really kind of cool. The walls were white. We decided to play up the pink by painting the walls a very pale shade of pink- a sort of “icy pink” if that makes sense. So, we took a pink bathroom and made it pinker.
Now, the confession. 10 years ago, we bought a ’63 colonial (I use the term “colonial” loosely- this colonial has picture windows) in suburban Chicago. The “family bath” off the hall was pink- pink toilet, twin sinks and tub, with white and coral pink tiles on the floor and climbing 3/4 up the walls. By this time, we had two sons- we have no daughters. As we have a master bath in this house [American Standard fawn beige], the pink “family” bath became our sons’ bathroom. Well, we wanted to stay “mid-century” but could not stick our boys with a pink bathroom. So, we got a new white toilet and twin sinks and had the tub re-glazed in white. To stay “mid-century modern” we re-glazed all of the pink wall tiles in aqua blue. The floor was replaced with large square aqua tiles. Does this disqualify us from the “Save the Pink Bathrooms” league?
We did save that pink one in Cleveland, making it even pinker…. Just askin.
OMG. I have admit that Pink Bathrooms are the bomb. Mamie Eisenhower had it going on when she planted pink into our head oh so many years ago. She made a difference in our bathrooms and with our pink imagination. God live the Pink Bathroom. JT
If anyone in Austin, TX would like to upgrade to a hearty, dark pink bathroom, an architectural reclamation company named D.A.R. has a tub, pedestal sink, and toilet – a matching set! – for sale at their Old Howard’s Nursery location.
We have just renovated my childhood home built in1949 and certainly saved the pink and blue bathroom! My crew said I was not like a normal woman — one who wants all torn out and replaced with new updated stuff! I told them I was “old enough to appreciate the old” since I am 62! Also we have a double drainboard sink made in 1949 and in really good condition with metal cabinets below. We also took up the carpet and refinished hardwood floors that were original with the house. Mahoghany dining room and bedroom furniture that my parents had bought in High Point, NC in 1949 are also being used! We move in next Tuesday and I can’t wait!!!
I love my little bungalow which is almost as old as my baby boomer self. And I love my pink tile bathroom and pink tile floor. Right now I have a Ralph Lauren look shower curtain in powder blue with big cabbage roses and my pink porcelain bird planter and my blue ceramic bird planters that add to that retro look. I pledge to keep my bathroom pink!
Speaking of Mamie Eisenhower … if you were to tour the Eisenhower Farm at Gettysburg, you would find a closet filled with “Mamie Pink” linens!
I bought my 1963 Levitt and Sons Cape Cod house partially because it still had its pink and blue bathtubs (with blue surround tile) intact. I acquired the matching pink sink and toilet when a neighbor was renovating their bathrooms and removed their lovely pink fixtures for something boring and white I am sure! Now just to find a freebie blue sink and toilet and my retro renovation will be complete!
This is Heaven!!! When I was growing up we lived in a duplex. Our neighbor had a pink and black bathroom and that’s what I decided would be the most perfect bathroom ever…
I’m also a “baby boomer” who’s old enough to appreciate Pink!
I have been pining for light carnation pink towels and they are just not a color in the stores these days. If I ever find them, my bathroom for SURE has a pink renovation in store for it! (I grew up in a pink tiled, pink tub, etc. 50′s bathroom in Elmhurst, Illinois!)
Yes save the retro pink , and “down with the MAC MANSIONS!”
While I wish I could pledge to save the blue bathroom (that 50′s blue is such a peaceful color, but alas, blue is the ONE color that the original owners of my 1955 ranch did NOT use for bathrooms – yellow, green, peach and pink being the winners of that particular contest), I will by default to pledge to save my existing pink powder room from renovation.
I think if you do have a pink bathroom, you have to just go with it. No sense pretending that it’s a neutral, because it isn’t. Restoration Hardware has some white and pink kitchen towels that make lovely powder room hand towels, btw.
My husband just re-modeled our 1950 bathroom and after much discussion, I WON and we kept the pink! My walls are the traditional Mamie Pink tile, trimmed out with a beigy-pink. My floot ir the traditional pink tile with the grey grout, my laminate vanity counter is the pink and grey boomerang, but the tub, sink and toilet are white???!!!
Should I look for some vintage pink appliances or leave well enough alone? Help!
I’m trying to save my 1960 pink bathroom. I love it. Unfortunately, the previous owner ripped out part of the floor and some of the wall tile. I’m still looking for some more Stylon tile and a few feet of the floor mosaic (like the bottom link one on this page. I did find a vintage pink sink to replace his “renovated” one. Cost $20–beautiful, plus $80 for shipping!
I pledge to save the pink bathroom, to hold her sacred in all her pink glory. My bathroom has pink walls, but alas, I need more… You’ve inspired me. I’ll post a picture of my pink bathroom to my blog with a link to your site.
Michele Young-Stone, aka Pink Shel
I’m inspired!!! I love your website. I too have a vintage 50′s pink master bathroom. Pink tiled walls with pink tiled walk-in shower, vanity, sink, and stool. My floor tile is the same two-toned, square and rectangle tile pictured on the right side of this page. Thanks to Mamie and her love of pink!!! I also have a hall bath with yellow and blue tile and a third bath with pink and gray floor tiles with pink walls. I’m a 50′s girl at heart and I also love my vintage Geneva metal kitchen cabinets. I fit right in with my 50′s kitchen aprons and my love for that era. Everything is cyclical. I truly believe that we are the new “in” trend, if not now, then in the near future. To those who love the granite and the expensive floor tile, well, those folks can have it!!! Don’t fix it unless it’s broken!!! Keep the pink!!!
I solemnly swear to preserve my pink bathroom despite pressure from TV shows to convert to flat paint khaki or some other boring, bland color. Thank heaven for Rachel Ashwell and Martha Stewart. Without them there would be no pink towels whatsoever in stores!
I have a 1940′s house, but alas, not a pink bathroom. Mine is blue, the neighbor to the right has yellow, and the house to the left has pink. I respect the pink bathroom but to honor my house, mine is to remain blue. I take great comfort and strength knowing that there are folks who are actively trying to maintain our oh so colorful past.
Oh, HOW FUN!! I only dream of finding that perfect little house with the pink bathroom. When first looking at my house, I thought I saw the glimmer of pink coming from the bathroom, but it sadly turned out to be a lovely shade of peach which is not all that bad, but when I then saw the ‘coordinating’ blue toilet and tub I was, to say the least, disappointed. But I still took the house hoping to replace the blue. Today I still live with the combo and it has become the one room with the most coats of paint as I try to determine what looks ‘best’…yikes! I am just a ‘pink’ person and always will be! So onward to find that cute little pink bathroom…I know there’s one waiting. Note to CHRIS (comment) from University City, St. Louis….I also live near there and once lived an old apartment building in Clayton with lovely mint green tiles. All the old 1920 buildings around here are classic…I miss the great architecture that is so much missing today!
Vintage PInk Designs, St. Louis
when i first bought my 1940′s house I cringed at the pink on pink bathroom……frustrated by the lack of cooperation from every paint choice i tried to pair with all that pink tile! My bathroom was hideous and a source of humor to my friends and family……after vehemently defending it for the first year, i grew to love it! It has been painted at least 6 times in the 3 years I’ve lived here and now it is back to it’s original pink on pink! I love it, am trying to accent it with black and will never change it!
Just moved into an old Boston apartment with all pink bathroom. At first, I thought how the heck am I going to decorate this. With your website, I’ve found new inspiration, and will be dreamin’ pink!
Just bought a house with a pink bathroom about 2 years ago. Tiles for the most part in excellent shape. Need to repaint. Have added flamingos. It’s a start!
I don’t have a pink bathroom, but I do have a vintage one–octagon white tiles, free standing pedestil sink, decorated w/pink towels. I’m all for preserving vintage bathrooms, as who could ever come up with a bath tub as deep and fabulous as mine–with pink bubblebath.
dahlila xxoo
I will be closing on my mid century modern home in about a week. I have already found a pink toilet on Craigslist in perfect condition (love Craigslist). All I need is a tub and sink to complete my pink bathroom! Woo hoo! Love this site. Thank you for the inspiratation!
Laura
I pledge to try to keep pink bathrooms alive! I cannot stand when “House Hunters” or “House Renovaters” or even
“Flip this House” tears out a pink bathroom because it is “out of date.” I do not watch that paticular “channel” for that reason. The architechs redo all the glorious vintage and put in new crap. At least that is my opinion, and I’m stick’in to it!
P.S. My new home is painted different shades of pink throught It keeps me calm and happy. My Grandmother was a Pink person. Her home was a salmon colored brick. I do not remember if her bathrooms were pink… I think her bathroom, the bath off of the master bedroom was. Pink with the black accent tiles. I inheretide (sorry about all the spelling errors) many wonderful antique pieces from her. And now I collect many pink things. I have to be careful, my house had become overun with objects. But when we cleaned out 2/3rds, we kept anything thing that was pink and any thing that had roses. I do not know where this long rant came, perhaps it is “My Pink Passion.” thanks for the space to rant!
I just today began peeling the paint off of my walls to uncover the beautiful PINK tile. I pledge to restore the walls & my pink bathtub/shower walls!
My original intent was a complete remodel, until I found this site.We already got rid of the sink & toilet, however
Can’t wait to peel away & share my finished room w/you all !
Leah
I hereby pledge to preserve the pink potty, save the pink sink, and treasure the pink tub that will be my legacy. Currently in my mom’s house, but one day all this will be mine. Also, I shall save the blue bathroom that is the pink one’s mirror image. Until such time, I’ll be staying busy preserving the 50′s farmhouse next door that belonged to my grandparents.
I am taking this pledge in spirit. While I don’t have a pink bathroom, our home was build in 1960. I does have a seafoam green bath and a blue bath. I pledge to save these baths. And add pink where ever I can.
When we bought our house 14 years ago (built in 1949), one of the things that made me say “Oh, I *want* this house!” was the peach and brown tile with the black border on the bathroom floor. It was covered in an ugly dark carpet, and some of the tiles were broken, but it was lovely. The first thing we did was rip out the carpet and fix the broken patches (carefully removing tiles from behind the sink and toilet (replaced them with black to match the border). I think the walls were peach originally (we painted them a sunny yellow before we found the evidence). As we do further work (replacing the bath surround tile, etc), I intend on making it look more retro and restoring some of the lost charm.
I pledge to save my pink bathroom. It was one of the selling points in 1954 ranch. Sadly, the floor was replaced in the 80′s with a hideous vinyl floor, but thanks to this blog I now know what kind of flooring to replace it with. I was also able to score a 50′s pink sink to replace the one the was badly cracked. I love my pink bathroom!
I pledge to save the pink bathrooms (if I ever get one) but will start with my Turquoise one!
I have happily saved my own pink bathroom—and a turquoise one—in my 1952 Cape Cod. Those bathrooms were my “consolation prizes” 4 years ago at having to move from the beautiful Victorian that we lovingly restored for 16 years (too many stairs to the front door).
Thanks largely to my pink and turquoise bathrooms, I fell madly in love with this Cape Cod and never looked back!
My pink tiled bathroom has pearl gray walls and a black tile floor (not original but nice & in great shape) and is—ahem—decorated in Early Elvis. I couldn’t help it. I almost went French Poodles, but Elvis—a life-long passion—won out in the end. Where else could you decorate a room with a pink Cadillac poster?
Thanks, Pam for your Pink Bathroom Crusade!
My husband’s grandmother had a glorious pink and gray bathroom – and a yellow and gray bathroom. She died last year at 96 and her children sold her house. I don’t know what happened to it, I can only hope that the new owner adores the bathrooms.
I am saving the pink bathroom! My newly purchased 1958 brick rancher has a pink bathroom. The tiled walls and shower are pink with pink soapdishes and toothbrush holder. The tub/toilet/sink are white. The floor was replaced at some point, but I pine for a pink and white mosaic. My parents completely re-did their 1959 blue bathroom a couple of years ago. I miss it and wished I’d had this site to help convince them to keep it!
I take the pledge!
The only thing that I like about my bathroom is the pink bathtub. My husband and I are buying our house from his parents. They did a remodel of the bathroom where they put tongue and groove wood on both the walls and ceiling and put carpet on the floor (makes no since to me and looks horrible!) The only thing that they did not change was the bathtub. We’ve since ripped up the carpet and plan on redoing the bathroom within certain boundaries of freedom (stupid wood has to stay until we own it) The only thing I want to keep is the tub and I wish to find the matching sink and toilet one day.
I pledge to save the pink bathrooms and will encourage others to do the same!
I promise to save the pink bathroom! In fact I am tearing out my bathroom to create a 50′s Pink Poodle Palace. Plans include black sink, tub and toilet. Walls will be pink with black trim. Floors are up in the air. I like the 2″ x 2″ hex tiles with flowerettes sprinkled throughout. The hubby is fighting me on the floor tile (too busy he says), he loves the idea of the pink bath. The project has hit a snag as the pink tile priced out at over $8 sq foot. So I am continuing to shop. . . surely I can get it for less than that!
I pledge to save what remains of my pink bathroom (only the tub and toilet remain), and to reuse these pieces in a new bathroom if I should have to remove the bathroom during a planned addition (which I think I will). I also pledge to do everything possible to find another vintage bathroom set to put in the new master bathroom.
I’m new on the MCM lovers scene. It didn’t really hit me until I was temporarily staying at a furnished 1952 single family house for a few months in 2007 while my own home was being gutted and renovated (thanks to a hurricane…ugh).
This little house had 2 bathrooms and one had delightful pink (and blue!) tile in excellent condition. Oh how I wish that I could have replicated that color scheme in one of my own bathrooms…but my husband doesn’t share my love of the style. *sigh*
We did paint the walls of one of our own bathrooms pink. And I guess that is as close as I will ever get in my 1985 townhouse. I vote YES on pink bathrooms, and keeping or restoring period homes in their original styles.
I pledge! We bought our 1957 home in the Berkeley hills a few months ago. The previus owners had owned the house since 1963 and haven’t renovated anything as far as I can tell. We have a realy lovely pink marble formica counter in our main bathroom (complete with cast-iron sink) and it is staying. The floor tiles (not pink) will probably have to be changed, but will likely be pink when we do it.
Today I pledge to save my beautiful pink bathroom! You brought me out of the wilderness of hating my house. No longer will you be forced to wear wall paper that doesn’t suit your color! You have the strength to stand alone! You are bold! You are beautiful!
It seems every time we’ve moved (don’t ask) we’ve purchased vintage houses of one era or another and have, without exception, wound up with kitchens and bathrooms that have needed to be gutted. We always seemed to come along after one or more owners had yanked out and replaced the original fixtures (along with other similar tragic violations throughout the house) with cheap ones. To add insult to injury, the work was invariably done by a “handyman”, meaning we were left with no alternative but to take a deep breath & spend $$$ in order to create something that was not at war with the rest of the house. Curses! Foiled again (and again, and again…)!
Believe me when I tell you I’m a serious preservationist and would always prefer to keep original fixtures, floor plans, etc. Alas, sometimes there just isn’t an option. We now live in a little 1952 split-level whose kitchen and bath – sigh – must be removed someday. The work done on them over the years was just brutal. I have a pink and pale gray bathroom. The Am. Stndrd. fixtures are gray, the tiles on the wall and floor are pink. But the original sink was tossed years ago, and the toilet base is cracked and broken. ARGH!
Another reader suggested embracing all the colorful bathrooms of that era, and I couldn’t agree more. The pastels that were so popular when my mother was a bride are just as appealing today as they were then. There’s something sweet and optimistic about these modest treasures, so lets enjoy them all. In other words “Save The Turquoise (Buttercup Yellow, Baby Blue, Mint Green) Bathrooms/Kitchens! Take the pledge!”
I take the pledge and just blogged about your site! I LOVE IT! I feel at home here!
How can I not post on a web site that uses my pink bathroom tiles as a background. I wouldn’t dream of getting rid of my pink tiles.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51446567@N00/377167657/
If I should ever be so lucky as to have a retro pink bathroom, I pledge not only to save it, but to celebrate it.
I take the “Pink Bathroom Pledge”!!
My grandmother had a pink kitchen in her 1958 custom built ranch house…pink fridge, built-in wall pink oven & separate pink broiler drawer (which made the hands down best ever, perfect, real butter, toast), pink drop-in gas stove top, a pink double basin sink and even a pink dishwasher!!!!
All of this was topped with Formica in matching light pink with tiny grey square-ish type MCM pattern. Cabinets were wrapped in burnished natural wood with the 50′s cool hammered wrought iron hardware!!
The full bath uses two tones of tile in medium & dark terra cotta orange with robin’s egg blue sink, toilet & huge tub (even the gas heater was blue).
My mom was in high school when they built the house & she got to choose the colors for the bathrooms, I asked her once when I was a kid “why? blue & orange in Mimi’s bathroom?”, it didn’t match to me-a kid. She told me that those were the popular colors that year!!
NOW I know better & have realized that, yes my mom IS cool!!!!
(how I wish I had a pink bathroom &/or pink kitchen)
We will be closing on a home with a pink and black bathroom at the end of the month. Having remodelled three houses, I have a great respect for those who can apply ceramic tile properly. While retro is not my style of choice, there is no way I would demolish the gorgeous tile work in my “new” bathroom. The challenge now is how to decorate to accentuate the lovely tile work and still maintain my style. I am looking forward to the challenge, and I will try to post photos of before and after. Then it’s on to the blue and pink bathroom in the house. It’s nice to see that there are others who appreciate the quality of the original work.
I pledge to keep my pink bathroom. Actually, I have two pink bathrooms. Both were built about 1950. The color, Muslin from Behr Premium goes quite well with pink. I needed a color that would blend pink, peach and brown tile. My other bathroom has victorian-style wallpaper and tiled floor with pinkish-beige grout. Yes, I’m definitely keeping the pink.
I pledge to do my best to keep the pink bathrooms alive!!!
I pledge to restore my pink bathroom to all of it’s original glory!!
We bought a 1963 Ranch single story-the main bath is Pink! I wasn’t thrilled about it, but after finding this site-I’m trying to see what I can do to modernize it with out messing up the Pink Retro style. The tub was just a tub-Handy-Hubby made it into a shower but before we use it I need to either tile (Ughh lot of work) or Wallpaper the top 1/2 with some sort of similar era-style wallpaper (easier) So I now pledge to save my Pink bathroom. Thanks for the awesome website.
I was at an estate sale and snatched up the pink bathroom scale faster than a premenstral woman after chocolate.
I couldn’t just leave it there!!!
Now, it’s in my shop in honor of SAveThePinkBAthrooms.com. It’s there in the listing.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32963874
Keep up the pink work!
sincerely, dahlila xxoo
I purchased a 50s Ranch four years ago with pink 4″x4″ and burgundy accent tile on all of the walls. While I admit to at first being repelled by such a girly-girl color, I have learned to embrace my inner-Mamie and love my retro bathroom in all of its fem-fabulous glory. I am about to start the retro-reno process and am looking forward to …
1) Tearing out the beige & blue, circa-1988 vinyl flooring that screams at the top of its lungs, “ANACHRONISM!!!” (I am hoping the original flooring is underneath. —fingers crossed!—)
2) Replacing the bathtub (which is beyond salvageable) with a tiled shower instead. Of course all of the tiles above the tub will be salvaged to replace those that were already chipped/missing (???) in the rest of bathroom when I purchased the house.
3) Re-texturing and repainting the wall above the tile a lovely shade of white to offset the rosiness of the lower 4 feet. (The wall was, unexplainably, rough-textured to look like stucco and then painted the most vomitous shade of purple… yes, purple.)
I will have to start a blog (as so many others have) on the process. Wish me much luck!
I laughed when I found this website! I just spent the last week painting the walls in my pink and black bathroom that looks almost exactly like the one pictured at the top of this site. While the rest of our 1940′s home is restored to be modern and soothing, the bathroom shines as only a pink bathroom can. I hated it once, love it now.. I embraced the period and restored it to original beauty!
We have a 1953 ranch we call Rancho Relaxo. We have a pink bathroom, and cherish the history. Photos to come. You have our pledge!
I am so happy to find others who love their pink bathrooms. We love our pink bathroom…1960 ranch…pink toilet, tub and sink with pink marble vanity with mirror on 2 walls…white tile floor…repainted pink (my friends could not believe it “pink? why pink?”) and we all love how healthy we look even on bad days…lots of white eyelet and white fabric shower curtain then all the accents are with a beach theme…flamingos and colorful flip-flop rugs and seashells…it is not retro totally but we will never rip out our pink bathroom…even the ceiling is painted pink!
Embrace the pink!
I may be buying a house with a pink bathroom!!! I’m so excited!
I’m in the midst of buying a small Philadelphia rowhouse with a pink (and pale green) bathroom. The pink sink is in dire need of replacement and after seeing this site, I am edging toward retaining the pastel character of the bathroom.
In 1954 my family moved to a lovely new home in the Philadelphia suburbs. The house was fabulously beautiful. My quilted rose wallpaper looked wonderful next to the Mamie pink and maroon bathroom. All the fixtures in the bathroom were maroon which made the pink glow with extra warmth. Alas, in 1964 the maroon toilet seat broke and my folks were not able to find a replacement. So they installed a low slung vented pink toilet and a lovely pink sink. The shower was tiled and did not present the same problem. The modern pink toilet provided endless hours of amusement since the handle pulled out to vent causing lots of noise but no flush. To flush one had to push the hidden handle in. My folks lost guests for extended periods in the bathroom on many occasions. Finally, children were given the task of lurking near the bathroom to explain the wonders of the commode to unsuspecting visitors. How oh how could anyone gut a room with so many amusing stories. The bathroom remained intact while it remained in the family. 40+ years of the amazing and sneaky pink bathroom.
How popular was pink in the mid 50′s? Our kitchen cabinets were the same lovely shade of pink. The lineolium was replaced with a beautiful pink pebble style congolium as soon as it came out. The color was more enduring. Since no one in our family has ever remodeled anything that still had a shred of useful life left, The beautiful pink kitchen was handed over to my red haired sister-in-law who shuddered and lived frugally until she, my brother and their kids could flee to a new home.
I despaired of ever enjoying a lovely pink bathroom until yesterday (Thanksgiving 2009).
Our family feast had moved from Mom & Dad’s home to the youngest brother’s home. Lo and behold a Mamie Pink bathroom. I told my sister-in-law that she had a treasure. I shall be sending her a link to this site, to fulfill my pledge to encourage preservation of all viable pink bathrooms.
I hereby pledge to keep my bathroom pink! We’re proud to own a lovingly maintained and not-too-altered custom 1957 MCM ranch in Everett, WA. Two-tone green tile main bath and grey/charcoal master. Repainting the master walls back to original pink as we speak! The porcelain is all the original grey stuff. Tore out an ugly 70′s shower enclosure that was installed over the original grey step-in corner shower and added a 90 degree chrome rod and curtain. Mahogany trim survived without being painted over YAY!
How fun! Yes, I have a Mamie pink bathroom – floor tiles, bathtub tiles, tiled counter – very, very pink. It’s in great condition and I intend to keep it that way. A 1958 ranch house should not be renovated as a yuppie palace if you ask me.
I bought my 1958 split-level with pink bath 3 yrs ago. Before the closing date, I could barely sleep at night thinking about how I would get rid of all my French country stuff. I did and am stricly mid century all the way. Love the bath with grey tile and Pink fixtures. Unfortunately, they covered original floor tile with whith 6″ squares…… Uggg. I will have to replace eventually.
We just bought a 1957 Ranch in Western Massachusetts. We have the original pink/black tile walls and also ceramic floor tiles also… its part of the reason I bought the house! We also have the original Thermador wall oven and large cooktop with pancake griddle in the middle… yellow counter tops, faux brick backsplashes and turquoise kitchen floor. We will definitely keep the pink bathroom as is.
Does coral pink count? Had our 1950 raised ranch’s only bathroom been
pink with black accent tiles I doubt I would want to keep it, but the light coral pink with
maroon accent tiles scheme we have has grown on me, especially since the sink, tub and
toilet are white.
Unfortunately, we don’t own a pink bathroom, but we want to turn the powder room of our 1980s colonial into a mid-century pink bathroom. We’re keeping our eyes on the Restore in Alexandria, Va, for a toilet and sink to show up.
When my husband and I bought our 1950 ranch-style home in Michigan, we had a definite consensus on one room being that “the pink bathroom has got to go”. The bubble gum pink tile with burgundy trim; the floor that gives some a sense of vertigo if it is stared at too long was the epitome of a bathroom that I could not picture myself owning, let alone liking. I am a practical person though. That pink bathroom was obviously built to last. The tiles and floor were solid. It is hard to justify ripping this room down first as our house was one fraught with “opportunities”. Many more pressing projects were higher on the agenda. So dropping the bomb on the pink nightmare was postponed.
I pondered this bathroom for several months, confounded. The previous owners had given it battleship grey cupboards and trim; grey wallpaper with a burgundy floral design. It had gold metal glass shower doors that were impossible to keep clean, a door and a ceiling with obvious mould issues. It had two hideous glass light bars on either side of the mirror, also impossible to keep clean. Still I was completely stumped on how to tone down what felt like screaming pink. Inaction was really my only option, figuring one day the solution would come to me, and barring that a wrecking ball was an option.
After a kitchen renovation, new furnace, basement waterproofing, basement makeover and 2 kids later, my attention turned once again to fixing up what my daughter calls “the Barbie Dream House bathroom”. Still, dang it—that tile was solid as the day it was installed. Then it occurred to me that I should just learn to love this bathroom, play up how incredibly campy it was and stop thinking about ways to tone it down or minimize it. I turned to the internet.
The day I Googled “fun pink bathroom” was the day that I found this website. Suddenly I began to think that maybe I actually owned something kind of cool. You can be the judge on the final product but I honestly am so proud of how it turns out. Bright, clean, unique and above all, PINK. And I’m finally more than OK with that.
Thanks Pam!
Sheila, Defender of Old Pink Bathrooms
I will! I will! I will save and preserve our 1954 pink bathroom!
Thank you for creating this site and bringing attention to our rich, mid-century home design heritage.
GP
When my future wife and I were looking for a house, we looked at houses dating from the 1890s to 1962. A couple of the mid century homes still had their original pink bathrooms intact. We ultimately decided on a home built in 1954 that has Geneva metal cabinets and a 1950s GE electric stove in the kitchen and all the original bathroom tiles, although the tiles are green, not pink.
There is a newer bathroom in the basement that is very white and generic looking. We’ve thought about redoing that one with mid century styled tiles and fixtures to better suit our taste and to match the rest of the house. We’ll let you know if we redo it in pink.
I pledge to save! I don’t have a pink bathroom but someday I hope to!!
When we bought our house a little o a year ago the main bathroom had the pink til shower surround. The sink and vanity had been changed out a some point. And the toilet was also a newer toilet. We were able to locate a pink toilet for that bathroom. One of our neighbors has the original vanity with the pink tile and has said that we can have them. We will be careful to take the tile out as to not break any in the process. The mastebathroom also had the pink tile surround in the shower. The sink area we went with the yellow tile(we got it at a used building savage yard. They had two boxes of the yellow never used), with a black border. The floor we went with a black and white tile from home depot that looks period to the house. Then of course the toilet and sink are pink. It turned out bette than we had hoped. I have many pictures to share.
I bought my family home here in Michigan (why does there seem to be so many of us in MI with pink bathrooms?) and for years thought if it were ever mine I’d rip out the pink and gray bathroom. But now that it is mine, like Sheila, I’ve come to embrace it. It has the original gray sink (with chrome trim), gray Am St one piece toilet, a planter built in at the end of the vanity, walk in shower stall and like Sheila’s bathroom, tile still attached firmly. I may even still have our pink and white bathroom scale in the basement or out in the garage. And yes, I’ll put wallpaper on the soffit (above the square recessed lights). It needs some work, but it will shine in all it’s pink glory once again. Thanks Pam for two great websites.
My family and I just bought a house that was built in 1952 and it has a wonderful retro pink bathroom. I love how warm and inviting and homey it feels.
I bought my 1949 house with a pink and grey bathroom over 20 years ago. I bought it from the orginal owners. I pleged to keep it in orginal condition!
I hereby pledge to re-tile my pink bathroom of my 1958 ranch home. I also pledge to find and use vintage or vintage reproduction tiles when I begin renovation. For those who scoff at pink bathrooms, I say, don’t knock it until you try it!
Our house is a former rental and the former owner did EVERYTHING cheaply. The bathroom is no exception. The pink bathtub is the only thing worth saving. I’ll be purchasing a pink sink and toilet from a local salvage yard and bringing the bathroom back into it’s former glory.
I take the pledge! I bought a circa 1958 rancher with a time-warp pink bathroom in great shape. It’s in amazing condition and quite the conversation piece.
Am writing from suburban Philly, which has many pockets of midcentury (and consequently, PB) neighborhoods.
Pink bathrooms ROCK! They make you look all rosy and pretty and would make a nice showcase for some pink Pyrex!
I held out against my husband, our contractor and tile guy who wanted to replace our 1950′s pink tub, sink, and toilet. Their next argument was that “tans and neutrals” worked best with the pink. Bah! I currently match a pinky-orange and mauve with the pink fixtures and love it that way. (You should see the blue twin bath next to the pink…) Glad to hear of others who love their pink bathrooms.
I pledge to learn to love our pink sink, pink tub, pink tiles, and pink toilet. I will learn to mourn the pink tile floor that appears to have been replaced by faux-stone linoleum that conceals all unsavory substances. I pledge to try to stop hankering after a Victorian or Arts and Crafts bathroom look, which is clearly inappropriate in my otherwise charming 1955 house. Thank you for making it possible to love the pink.
Though I dislike everything else pink, I loved my aunt’s pink bath, with it’s faux pink tile linoleum around the tub. I absolutely adored the black wall paper with lily pads, white flowers and pink flamingos above the burnt pine wainscoting (and which I’ve searched for in vain for years- doesn’t ANYONE have a pink flamingo pattern with a BLACK background???). I loved the pink fixtures and the white lace curtains. I loved the pink shower curtain with pink flamingos and green lily pads. If I can EVER find wallpaper that matches that description, my bath will pay homage to that most glorious Mamie Pink.
My little ranch-style house was built in 1958. I bought it in 1998 and the main bathroom was PINK. For 11 years I debated about whether to get rid of the pink. Well, it will be saved partly due to procrastination but also because it is in perfect condition. The grout and tile (except floor) look like they were installed yesterday. I cannot, in good conscience, demolish something that is functionally perfect.
Pink and Gray all the way! I pledge keep my vintage 1953 bathroom.
So many 50′s & 60′s homes here in Australia are renovated to the point where they have no character at all. Our house was built in 1961 (we bought it 2 years ago) and the bathroom is original – it needs “refreshing, but I pledge to keep the original pink bathroom. At my age, I need the softness of the pink glow!
I move in Monday 1/04/2010. A 1954 red brick, 3BR, 900sqft ranch. With a PINK bathroom in great shape. I vow to keep it that way. Being a 55yo single man, at first, I thought , “O, great”. After finding this site, it’s, “O GREAT!”. Can’t wait to get in the house. Louisville Ky.
Oh my gosh. I grew up in a house where the main bath had pink tiles with black trim just like you have pictured. Seeing the picture has my mind flooding with fond memoires of my childhood. Sad to say, my parents remodeled it years ago, but my mom who is one for sentiment had the contrator save a few tiles – one for me and each of my siblings. I have it proudly diplayed in my own bathroom.
I pledge!!!
My parents built their own house in 1955,brick by brick on their own without anyone’s help.I do remember they had a bathroom similar with pink tile,with black accents.Very,very cool.Towards the middle 1970′s they got tired of looking at all of the pink,so they ripped out the tiles to make it more modernized.But in my opinion it was dull and boring with stark white and sterile(yawn) walls.I would make my bathroom vintage looking with the pink and black tiles anytime.
I adore our 1953 home….and the pink tub and sink built into the vanity in the bathroom. I will never replace them! I can’t wait to tile to match and preserve the period bath feel. Hooray pink potties!!! I even plan to 50′s out the basement bathroom as much as possible by retrofitting an old stereo cabinet to hold a sink (cross your fingers) or a supplies cabinet. Love this site! Thanks. -josie
I close on my 1965 brick ranch on 2-2-10! It has two tiled baths, back to back–sort of odd– one in tan shades and the other in pink shades. Both are tiny little squares all over the floor, 1/2 way up the wall and then the whole shower stall in the tan walk in shower and the walls around the PINK tub combo in the other. Must admit my first response was lock the door on the pink one until I figure out how to reglaze or something….BUT, you have inspired me with this site. I feel like a member of an exclusive club or something! I can hardly wait to KEEP IT PINK! Thanks! Betty
I love my pink bathroom ~ from the pink tile shower and pink and white tiled floor ~ I can’t imagine ever changing it to any other color!
Owning a custom architect built, 1957 ranch is a challenge. I hated my pink bathroom at first, but after a complementary wall paint redo, have come to love the pink tile, shower and sink. Thanks for the inspirational pics on this site. I will pledge to never let anyone disrespect my bathroom again. Nor will I ever consider tearing it out.
I just wanted to say I use to have a pink bathroom and I MISS it! My husband and I had a pink and black bathroom (built in the late 1940′s) in a rental in Colorado Springs, CO. We moved out of state and like the house we are currently living in fine but both frequently bring up that what we miss most about about our old place is the bathroom. . . specifically because we miss the pink. My husband has even stated that hopefully we find another house with one at some point!
I solemly do swear to never rip out a pink bathroom, nor encourage anyone else to do the same! I grew up in a house with a pink and black bathroom, lived in a gorgeous colonial for a while that had a spectacular pink and powder blue bath. Now I’m in a 1958 ranch with a (sigh) white bath…it’s original though! I’m putting in pink touches though.
I’ve just signed a purchase agreement on a 1959 house. It’s absolutely beautiful. The main bath has pale pink tile with tiny white trim. (I’ll post pix later). I’ve always cringed at pink tile. I’m converted. The previous owners painted the walls black and everything else (besides the pink tile) is white. It’s not unattractive; I’m just not fond of black in a bathroom. I was considering burgundy. Burgundy is my favorite colour, and goes, in my opinion, very well with pale pink; and it’s much more cheerful than gray. All and any input and opinions is most welcome.
We are renting a home that we are going to buy. There is a pink bathroom that I thought about changing, but have made up my mind I will not. First, pink is my favorite color & second I know once I am able to paint & do my own decor I can make the pink bathroom stand out & be updated! This is a great idea!
We live in ranch style house that had a pink bathroom. The Real Estate agent never had a clue when he showed it to us that is was the selling feature.During some remodeling we discovered that the outside trim,living room,hall,and laundry room were painted pink as well.
Greetings from Sydney Australia – I just love your site!
The original pink and grey bathroom was a major selling point when we bought our 1960s flat. We absolutely love it! It was the inspiration for turning the whole flat retro to suit it.
It took a long time to scour the flea markets, 2nd hand shops and eBay to find just the right pieces, but 18months later – I love my home to bits, from the pink bath to the egg chair to the teak sideboard to the JVC videosphere to the spaghetti shade pendant lights – you have my pledge!
I’ll take the pledge! I grew up in a ’50′s Ranch here in AZ. More than anything I would love to have a mid-century home of my own!!
I pledge to respect the 1957 pink bathroom fixtures…namely the sink & the tub. I will respect their vintage heritage and build my design for our bathroom around it. However, the 80′s tile has got to go! Our color scheme will be built around the 1950′s pinkyness!
I pledge to restore our entirely lavender bathroom fixtures during our renovation. The bathroom itself is beyond repair but the purple stays.
I grew up in a pink tiled bathroom. You’d think I’d avoid it at all costs when house hunting…but we just bought an amazing 1967 ranch with of course…a pink tiled bathroom! It’s the guest bath, we lucked out an got a beautfiul light green tile in the master. I actually already promised our home inspector that we wouldn’t touch it! I’m trying to think of ways to compliment the pink tile with a strong contrast wall color. Does anyone have photos to a pink and brown, or pink and green bathroom? This site is great!
Kelly, head on over to Retro Renovation – go to Browse by Category / Bathrooms / Pink Bathrooms – for lots and lots more images including pink and brown, pink and green, pink and blue, etc. Congrats on the new 1967 house!
This is a fabulous resource; thanks so much for all your hard work on it! I’m a reader from Germany who is looking to preserve and restore the fabtastic pink bathroom in my grandparents’ former apartment. Good to know others are on the same wavelength.
Bought my 1965 ranch in March ’09, perfect pink/white small floor tiles–the typical kind, pink tub, toilet and sink. All in great condition, and would never consider ripping it out. Today though, am taking down the green flowery wallpaper from the previous owner. Am finding pepto bismol wall underneath. No sure of what paint color will go up, but am all about the retro/modern/fun and funky 60′s. Love the comments! All my friends have fond memories of a pink bathroom somewhere in their past… oh yes, and the star-designed gold on white formica!!
my boyfriend and i are remodleing our house in all things 1950s including the bathrooms. front bath is going to be grey and pink and our masterbath is going to be pink aswell! i pledge to never change and keep it that way forever!!!!!!!
This week I am moving into a home with pink a bathroom…I love it. I am looking forward to making it a little treasured time warp. I pledge to uphold the integrity of the 50′s pink bathroom era. I can’t wait to see to it come together.
I pledge to leave my dear pink 1/2 bath as is–just as long as the toilet behaves itself (an ongoing issue). It makes for a perfect “master bath” for my wee mid-1960s ranch, IMHO, and my Virgin Mary nightlight feels right at home.
If I ever get a pink bathroom, I promise to save it! Meanwhile, I am doing my best to save a friend’s time capsule 50′s house with an aqua bathroom.
I’m so happy to have found fellow pinksters.
we just bought our 1959 ranch in Knoxville with our luscious pink bathroom in the hall and an adorable yellow one in the master bedroom! Haven’t been able to do much more than clean for now, but I can’t wait to get in there and renovate. the tub, sink and commode are all pink; as well as the floor, tub surround and half way up the walls! the previous ownser put in a new white medicine cabinet but I will probably be replacing that soon enough. Planning on a 50s and 60s mod London theme all in black and white. Can’t wait!
I have a pink bathroom in a 1955 house. Pink tile counters, pink tile walls and tub surround, and pink tiled floor. Makes me feel pretty. The fixtures are white, though, and I’m happy about that.
Pink In Minnesota. we drove 5 hours yesterday to save a pink bathroom set. I ran across this webite while searching ideas for the 50′s house we are putting together. My 1st choice when we moved in was for a pink kitchen but this site inspired me to go all out after finding this bathroom set. The sink I got is interesting as it is a pedestal with not only chrome legs but a chrome towel bar that attaches to the front of the sink. I’ve never seen one like this. I have to wait until spring to have it all installed but I’ll spend the rest of the winter searching for tiles & fabric to put it all together. Thanks for the inspiration. Barb
We just bought a house in Port Angeles WA and much to our children’s dismay have decided to have fun with the pink bathroom. YES, we are keeping the pink wall mounted toilet, pink sink and pink tub…why not? It will be so much fun. The vanity is all wrong so any suggestions for that would be greatly appreciated. The home was built in the early 60′s so we want to stay with that era. Can’t wait to move and get started!!
Five years ago I bought a 1956 split-level house in White Plains, NY from the original owner for whom it was built. She lived in it for 49 years. It still has the original pink kitchen, with birch cabinets and the original linoleum floor, pink formica countertops, Tappan gas cooktop and oven. How many appliances could you buy today that will work for FIFTY years like the day they were made? The house also has two full pink bathrooms, and a green 1/2 bath. Everything is original, or was until I replaced the sink and toilet (but kept the perfect green tile job) in the 1/2 bath. I’m going to replace the kitchen floor, sink, dishwasher, and carefully refinish the cabinets, and that’s all in the kitchen. The countertops are still good! I’m going to have to replace the sink and toilet in the master bath, repair the tile job, and replace the mirror cabinet. I will use white fixtures there because there is enough pink in the custom tiled shower, but I also need to replace the sink, mirror cabinet and vanity cabinet in the other full bath. I’m keeping the pink tile job, pink tub and pink toilet, so I need a pink sink there. All the work will be sensitively done, and by me personally. I have an unmolested 1956 home, and I’m not about to “update” or “improve” its style- only the function where I absolutely have to do something. So… if anyone has a pink bathroom sink around the NY metro area, please let me know. Mid-Century forever… Tom
I have a pink bathroom in my 1941 house, was in the middle of remodeling the bathroom when my daughter found this website. Now she wants to “save The Pink Bathroom” and I am with her. We want to restore the house to the period it was built and its great to see other people devoted to the same. This is a part of true Americana.
I am moving into my parents 1941 743 sq ft bungalow. It has a pink and white bathroom and after enjoying your website for the past several months I am committed to saving it. Just installed new flooring–vinyl/2×2 squares. Looks darling with the 4×4 pink and white tiles. Thanks you so much….I am loving this!!!
I pledge to save the pink bathrooms!! We bought our mid-century ranch about two years ago. It was a bit of a fixer upper, so we have been giving it a much needed face lift while still preserving a lot of the original character and charm. With plans of completely gutting and remodeling the original pink bathroom, I’ve convinced my husband that I can make the pink work. Once I am done restoring and preserving our pink bathroom, I truly believe it will be saved as long as the house is still standing. Pink bathrooms live on!
This is too funny! I am the reluctant owner of a pink and blue 1956 bathroom. The floor has the tiny blue mosiac tiles, the tub, toilet, and sink are all blue, and the walls are tiled a lovely shade of bubblegum pink with a maroon border. Or should I say WERE tiled, because we’re in the process of removing them as I write this. Sorry, pink bathroom lovers, but we had to choose either the blue or the pink, and the blue was just in better shape.
Glad to see there are people out there who enjoy pink bathroom, though!
Erica, pink bathrooms are “emblematic” — we love all vintage colors. Save the Blue Bathrooms!
When I bought my 1951 ranch style house in 2006 there were no light fixtures, or sinks, or toilets in it! The previous owners had lost it to the bank, and stripped it as they left. But not before they had done a whole Victorian makeover. The bathroom had faux beadboard wainscot on the walls, and a new one foot square beige tile floor – boring. With my ever inquiring mind in gear, I decided to see that was under that masonite beadboard – and what to my wondering eyes should appear but four walls of original pink plastic tile with black cap tiles! Oh my God!!! So, off came the beadboard (along with some of the pink tile – but I saved them all) Next trip up to Minneapolis, I stopped at my favorite home salvage outlet – The Reuse Ctr – and found a pink 50′s Universal Rundle toilet, and a pink American Standard wall hung sink. In they went, and I’m “pretty in pink”. Later though, at the same place, I got “the best of the best” a pink Crane Criterion sink, and a friend gave me a set of period chrome legs for it- I’m happy
When we first bought our 1949 ranch, I wasn’t so fond of the pink tile bathroom. It didn’t help that it was wallpapered above with a clashing floral. However, once I stripped off the wallpaper and painted the upper walls a nice, clean white, it actually grew on me. There’s a maroon border and a pink/maroon wave accent and almost every tile is in perfect shape. As long as I live here, this pink bathroom is in no danger!
Consider my pink bathroom preserved! While it is a small space – it is has large personality! At only 5′x 5′ we made this tiny space feel larger by painting the walls and ceiling a rich cocoa brown – with random pink polka dots of differnet colors. We think it is a fun and fresh retro interpretation. We love our pink polks dot bathroom and vow to preserve it for the next 50 years… and our blue and grey tile bathrooms will maintain their original splendor too, as long as I am the owner of this fab ’50′s home!
When we bought our first home 20 years ago, the bathroom was the first thing I updated. The previous owners retiled the bathtub enclosure white tile and was a big selling point on buying the house. I immediatley painted it a pale pink added a black mini blind and excesories and a hot pink counter top to our retro base cabinet. I looove my pink bath room and have never changed it. Every one tells me how much they like my pink bathroom except my mother-in-law, who when she first saw it said “oh I hate your bathroom!” That doesn’t surprise me.
I have a confession to make. We recently purchased our 1940′s home in St. Louis and the second I took one look at the pink bathroom I knew I would rip it out. I started doing research on ways to take the old tile out the day we closed on the house. While doing my research I came across this site and fell in love with the history and individual stories of the pink bathrooms. I now feel honored to have a pink bathroom. I’m excited about jazzing up my bathroom and could use your help. My colors are pink and baby blue. I have to say this not the best combination but I will do my best. Thanks for converting me! I pledge to save my pink bathroom!
I began looking for a house after my divorce, when I walked into the foyer of my 1948 house, I felt like I was ‘home’ – without even taking a look at anything. BUT when I went upstairs and walked into the bathroom of pink tile, I was sold! My Grandmother’s house had a pink bathroom and I grew up just loving it – and now I have one of my very own. While everyone thinks its hideous, I LOVE it and pledge to keep it intact as long as I live there. There needs to be some repair work, so I am glad to have found a resource where I can buy more pink tile.
I don’t own a home with a pink bathroom but I pledge my support to anyone who does! I love the color pink and I love pink bathrooms. Keep the Pink!!
We bought a 1959 Skyline mobile home a year and a half ago. It is in a park on a lake in Florida. It was already in great shape, but you could see the various decades in the decor. We’ve been refurbishing it in 1950′s as closely as we possibly can. Most things have come from ebay – others from antique stores. Very little is reproduction. We are now working on the bathroom, which has a pink sink, toilet and bathtub! We are protecting them you can bet your life! The kitchen also has a pink sink! When we get it all finished, I’ll have to submit our story and pictures. I LOVE PINK BATHROOMS!
I only wish I had a pink bathroom, however a man friend of mine does have one in his downtown apartment. It is pure 50′s, and as he has come to find out, a rarity in his building. Jealous. Totally jealous.
I grew up in a home that was built in the late 40′s and it had a pink and black bathroom. It was amazing. I went back to see it in 2008 and that pink bathroom looked good as new-everything was perfect. The downstairs bath was yellow and black, but I loved the pink bath the best. I wanted to buy that house but it didn’t work out
Sadly I do not own a pink bathroom but I will do all I can to encourage preservation of any I see!
I feel in love with pink in 1980 when I bought my first Lacoste polo in pink !
I have been smitten with pink for years!
I am a soon-to-be owner of a pink bathroom in a 1956 ranch. The tiles appear gray and pink, matching the original floor. The original potty and sink and bath are white.
I just saw a commercial on TV where they demo-ing a pink bathroom. Nothing against modern bathrooms, but I see nothing wrong with my pink bathroom. And after I freshen and highlight the best of the it, I think it will be a great conversation starter with any visitor to my new first home. : )
I pledge to tastefully refresh my 1957 era pink/gray bathroom by keeping the wall tiles , tub and toilet.
My first home (purchased in 1993) was a 1955 era twin, two-story, airlite house in Philadelphia and it also had a pink and gray bathroom color scheme.
I seem to be drawn to the pink and gray bathroom.
You gotta love the 1950s.
We have a 1952 ranch home and just finished restoring our bathroom this weekend. It is pink and chrome and beautiful. From the Nutone exhaust fan to the pink walls to the vintage 40′s sink…we’ve brought the traditional look back! I’d love to submit photos.
My grandmother has a great pink tub and, before she broke both her hips, she always took baths in it. Here is a link to a photo I took of it:
http://ambershields.com/_white/oklahoma7.html
god save the pink bathroom
I don’t have a pink bathroom at the moment – but I support the movement to save the pinks. Think pink!!!
I almost hired a contractor today to demolish the pink tile. But then I thought, hey, I really like it and I am keeping it. So there you go. I think the value is in a preserved piece of history, not in a mass-produced bathroom vanity from the Home Depot.
I have a pink 1950′s bathroom was thinking for years to take it out until I found this website. i will keep my pink bathroom now
keep the pink!
My neighbors house was an exact mirror image replica of ours as a kid. They got the pink bathroom though. Ours was green. I loved that pink bathroom. I hope it’s still there! I pledge to never pull out the pink!
I can’t stand it when I see them ripping up the pink bathrooms on HGTV! I have to change the channel. My bathroom is technically peach but I painted everything around it pinky peach so I could call it pink. Don’t tell anybody.
I LOVE pink bathrooms especially vintage
and i miss the old fashioned deep bath tubs. Modern bath tubs are ridiculously small both in depth and length … i so miss stretching out and being right under the water in the old baths. We stayed at an old hotel a little while back and i got to have a nice bath; that was the best part of staying at the hotel. I then made it up for my teenage son who i had been telling him how much i loved the old baths … so he got to try it out and fell in love with old baths too. He said why do they put those stupid new baths in that are too small when we could all be soaking in these big deep baths. Luxury
My husband & I have our fingers crossed on purchasing a 1959 house with…you guessed it, a pink bathroom! These folks were definitely into the baby-pink and sky-blue. Master bedroom? Bright pink. Second bedroom – sky blue. Outside of the house – sky blue. Bathroom? Large pink tiles with sky blue tile trim. While all the pink gets alittle overwhelming, I do have grande envisionments of putting down either an all-white “pinwheel” tile floor, or perhaps one with bits of pink and sky blue randomly scattered. Does the hexagon/honeycomb tile style work? Or is that too pre-1950′ish? The pink is a bit much, but I’m not going to tear it down. Works perfectly good for me. Adding white on the floor & walls will “lessen” the pink haze……Any suggestions? (oh, PS – the sink is white, but the toilet is sky BLUE! Guess the previous lady of the house had to make SOME kind of concession……) Deb
We have two pink bathrooms in our new “old” house, a full bath and a half bath and my husband picked the color in both rooms. He grew up in a 1950s house with pink tile on the walls.
Once I had an extravagant AuntieMame-type Auntie who commissioned a black sunken bath tub for her ultra- modern home. After just one use, she had it ripped out. Why? Because she felt like she was laying in a coffin and the bath water looked grey! Now, pink is flattering to any skin colour – you’ll always look your best in pink. Plus it’s cheerful, so puts you in a good mood for the day – and last thing at night.
Should I ever be fortunate enough to have a pink bathroom, I would protect it with my life. The house I grew up in the 60′s had two bathrooms; one pink and one avocado green, so I have fond memories. The building where I work, built in 1958, still has the original pink tile in the ladies room.
I grew up in a house that was built in 1958. It not only had a pink bathroom but also a pink kitchen with pink appliances! I cried when my brother remodeled the house, taking away all that lovely pink. I just remodeled one of our bathrooms in our 1927 home and I put in a retro pink and black bathroom. My husband and contractor thought I was crazy. Wait till they find out what I planned for the kitchen!
I love this site! Great ideas. We’ve lived in a 1869 Victorian in NJ for over 23 yrs. and have not had the time or money to renovate our full bath upstairs. It was last renovated by the previous owner in 1963 and is very pink, wall tiles, tub, toilet, shower. The floor is seen on your front page on the upper right, ( sj tile co. sells them, I think called text tiles? ). It is in good shape. We have painted the upper part of the walls above tile a pale sage green. The vanity looks like a pink formica. I hated the room at first, since I grew up with a bathroom llike it, but have since come around and will leave it as is and enjoy it’s 60′ s style. Any suggestions on good places to find retro or vintage style rugs and towel, accessories and wall decor? I was thinking of making the pink and green really pop! Any suggestions for decorating would really be appreciated. Thanks, Elise
I love everything 50s and have a pink bathroom in my 50s themed B&B. Just found the perfect matching vintage poodle garbage can and kleenax box at a local flea market! Life’s little victories.
I will never tear out my lovely pink bathroom, or my vintage St. Charles metal cabinets either!
I am so upset!! I had already pledged and promised to restore my pink bathroom, complete with tub, toilet and sink. Of course all are a beautiful shade of pink. OR WERE. My contractor broke my sink today. Help! Where will I find a replacement? I have searched all day. I need a 18 x20 drop in steel banded pink sink. Any ideas?
We have an original 1959 pink bathroom. Everything is pink tile, the floor, walls, tub surround, tub, counter top. We had to remove the pink sink and toilet because they were beyond repair and we replaced with whte. We want to get the tub reglazed pink and they will glaze the toilet and sink to match. Both are retro styled, but work.
My grand daughters LOVE that pink bathroom!
my moms house in san diego clairemont park uint 1 c1958 L shape mc atomic ranch built by del webb we moved in jan 1965 the kids bath mine and lil bros is pink with 6″ stamp tile on the wall still has the orig. tub it had french can can wall paper i hated i study it while i was seated lol it s now pink rose my 25 yo nice redid it for my mom ,we cant find the right shade of koller toliet we want to refinsh the tub and wall want to find a orig sink with legs and towel holder cant remember the floor tile oh i redid here front door in orange like when we moved in for mom
@becca: try craigslist, your re-store/habitat for humanity, or: kohler and crane both still make metal- (hudee-) rimmed bathroom sinks – you might be able to find the right size, if not the right color, to hold you over. also, watch my forum, where scathing jane posts lots of good vintage bathroom items she spots all across the country for sale: http://retrorenovation.com/forum/ good luck.
Though previous owners “remuddled” our mid-century (c. 1956) ranch house somewhat–thankfully, not as dramatically as some other houses in our area–they at least kept the tiled bathrooms in their (mostly) original state. The hall bath has tile that is not quite pink, not quite peach-colored and teal accents–including the original teal bathtub. The master bath has tile that is not quite maroon, not quite brown with peachy/beige accents. Not everybody likes that look, but I do, and I’m heartened to know I’m not alone. My wife wasn’t initially as crazy about them as I am, but she’s come around, and I’m happy to report that we intend to leave them alone… though we would like to do *something* about the worn tile floor in the hall bath.
I hate pink! But I pledge to save the pink and other Jazz Age bathroom fixtures from destruction. My uncle and aunt bought a 50s ranch last year and I convinced them to save their intact pink fixtures. The bathroom had suffered a bad remodel so they updated it with chocolate browns and taupes to work with the existing pink fixtures. It turned out great!
(I also am harboring a lavender pedestal sink in my basement for a future project)
Hi, I just closed on a 1966 ranch in western Massachusetts. The bathroom is vintage pink and I am trying to find the best complement vis a vis shower curtain, towels, etc. I am trying a deep fushia to act as a contrast. I would try grey, but those are the colors of my college and I don’t have a very good feeling about my college! I would try white but I have a 13 year old son, a dog and cats and they will be grey before long. Any thoughts? The home has had only one owner since 1966 and now its mine. I am trying to preserve its authenticity but put my own zing into it. (PS I am not afraid of brights and contrasts and my palette can be very wild but I am open to suggestions.) Any tips on colors other than fuschia? I suppose black may work, but that is too maudlin for me. Another question: I need to replace the pink bathroom seat but am finding them only in the $75- $100 range?!?!?! Can this be? Thanks for your thoughts fellow pinkies. Diana
I only wish I had a pink bathroom – may grandmother did and I loved it but unfortunately my own house built in 1850 has none
however I may have saved one today when I ran into a colleague who – get this- just bought a totally 1940s house-no renovations! from a little old lady who was the original owner. She was lamenting the “pepto bismal ” pink bathroom and talking about gutting it. now shes talking about saving it yea!
hi diana – head on over to my main blog, retrorenovation. go to the blue nav bar / browse STORIES / then: pink bathrooms. you can see lots of pink color combo’s there. i am a particular fan of finding a wallpaper that pulls your colors together… also, in find PRODUCTs you can go to ‘toilets’ for toilet seats. p.s., i sent you an email – as i am in western mass. too
I want to save my pink bathroom! I’m in the process of buying a 1954 ranch that still has its pink bathtub and toilet. The sink, alas, is gone, and the toilet is kind of rickety. I was so happy to find this site! I really hope I’ll be able to join the bandwagon.
I pledge to save the pink tub, toilet & double sink in my 1957 ranch. I wish that I could trade the turquoise & black tile for pink & black though!!
Makes me sick to see beautiful, pink feminine bathrooms destoyed!! Our house has an awesome pink bathroom…pink sink, pink tub, pink toilet, pinks tiles, pink paint, all in excellent condition, no children ever lived in our house! Major selling point when we bought the house.
Glad to have found this site!
I Pledge! Actually my husband and I do not have a pink bathroom as of yet. But we are building one! Our home was built in the late 20′s. It did not have bathrooms at all. Later in the mid 40′s the family who owned the home built a bathroom out of one of the bedrooms. It was not done in pink all white
. My husband and I are building an add on bathroom off of the master suite we are going to stick with the retro feel of the home by adding all refinished retro Pink Accents, tub, sinks and toilet. We are so looking forward to this project. We feel it will add value to our home as well as keep the wonderful retro vibe! SAVE THE PINK BATHROOM!
OK, so my Newly-wedded Husband and I are moving into a house and the full bathroom is… Pink tile with pink sink and pink tub…. My favorite color is pink and Hubby knows it….The previous owner dicided to wall paper all over above the wall tile, all over the trim and paint the original red stained door white. The original bathroom cubboards have the same white wall paper with butterflies in all sorts of shades, all over it… The pink sink rests in teh white with gold speckled counter top that the kitchen still has… unfortunately the kitchen counter was used also as a cutting board and has a huge stain over it… Going to get an actual cutting board and place it there on the counter to cover sad huge stain… Hopefully stain will start coming out a bit more with lots of good scrubbing, something the previous owner was lacking in doing… I am keeping the pink tile/tub/sink and thinking of going with a soft shade of gray on the walls… changing the toilet seat of course, its white and easy to replace. The half bathroom in the basement (I don’t know why its there) has an original sink in it as well and the white toilet has a blue seat on it… The sink is very original and it has a cute sea shell shaped soap holder on it, The former owner put a strip of wallpaper across the font of it that i am going to carefully remove, as well as the rest of the horrible wallpaper that they decided to partially glue to the walls and is somewhat just hanging there… the only wallpaper to be kept is the one in the dining room… the bottom half of the wall has wall paper under the chair railing trim…other wise I have a huge project…. But the pink bathroom stays… I promise!!!!
I pledge to save the pink bathroom, at any cost. My husband and I are hoping to find a home that is being sold “as is, need of upgrading”. If there is a pink bathroom there it will definitely be preserved!!
I pledge allegiance to the pink bathroom and for which it stands! We have a 1940′s bathroom that’s peach, not pink, but a girl can wish, can’t she?
I LOVE this website and i vow to make retro renovation my life’s work in some form or another!
I pledge to save the pink bathroom…just wish I had one!
I don’t have a pink bathroom
, but I advocate hard when I see one that someone is considering re-decorating. I am however getting my kitchen painted pink as I type!
I have a pink bathroom in my 1955 ranch home! I LOVE my pink bathroom. It’s original to the house and I will NEVER ruin it.
Ahhh, pam. please delete my last post. I didn’t think it went through…
I have a pink guest bathroom and there is now way in hell I would change it! It was a major factor in buying the home.
Pink is cool. I only wish my bathroom were pink. But it’s peach. A lot of peach wall tile with black accents. I haven’t found a successful solution for the walls above the tile yet. Oh and the fixtures are white. And the floor was redone by a previous owner in shiny 12×12 black granite tiles.
I long for pink.
I live in a mid centruy cottage–wish it was a modern. I have black and white tile bathroom and I’d love for it to be a color. It makes me sick to see the “designers” tear out the wonderful old bathrooms. I hate the Pottery Barn makeovers. All the houses look exactly the same with the same colors and everything. UGHHHH!!
There was a house hunters yesterday that had the most amazing turquoise stove unit with a round door, and of course, they hated it. Luckily they didn’t buy that house, so maybe someone with a brain kept it and redid the kitchen to match the stove.
i pledge to save the pink bathrooms! i have always loved them and now i am trying to help clean up, renovate, and save the one in my grandfather’s house!
Pink and black in my 1953 bathroom and I would not change it for anything. Thanks for the great website and ideas….the kitchen is next…pink?!?!
What girl doesn’t LOVE a pink bathroom, especially a vintage pink bathroom?
My first apartment had a wonderful pink bathroom. It was in a converted mansion in Oakland by Lake Merritt. My husband had a pink bathroom with burgundy trim in his apartment in New York. Pink bathrooms are just the BEST!
P.S. Although it works, the clear shower curtain with pink flamingos on it is only 1 of many choices!
I painted my last room pink and black. My current bathroom is pink and blue – with flamingos etched into the sliding glass shower doors. It’s AMAZING. I <3 pink!
I really hope peach bathrooms count too! My 1952 model is just peachy (and black) and I love it!
Oh! I’ve some gorgeous pink bathrooms. We must not tire in our efforts to keep pink bathrooms alive. Our grandchildren are counting on us!
For the children!
My grandma had a pink & black bathroom! Long live the pink bathrooms!!!
Currently house hunting and hoping for a pink tiled bathroom to call my very own! Must stop the tv-show lemmings from destroying the most beautiful retro bathrooms!
If I ever am so forturnate to have a pink sink, bathtub, toilet and tile, I will NEVER remodel! I will promise to cherish it forever and decorate to enhance it’s pinkness in every way. Deb West aka Zootsuitmama
Save the pink bathrooms! I watched one get gutted on HGTV this week… nooooooo!
We love our pink bathroom.
We recently bought a 1955 Custom Ranch in Anaheim CA. The bathroom still had the original pink tub and tile but had been wallpapered with a horrible floral print. We have since removed the paper ( nightmare!) and painted the walls a wonderful shade of pink !
We refer to it as the “Hollywood Bathroom” because it’s just so fabulous !
Oh pink bathroom…. you who made me doubt my design capabilities…. who made me reconsider how much pink can actually go in one space! Your flecked pink tiles with white and blue overtones don’t match your headlining pink tiles, nor the white ones at the bottom.. but no matter! I have great plans for you!!!!! You and I shall be the best of friends! I promise to never curse your name again!
I pledge my love to you beautiful pink bathrooms of yesterday and today. L’amour, l’amour!
I get so sad when I see people ripping out perfectly good pink bathrooms. What is a soaker tub compared to an entire set of porcelain bath appliances (including those cool towel rods, soap dishes, toilet paper holders, etc.) in Mamie pink? If we ever buy a house, a perfectly preserved pink bathroom might just be the thing that tips the scale.
Keep up the good work!
I vow, until my final breath is taken, to save my pink tile, sink & tub. I will continue my search to find their long lost sibling – a Crane pink toilet. I will make their lives long and happy beacause of, not only the pleasure they bring into my life but, the beauty they bring into our world. Along with that, I will forever cherish my gray Formica vanity top with the multi-colored boomerag print and the Hobie ring that surrounds my precious sink. My pink tile half bath will share the same pampering that it’s cousin enjoys and will be restored to it’s pinkness if it’s the last thing I do. GOD SAVE THE PINK.
I’m so glad the previous owners of my house were too lazy to re-do their pink and black 1954 bathroom. I love it!
I was terrified of my pink bathroom but now I vow to embrace it! Im so excited for my pink bathroom enhancement project!
I swear if I ever ever EVER get a PINK tile bathroom (and oh, dear Lord, please make it turquoise, too!) I will save it and clean it and cherish it forever and always, and never let the silly people at HGTV touch it.
I pledge to save the pink bathroom. As far back as I can remember, in every home where I’ve lived I’ve had a pink bathroom.
I’m about to close on a mortgage on a 1950′s bungalow with a pink-tiled, gray-bordered bathroom. I have to say — I’m excited about the possibilities of making it pretty! And, the basement also has a pink toilet and sink!
I came across your site, trying to help my mom out. I grew up in a 50′s house with a beautiful pink and black bathroom, she just had some plumbing done in the bathroom and tiles have to be replaced. She nor the tile man can find matching pink tiles. I wonder if there is a place she can find matching pink tiles. I would hate to think she would use just black to patch things up. Are there any websites I can go to? to find matching colors? She lives in NJ.
thank you
connie krawz
Did you see the RIP to a pink bathroom in the April 2010 issue of Country Living magazine, p. 68? Painful.
Cynthia, see my main site — Retro Renovation. Up in the blue navigation bar you can Find PRODUCTS – go to Bathrooms – then tile – for our reco’s. Also, in the right hand side of this site you can see a selection of vendors that I have identified who provide products that could be suitable for a pink bathroom renovation or re-creation. Good luck.
We are the 3rd owner of a custom ranch, built in 1960, complete with a pink bathroom and a glass wall in the hallway. The shower wall needs to be repaired, and we almost considered replacing the tub and walls, but once I found this website, we reconsidered. We now pledge to save our pink bathroom!
I bought a house built in 1959 with the original pink/grey bathroom that came complete with crazy-cool poppy wallpaper that has silver accents, and pink beaded “curtains” over the window. Pink kitchen too. ;0)
Heaven bless you, Meri, for recognizing that poppy wallpaper with silver accents is “crazy cool”)!
I have two pink full baths in my mid-century home and I love them! The smaller one off the master bedroom is pink and white while the other bath is pink with pale, pale yellow tiles. Both have in-wall, functioning heaters. Years ago my neighbor came to a garage sale held at this home and bought a pink toilet that matches the tiles in the smaller bathroom – and yes, the unused toilet was (and still is) in its original box. It resides in their basement at the moment but Its mine to have and I will soon be installing it. Both baths are full of light no matter the time of day and because they are so bright, it is easy to keep them sparkling clean.
I recently bought a ranch style house that was built in ’68. It happens to have a pink bathroom. And not just pink tile either. It also has a pink tub, sink and toilet. I am not a huge fan of pink but I would like to keep at least the tile due to cost of remodeling the whole bathroom. I was thinking of doing the rest of the bathroom in black and white but was told this is very 50′s. Also did I mention I am 28 years old. Any tips on a remodel that would still keep the pink tiles on the walls?
Although our bathroom has boring tan tile and white tub and such, before we even moved in, I painted the plaster pepto-pink and made flaming pink flamingo curtains, wallpaper border, etc. The house is a 1917 Mennonite 4-square. I am on a never-ending prowl for affordable pink toilet, sink and tub. The rest of the house is rife with mid-century stuff, too. My husband and I cannot bear to watch home shows because they say such horrid things about old bathrooms. Yes, save the pink (and yellow and lavender…) bathroom!!!
Stumbling across this info. may save my sanity from the pink bathroom. Thankyou, Thankyou!
I wish more than anything that I had a pink bathroom. To waste a pink bathroom is to crush my dreams. Please preserve our mcm heritage
I dont have a pink bathroom, but my mom does!
And hers looks just like the background on this website with the black trim. I am taking the pledge for her! She does not want to change it and loves it just the way it is. 
My husband and I are going to start renovating old homes very soon, and we hope to preserve many pink bathrooms as well as bathrooms of other colors ! We hope to preserve ALL original features of each of the homes we work on, and if any features are missing we hope to replace them with as close to original as possible.
Message to Lee: keep ALL of the pink features of your bathroom! I swear, in several years you will come to appreciate them. If you rip anything out now, you will regret it later. Become a preservationist, I guarantee you will enjoy it the more you get into it.
I also pledge. I will be moving into a house with TWO pink bathrooms and will do my utmost to keep both of them in the wonderful mint condition they are in. One of mine looks just like the background, too. Only the silver and white wallpaper has a geometric circle pattern.
I just purchased my dream home and the stuff of my dreams was indeed the big pink bathroom with both a pink tiled tub and shower — heavenly!
Thanks for the tribute to pink bathrooms!
HELP HELP!!! Inexpierenced decorator who HATES the pink bathroom!! ITS VERY SMALL…but unlike most I have seen so far, it is not trimmed in the lovely black…..it is trimmed in a burgundy/maroon. The floor in a checkerboard of maroon and pick. The walls and shower are all pink with one row of burgundy/maroon tile as the border.
PLEASE HELP ME!!!! The “victorian roses” look is NOT a favorite. Im begging you experts!
I reluctantly pledge to keep the pink bathroom!
Anyone catch the bathroom in Steel Magnolias? (Remember the beginning before the wedding when Julia Roberts is in the bathtub?? THATS MY pink/burgundy!!!! Adds new meaning to the movies signiture colors of “blush and bashful!” YIKES!!
Sydney, head over to RetroRenovation.com and look at all my pink bathroom stories: http://retrorenovation.com/category/bathroom-categories/pink-pink-bathrooms/
The pink-and-burgundy combo was very popular. It’s a deco look just like the pink-and-black. We have lots of ideas for how to work with it.
Another story that might help: http://retrorenovation.com/2010/03/08/decorating-a-1940s-house/
Good luck – you will be happy to you saved your pink bathroom!
Through the discovery of this site I have learned to love my pink bathroom that is in my Victorian brownstone. I need suggestions for a ceiling light. The tub, sink, tile and floor are all pink. We are painting the walls powder blue ( one day I’d like to do a retro wall paper. ) The ceiling is high. Suggestions for a ceiling light?
Barbara, when you say the bathroom is in a Victorian brownstone, I immediately think “pre-war” pink bathroom…. If that is the case, I’d suggest a fixture with a porcelain base, like this one at Rejuvenation: http://www.rejuvenation.com/fixshowC918/templates/selection.phtml
Another alternative: How about a vintage chandelier… or a toleware chandelier? Especially if there is no white in your trim?
Thanks for the reply, Pam, and I will definitely look for your suggestions!. The door and the ceiling will be white. The Victorian townhouse was built in 1905 but there must have been a remodeling in the 50′s and 60′s because much of the house had wallpaper, tile, colors that are right from the photos from your website. I’m afraid we recognized the value of some of the fixtures too late to save from deterioration, but we are determined to preserve the pink retro style bathroom. We are also trying to blend the Victorian architecture of the rest of the house with the midcentury style furniture that we have grown to appreciate.
I am addicted to your website!
Hi Barbara, if the bathroom is 50s — then I think you can also just do a chrome-base light fixture. Hey, why don’t you look for something vintage — see what the retro decorating gods send to you. Just make sure to have it rewired.
We added on to a 1950 Googie style house. In the original master bedroom there was a large closet that was labelled “nursery” on the original plans. We turned it into a bathroom. My husband answered an ad for a pink sink and toilet (our 3 boys got the blue bathroom). He showed up and the guy said you can have it for $25 if you take it out. He did and we have a great old sink with cabinet. Then we installed a walk-in pink shower with a glass block window. The tile is from B&N in Gardenia. They are awesome. No question on colors – there are only specific ones they ever made so matching is easy. They do have 2 pinks, one is like bubble gum and one is more coral but those are the only two. Needless to say our sink matched perfectly (as did the blue vintage sink in the other bath). All over our house, we went with the ‘landlord special” fixtures available at Home Depot, etc. Some things just never change so they were all classic (and cheap!). Hooray for the pledge – Viva la pink!
I love this site! I have three young co-workers who have recently purchased homes with pink bathrooms, so I am encouraging them to keep the pink!
I have lived in my little old house, with my little old pink bathroom for 20 years. All the pink tile flooring, toilet, sink, tub is original. To compliment all that pink, the walls are painted a bright pepto pink and the accessories are pink as well. I never considered having anything but a pink bathroom and I could never understand why anyone wouldn’t want a pink bathroom. Until now, I thought that I was the only person in the world that appreciated my pink bathroom. I feel totally vindicated. Viva la pink bathrooms!!
Finally! I had no idea that there were other like minded folks who could not bear to damage an Americana piece of art. .My 1950s pink bathroom was way before its time with a Garden Tub and the beautiful maroon trim pieces, Might have to get some of that flamingo wallpaper…….
I believe in maintaining a house’s period architechture, keeping it as original as possible.
I think pink bathrooms are the cat’s meow!
my pink bathroom is lovely
and if i have to make changes
i will only improve it
We just bought our first home! Complete with a beautiful pink bathroom!
Yes indeed! I have a vintage 50s pink tiled bathroom – w/ awesome accent tiles & I love it dearly. Here’s a pic showing detail of the tiles…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78987492@N00/293094403/in/set-72157603851750819/
My husband and I just recently purchased a 1831 Armory House in Historic Harpers Ferry, WV. We have a pink bathroom (toilet, sink, bathtub all pink, white tiles on the wall, a 1950′s medicine cabinet) We decided to embrace the pink!
We have a pedestal sink with chrome legs and towel bars (American Standard) and want to remove the legs to replace the flooring and then put them back on or buy new. After floor install the legs will need to be shorter, we think??. Any suggestions on how to remove the legs temporarily?
)
Cassie, look to see if there is an adjustment you can make where the legs meet the sink. You can also look there to see how they screw on…. P.S. See my main blog http://retrorenovation.com/ for a source for new – but I think w/towel bars is very difficult to find, and expensive.
After much debate, my pink bathroom stays! I have pink tile running floor to 4′, so I chose a smoky grey for the wall and a dark glossy brown for the trim. Next step is to add tin ceiling tiles!
I love pink bathrooms! My great grandmother had a GORGEOUS one in Houston. I still remember every little bit of it, even though I haven’t seen it since I was a teenager. I sent my mom a link to your site and this was her reply (that I agree with 100%):
I know!!!! I hate it when I’m watching HGTV and they decide a bathroom needs “updating”. Hate it, hate it. They don’t just replace the old tub and sink, etc., they get sledge hammers and smash it to pieces (for shock value).
They “kill” a pink or aqua bathroom at least once a week! What are they thinking. Those things are over 50 years old…there is value in things that old.
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR QUEST TO SAVE THE PINK BATHROOM!
I recently bought a 1958 concrete block ranch with a bad 80′s renovation job. I found a pink toilet & sink (3 sinks) and drove 2-1/2 hours each way to pick them up! White by design, not by default! They’re not yet installed. I got sink legs at DEA Bath. My contractor is building me a small vanity next to the sink that I am going to do my own glitter epoxy countertop on with a stainless edge band. The tub…. well I couldn’t find a pink tub & now it’s all boarded & mudded and ready for me to do a full custom mosaic tile tub!! When we ripped the plastic liner out, I found a tiny secret window by the shower that will have glass blcok added. I’m so thrilled about my soon-to-be pink bathroom!! The toilet & sink are American Standard blush pink from about 1963. I’m going to do 2010 pink walls with a gloss black base…. . so far that’s the plan!
I pledge to honor and keep The Pink Bathroom! In fact that’s why I bought my house!
Architect built in 1951, it has a full pink bathroom downstairs and a full mint green bath upstairs – both are beautiful.
We just had a contractor come in to tidy up some messy bits in the pink room – he’s done and now we just have to paint (silver gray walls, bright white trim) and accessorize. More details to come upon completion…
I HEarT my pink and black bathroom!!
I am renting but I still love my pink 60s bathroom! I am painting and decorating right now and I love your site for inspiration!
Just stumbled upon your website. Quite interesting! Just wanted to let everyone know that my family and I moved into a house that was built in 1973. It’s a 5 bedroom, 5 bath ranch. Each bathroom has a different color tub and sink. The master bath is blue, then the others are green, pink, a light brown and gold. The light brown bath is not a tub, but a shower stall. Two of the bathroom sinks are unique. The pink one looks like something used to wash your hair. It’s long and slanted and one end with a water sprayer attached. Then there’s the green one that’s similar in length, but it has an attached soap dispenser.
Sounds great, Derinda. Those sinks you are talking about are likely Kohler Men’s or Ladies’ Lavatories as seen here: http://retrorenovation.com/2006/01/30/bathroom-sinks-that-fit-that-50s-groove/ and here: http://retrorenovation.com/2010/03/14/re-store-habitat-for-humanity-charlotte-n-c-mom-and-i-go-shopping/ . They are still sold… they are quite expansive… and I personally adore them! Congrats on all!
I love pink bathrooms, especially the ones that are pink and black.I cringe when I see them tearing apart old bathrooms on t.v….Our house was built in 1937 but was “renovated” around 1989 so they have stolen all the charm the house undoubtedly was built with and replaced it with fake marble black stick down tiles, and popcorn ceilings bleh. Can’t wait to tear it out and make it old again, and possibly pink
We just bought a 50′s home and will work with the pink/black tile and are looking for original peices to bring back to the patially remodled bathroom!
I am horrified when I see a decorating show rip out a pink bathroom! I wish I had the honor to have a true vintage pink bathroom! And if someday I own a pink bathroom, I’ll never change it!
I am honored to take the pledge … just moved back into my parents’ home which has not only one but two pink bathrooms. I’ve added chocolate brown towels and bath mats to make it more masculine, but my boys don’t seem to mind one bit!
We moved into a 1954 house in San Jose that has been very well preserved and are blessed with a pink and green tile bath and a pink and blue tile bath. Pix to come.
I don’t have a pink bathroom, but my grandma did. If I had one, I would jump for joy!! I cry every time I see vintage bathroom demolished on those “fix it” shows on TV. There should be a somekind of law!!!
Laurel in MN
Wow! This website has inspired love for my pink bathroom. And inspiration! And joy!
Our pink bathroom has cracks in the floor tile. I was just going to take a few tiles up and put in a mosaic. Then I thought I should take up all the cracked tiles and replace them. when I started on this, I saw the sub floor was in bad shape. I called our contractor, and he wanted to come and take out the floor and the shower and the tile and redo everything. I was wavering in indecision, but I found this website and I am now committed to saving and restoring my pink beauty. How could I have ever thought otherwise? I pledge! I pledge! Thank you!!!!!!!!
Where do I upload my “before” photos?
Again, thank you for saving our pink pearl.
Krista Keim
I love pink bathrooms! My grandmother’s bathroom in her 1913 bungalow was hot pink and black. To me, pink is a perfect color for a bathrooom. When we purchased our 1924 foursquare and found the bath needed to be gutted (don’t worry-there was nothing worth saving in it-it wal all Home Depoted) I insisted on pink and black tile. Expensive, yes, but I love it! The best complement? People want to know how we saved the original tile! People thought we were nuts, but the tile company said that pink was the leading color for baths, next to jade green (our 2nd choice).
I pledge to do everything in my power to try to save me save my pink& blue – and the peach&black and the aqua and burgundy bathrooms!
However, I do need help in how to make other people to see the beauty of these period pieces that fit perfectly in my gorgeous split-level single home!. I have to sell my house in a year, so I must make this design appeal to more than avid 50′s fans, but I am sure there is a way to do it without destroying them!
I am planning to paint the fantastic but a little scuffed laminate vanity and the walls to hopefully make the bathrooms look appealing to most. My pink tiled bath with darker blue fixtures is the most difficult to figure out. What color can I use on walls and the vanity to make the bathroom look “hip retro” rather than “not upgraded” (words of the realtor) ? I hope to get suggestions when I post the pictures of my treasures!
Summer Bee, take a look at my main site — RetroRenovation.com — where I have alot alot of examples of pink bathrooms decorated in many appealing ways. You will find all the posts under: PRODUCTS / Bathrooms / Pink Bathrooms.
Hi there,
We have a pink bathroom (circa 1952) but some of the titles are damaged and need replacing. Where can I find replcament pink tile that will match what I have?
Liz
Look over in the right hand sidebar for some resources, you can find more over on my main blog, RetroRenovation.com — Look under PRODUCTS/Bathrooms. Tip: B&W Tile
I just bought a 1953 house with a pink bathroom! No pink tub but lots and lots of pink tile. If it wasn’t for this site I might not have saved it (having some decorating difficulty) but seeing the old and new retro pictures has swayed me. Next question, do I remove the white paint that was put on the pink bathroom cabinets (and the teal kitchen cabinets)? Is that too much pink?
I not only preserve the pink bathroom, but the pink kitchen The home I currently live in has a bathroom where the pink tile have been “painted” over YUK! Not sure how to go about getting it off if that can even be done??? Any suggestions? Also I have redone my kitcen in pink and tuquoise and yes I have original PINK appliances!
) If you’re curious ask to see pics and I will send you some.
We bought our house in 2002 with a pink bathroom. Honestly, a “Mamie Eisenhower” bathroom was not the selling point; it was the old oak tree in the backyard. Now, I love our pink bathroom! It is joy to admit in public, “our house has a Mamie Eisenhower inspired pink bathroom!”
Anyway you could design a Certificate of Preservation regarding our Mamie Eisenhower pink bathrooms that we could print up, frame and proudly display to quiet the uncouth comments?
Robin – I love the idea of a Certificate of Preservation! I’ll put it on the to-do list! Thanks for the idea and for preserving your pink bathroom.
– Pam
I have a 1925 spanish home with a lilac and black bathroom. However, the floor tiles are shades of brown (pinwheel style) that can’t be right? or can it? Can someone email me and let me know if that is original…casalorain@Hotmail.com a friend of mine said she used to have a similar bathroom but it had gray tiles….Help!
I don’t have pink bathrooms…but I have a 1966 GRAY bathroom. And I pledge to save it…if I can! And if I HAD a pink bathroom…I would definitely save it.
Me: I need a quote to refinish my pink sink in my bathroom
Guy: Why don’t you just tear it out and put in granite? It’ll look real nice.
Me: (dying a little inside) I think you’ll find that restoration is more eco-friendly and there is a growing movement to preserve the magic of the pink bathroom. We have a 1955 Atomic Ranch and I think granite would be inappropriate. There’s this website…
And that is my pledge! Um, and if anyone knows anyone in the SF Bay Area who can refinish a pink sink for less than $750, please let me know!!! beckibee@mac.com
We bought our home 3 years ago and even though it is only 22 years old I was a bit surprised with the pink tiled bathroom. I assumed I would gut it…but I am a changed woman! I pledge to save it. Honestly, only the tile on the wall is pink and a pale shade at that. I have so many ideas thanks to this website that I am giddy with excitement!
We recently purchased a home with a pink bathroom. Sadly, it is not in very good shape but we will try our best to bring it back to life. It is one of the many things we love about the home. Save the pink bathroom!!!
Grew up in a pink bathroom in Central MA and though I don’t currently have one, I do believe they need to be preserved, along with the myriad of blue and green ones. LOVE your sites!
Ok, I will keep my pink bathroom–pink tiles, pink tub, pink sinks and pink toilet (which by the way is a special size and can be only special ordered if I wanted to replace it anyway). BUT, can I have some ideas for decorating? I currently have a splash of black. I do like black and pink so that works, but it has 1950′s brown vanity. Could I paint them black to make it retro or would that look stupid? HELP! Oh, and I love the site. Now I know why it’s pink.
Hi, Kim, and thank you for taking the pink pledge! I have lots and lots of stories about pink bathroom renovations and decorating ideas over on my main site, RetroRenovation.com – click here.
Taking the pledge to save the pink bathroom in the 1950 house we are renovating to flip! It has lovely burgundy and pink tiles and it’s the one nice thing about the house!
I wish that I had a pink bathroom to save! I love all of those pastel bathroom fixtures. I have an older home (1947) but unfortunately the bathroom was redone in the 70s.
I just painted my halfbath pink. I want to strip the boring cabinet door and paint it white. I also hung a print of Norman Rockwell’s “The Plumbers” with a light blue matte.
I have a pink and green master bath and a green smaller bath I dont want to gut it!!!! i love the pink and green but looking to paint the walls and put in some differant lighting the tile floor has bee covered with carpet its pink too I dont know how to save it, some tile is missing and it got this nasty gule stuff that didnt work any ideas?? Colors??
oh BTW SAVE THE PINK!!! I TAKE THE PLEDGE!
Linda, there are tons of ideas for redecorating a pink bathroom here: http://retrorenovation.com/category/bathroom-categories/pink-pink-bathrooms/ Dive in! And, thanks for taking the pledge!
I have a lovely 50′s era pink tile bathroom with burgundy border that’s oh so retro. When I first moved into my apartment it was the one room I didn’t like in my otherwise perfect apartment. ( I’m renting a gorgeous, huge, unspeakably-beautiful, affordable, rent-controlled apartment in Hollywood, CA. – Sorry, I love to brag about it. )
But lately, through Mad Men and some appreciation for design that lasts, I’ve grown to love it. Since, I’m a renter I can’t make any changes and I can’t make any larger improvements, so instead I’m accessorizing it which is quite fun.
I pledge to save the pink bathroom! While I am not lucky enough to have a pink bathroom myself, a number of my friends own homes with pink bathrooms. I’ll be directing them to this site with the hope that they won’t perform blah HGTV-style renovations on them.
I pledge to stop the destruction of pink bathroom – including pink and black and pink and gray.
I am totally sick of this granite trend. I LOVE pink bathrooms! The first bathroom I remember wan pink! Mid century decor is lovely classic and functional! It should be saved and replicated!
Why this fascination with Victorian homes? Real ones are nice but are generally dark and not very livable.
Faux Victorian homes with granite surfaces and palladium windows are tired dwellings that are remnants of the bling and conspicuous consumption of the last century.
They are so tired and so OVER.
We are buying a mid century home in an inexpensive but beautiful old rust belt city.
Our house to be has a pink and gray tiled bath. There is no way that I will ever distroy this pink bath! the other bathroom was redone – but I intend to find pictures from the former owner and restore it to it’s former glory!
I live in the home my father and mother built in 1951. The front bathroom is green lav, toilet and shower. Back bathroom is light pink (salmon) and blue around the blue lav with same blue toilet and bath. Kitchen is yellow and gray and the boomerang counter could use some new gray trim. I can’t find this anywhere and I absoluely refuse to tear it out.
I finally found the faucets for the ledge back green sink in the front bathroom, I would buy the gray trim that goes around the boonerang kitchen drainboard if I can find it.
I have not only a pink bathroom but also a pink kitchen …..all original. when we have some water damage i bought up every bit of that tile i could. im proud of the pink and we are keeping it. viva la pink
My pink bathroom has original 1950′s pink and grey mosaic fllor tile and pink sink, complemented perfectly by a 2000′s Ikea shower curtain with pink and blue stripes and a metallic blue soap dish. I had the soap dish before I had the bathroom or the shower curtain (which has now been discontinued, I got it just in time!), I can’t believe my luck in getting such a nicely coordinated bathroom in my first apartment after leaving university housing. My pink bathroom is the shining star of my apartment. I love it.
I love my pink shower room and the whole 1951 house. In fact I made the room even more pink when we moved in, by taking the walls from institutional white to the color of bubblegum. Yum! This is my pledge to keep it that way. Good luck with the crusade!
My vintage 1950′s bath needs PINK rectangular CRANE Drop-In sink. If anyone can help, please do. Husband wants newly renovated bathroom! WILL NOT AGREE to that!
Dorothy – check my main blog – there’s an FAQ on where to find vintage plumbing fixtures. http://retrorenovation.com/
I pledge to maintain my pink (and black) bathroom. Pink bathrooms rock!
I have an original pink ceramic tile floor in my 50′s pink bathroom. How do i keep it clean, and restore the glaze?
Hi Barbara, my sites are not DIY or fixit sites. I recommend you talk to a professional in your area who can identify exactly what you have and how to maintain the floor properly.
I will do my best to save my boyfriend’s pink bathroom.( Well, pink and sky blue with black accents). He has a 1950s house, solidly built, with the bathroom tiles pretty much intact. The bathroom needs an update, I’m going to show him this website to persuade him to keep the tile.
My favorite 1960s Crayola color – Carnation Pink of course!
I bought my house because it had a mint green kitchen and a pink bathroom. I will always keep my Pink Bathroom! I will always try to convince everyone I know to save pink bathrooms, Or anything Mid-century for that reason.
We need to preserve this history in time!
Have a 1955 atomic ranch in the original atomic city. The pink tub and tile (which I had at first planned to scrap) is in such good condition and I’ve really grown to love it. Unfortunately the sink, counter and toilet have been replaced with hideous cheap “upgrades”. And an truly awful fake beige “tile” floor. So I’ll have to do some creative restoration. Thanks for all the great ideas and inspiration.
I pledge to save the pink bathroom! I do not have a pink bathroom nor do I know of one, but looking at the pics of the pink bathrooms is giving me goosebumps and sadness that I don’t have one! I love everything retro, and if I ever come across a pink bathroom (and fingers crossed that I will!) I will do everything in my power to Save the Pink Bathroom!
I am in the process of trying to save the (a) pink bathroom. I may need some help with ideas. I’m a bit keen on possibly taking some of the fixtures back a decade or so. It’s small and it’s pink and grey tile floor, pink tub, sink and toilet and those will either remain or I will replace with the same color and same period. The rest: wall color types of cabinets and fixtures are up for grabs.It’s a small space… any ideas?
I just bought a rental duplex with one fabulous pink bathroom. The former owner had covered much of the pink tile with a fiberglass shower surround. I was so excited to pull it away to find the pink tile in perfect condition! I just picked out some amazing hex tile to put on the floor.
This bathroom is going to be hip!
Hi Susan, head over to RetroRenovation.com, my main site. There is a whole category of Pink Bathroom posts (under Bathrooms: Pink Bathrooms) that should give you a lot of ideas. Good luck!
I pledge. Only because I honestly don’t have the money to truely renovate. So I pledge to make the most with what I have and hope that I come up with a decent batheroom. I think it is neat to be creative, but to be quite honest, I can’t believe pink was ever a fad.
I desperately want to take the pledge but I am struggling! I am having trouble finding a replacement toilet and sink! Please help.
Thanks, Pam! I will try that! Blessings!
I LOVE my pink bathroom! That and the green bathroom are the reasons I bought my 1957 house. I will never change either one of them. Just need to find a pink sink to replace the ugly fake marble one that a previous owner put in.
We just purchased a home that has the classic pink tile and blue tub, sink and toilet… all in perfect condition. My first thougts were to rip it out and start fresh. However, I absolutely adore it now and wouldn’t change it for the world. I have decorated it with lots of antique white and made it very shabby. I have gotten so many compliments from people who originally saw the house the first week we bought it and told us the 1st thing we HAD to was REDO the bathroom. Now they have come to love it too. We are also sporting the PINK TILE in the kitchen which will also stay. I just love it. Embrace the PINK bathroom.
I take the pledge to save MY PINK BATHROOM.
I have a powder room on the main floor of the home we recently purchased. The pink tile is awesome (of course), but the floor is anything but. I wish I knew how to revamp the pink bathroom while working with brown/black ceramic mosaic tile floors.
Nevertheless, I take the pledge to save my pink bathroom!
I love my pink bathroom. We’re doing a few things to it now, but keeping the tile.
We all need a pink bathroom,especially in these confusing,troubling times. Nothing is more soothing than the All-American, God-fearing pink bathroom. Unfortunately, I rent a townhouse and my little haven of pink heaven only exists in my memory and black & white photos of my childhood home. Thank you all for paying homage to the ultimate icon of good old-fashioned sensibility with just a touch of silliness!
I have lived in my house since 1977 (builit in 1931) with a pink tile bathroom wall w/ grey tile trim, and a tile floor of 2 shades of pink tile and grey tile.. When I bought the house, I was told to change it BUT I didn’t and I am so glad to find this link!!! I decided to be PROUD of pink and not try to ‘subdue’ it, but to have it scream out loud!!! And it does!! I have lots of framed photos and/or small paintings in the bathroom, all with pink in them. My most recent is a photo of my newly born ‘pink’ grandson.
Hey everyone! We are renting a house built in 1961 with original EVERYTHING. It’s so cute! The kitchen is my favorite part though, it is solid sea foam. The walls, the appliances, even the matching GE metal cupboards are sea foam! Unfortunately this house has been a rental unit for at least a decade and I’m pretty sure almost all of the past tenants have been college kids with questionable housekeeping habits. I have already scrubbed the vomit splatter off of the walls and doors leading to the bathroom and I’ve almost completely restored the toilet but my favorite part, the kitchen, continually foils me. There is massive buildup on the cupboards and appliances but the finish is too delicate for today’s harsh cleaners. I have tried several different things (including just dish soap and water) and had the green start rubbing off. The spots where I have tried to clean have also lost most of their shine. Please help! Nobody in my family ever had this kind of cabinetry so nobody knows how to help me. My neurosis demands a clean kitchen, but my love of retro says don’t you dare ruin that finish! Please, save me (and my kitchen) from myself!
When we first bought our 1962 ranch, I hated the pink bathroom! But thanks to this website, I have grown to love it! There is some water damage behind the tiles, but I’m determined to find an exact match to keep the retro vibe of our awesome home! I’m also determined to find Boomerang Formica in the Bianco color! (without paying an arn and leg for it!) So, I wholeheartedly pledge to save my pink bathroom! (And my brown/mint green one, too!)
I do not have a pink bathroom, but this something I would do if I was able to remodel. Love it. It is part of my childhood. Horay for the PINK BATHROOM!!!!!!
We have lived in our 1961 tri-level for 12 years. I have never loved my pink (upstairs) bathroom but thanks to your website, I am seeing it in a whole new light. We’ve changed a few minor things (removed 80′s-era wallpaper, updated fraying-cord light fixtures, de-flowered the built-in planter, painted the vanity) but the peachy-pink essence of it remains. If I had ever had the funds for it, it would’ve been gutted in a heartbeat. But after looking at hundreds of photos of pink bathrooms I can honestly say, mine’s not too bad! I think I’ll keep it.
sweeter word never spoken, julie!
I pledge to have a pink bathroom in my home, when I move out of Mom and Pop’s, and buy my own place! <3
I just bought a house built in 1922 but complete with an authentic 50′s pink and black bathroom. While the tub, toilet and wall mount sink are white, they and all their fixtures are also original. I even have the porcelain tile toothbrush rack and toilet paper holder! I immediately took one look at the black and white checker board 9″ tiled floor and said “I’m not going to fight it, I’m just going to make it a time capsule because it’s in amazing shape”…I said this before I found this site and I even thought I was nuts!!! I feel better now…strength in numbers! Wish me luck as I begin to restore it and clean it up!!!
I am the proud owner of a pink bathroom, and because I’m installing a shower in with the tub, I am actually putting more pink tile in my bathroom. I’m just so happy to have found your website, and a source for getting more pink tile! That ‘Bathtastic’ show on DYI that always disses then annihilates pink bathrooms, only to put in something trendy in drab colors, apparently isn’t on the cutting edge. Anyone who watches ‘Parenthood’ on NBC will notice that one couple’s bathroom has pink tile (and a green pedestal sink — fabulous). And an honorable mention should go to ‘Dexter’ for his and the dearly-departed Rita’s aqua, yellow and black tile bathroom. In about another year or two the world will catch on and then pink will prevail!
I am holding my head up proud once again…..We will pledge to keep our 1955 pink (and hospital green) bathroom intact and not pretend we don’t have indoor plumbing when guests come. You have given us back our sense of dignity and purpose. I’m swearing off even dreaming of conversion to beadboard and white subway tiles! WE’RE 4 FEET in like totally…..Hey, gotta original glass medicine box also with recessed circular fingerholds in glass–HOW DID THEY DO THAT?!
Relieved, so to speak, in Denville, NJ tonight!
Just purchased a great home in Massachusetts with two fantastic old bathrooms. One is retro pink; the other original to this 1910 house. I need replacement tile for the pink bath. It’s sort of salmon/pink and embossed on the back with:
AMERICAN
S-3619
MADE IN AMERICA
Can anyone help me identify this tile maker? Does anyone have any of this tile? Thanks a million.
Just bought a 1948 house with a pink bathroom and have decided to embrace the pink! It also has a yellow and brown ceramic tiled kitchen. Selecting paint colors is challenging but the tile is classic and definitely worth saving.
Yay,I just bought a house with a 60′s pink half bath. I was searching for an image to paint a picture to hang in there. Who would have thought I would find a site dedicated solely to pink bathrooms. I planned to keep it original an now I see I should not have a problem doing so, so exciting. Thanks!
We’re finally in escrow for our first home after 7months of searching. When we first started looking, we knew that we wanted a 50′s home with all it’s original beauty in tack. Not only is our soon to be home all original, but it was owned by it’s 1 & only original owner since it’s built in 1955! And YES, with a beautiful PINK BATHROOM! Along with a YELLOW one too!!
I love this site & the retro renovation one as well; I must say that it has given me SO MANY ideas for our home, and I’m on pins & needles to get started. Thank you for all the ideas & information that I will definitely be using.
I, Kevi, declare my commitment to my new-to-me pink bathroom. I will redo the loose tiles, get better flooring, and figure out how to make the ugliness under the pink-tiled vanity go away…so help me Maime.
I have a pink bathroom in my 1964 suburban house. After a bit of berry colored paint, and black on the cabinetry, it became one of the best rooms in the house. Changing the light fixture helped enormously too. I will definitely save the pink.
I gladly commit to saving pink bathrooms. My poor 1920′s house was stripped to the studs by someone with very odd taste. The bathroom was 4′ x 8′ with the sink in the LR. At a neighbors garage sale, I found a Crane pink toilet and sink in pristine condition. Thus started my pink bathroom renovation. The toilet got refitted, I mixed paint to match it for the walls, but couldn’t find any brackets for the sink. It’s in the garage. It was the remodelers first and last renovation. I’m happy with my pink bathroom, looking forward tothe next stage of PINK. Thanks for a great idea!
I pledge to save the pink bathrooms! We just bought our first home, and were so happy to find the oldest home in town (1954). Sadly, the house was redone in ’08 and mostly everything was torn out. They left only the original tub, and Youngstown sink (but THANK GOD they did!). So, we rescued (aka bought) a 50s pink toilet and sink that someone was ripping out and brought them to our house. So, since we were too late to save this house, we saved their pink bathroom instead! We are bringing the house back to the former glory that it once was, and it loves us for it!
Deep breath. I ,now and forevermore, pledge to never again consider gutting my pink and black upstairs hall bath. She has survived since 1947 and is still a stylish old gal. I pledge to learn to clean her surfaces better and give her a new spiffy, shiny life. I can only hope to add some glam to my own person to keep up!
Furthermore, if ANYONE gives me any trouble…I will send them to this site!
Upon seeing my new house’s pink bathroom, my first instinct was to gut. My husband urged me not to. This website helped me see the light. Now, with some pizzazz, some polished chrome, some frilly black accents, even a few rhinestones, I have fallen in love with Mamie Pink! I love my pink bathroom and vow to stay true to Mamie’s vision.
I grew up with a pink and maroon bathroom.
Much to my delight my husband decided to renovate
a lovely home circa 1949 and it’s tiny pink bathroom was
virtually the only room we did not remodel. We just lovingly
shined up all of it’s fixtures and pink with light blue trimmed tiles.
I pledge to save my pink bathroom! The tile looks just like the background on this page, black border too. Unfortunately, the tub enclosure has been retiled in what can only be described as a pixelated beach scene. It’s like showering in Super Mario World. We’ll be looking for replacement tile to match the original!
I grew up in a house in New Jersey with a pink bathroom (exactly the same as the background of the site, black edging and all) and I had NO IDEA that people were trying to save them or that I’d had something unusual. It was a great bathroom but we moved out of the house when I was a teenager in ’96 and I have no idea what the new owners have done to it. Hopefully they’ve had the sense to keep it intact. The house was built in the 50s so I guess it was original!
My boyfriend and I recently bought a house, the couple who built it had the best of everything. We have whole house intercom and radio, heated closets, the biggest laundry room and bathroom every seen, two all brick fireplaces, and our own bar! The biggest bathroom ever is PINK, and I mean everything…pink tiled walls, floor, standing shower, bathtub, pink toilet, pink sink…. I decided to paint the vanity black… My only problem is shower curtain…what do to with a shower curtain to match pink black and white. I dont want my honey to lose all sense of mascullinity in the bathroom but its very hard to find something not pink powder puff or poodle for the shower curtain to match! Any tipe are highly welcome! But I do pledge to keep my bathroom… my honey does construction and wants the bathroom gone but I will have to stage a sit-in!
I am house hunting in Fort Worth Texas, in an historic neighborhood of 1940′s and 1950′s homes, many with the pink bathrooms either intact or restorable. I promise if I buy one of these beautiful homes, I will love the pink! I will keep it, or put it back where it belongs, and may heaven shine upon me for this, and grant me a pink toothbrushing sink in the bargain.
Please someone in the North Texas area, buy this house and save it! I cannot afford the amount of work it would take, and it is priceless. OMG LOOK at this pink bathroom!!!!!!
http://www.trulia.com/property/3033529474-6050-Ridgeway-St-Fort-Worth-TX-76116
I had a pink and black (mostly black) bathroom which was described by my mother as “Italian” when we moved to Long Island from Massachusetts in 1961. In retrospect it was unique and I hope it is still in the beach house in Bayville, NY where we lived for a short time. IWe did not love it at the time, but I have long been a fan of pink and plan to do my bathroom renovation right here in Oakland in mostly pink. Many old homes here built in the 20s have colorful tile bathrooms – alas, not the foreclosure we bought – it was renovated to dull whites/grays somewhere along the way. Let’s hear it for pink!!!
I celebrate my vintage pink and black bathroom with tile matching the background of this page and wonderful black and pink basketweave pattern tile floor. My house was built in 1927 and and the tiles are solid as a rock. Since we moved into the house in 1989, I have taken down a busy black print wallpaper and painted the top walls and ceiling a pale pink, so I actually made the bathroom PINKER!
My whole cottage is PINK. A little blue pastel thrown in and mint green, but PINK is it. My husband and boys don’t mind a bit.
I LOVE PINK.
There is no room for beige in this world, or brown for that matter.
For the past 42 years, I have not been fortunate enough to live in a house or apartment with a pink tiled bathroom; however, the house I lived in up until age 6 had a bathroom very reminiscent of the “Mamie Pink” bathrooms shown on this site. I think I must have realized even then that pink was the perfect color for a bathroom and always wanted a pink bathroom.
I was renting an apartment in the late 1990s and when its bathroom needed to be repainted due some water damage, my landlord agreed to pay for the paint and my darling boyfriend (now husband) painted it a bubble-gum pink!
Later, I bought a small condo and the same boyfriend painted one bathroom a burnt-sugar pink and the other bathroom an orange sherbet color (okay, not pink but close and it really suited the room).
Now we live in a larger condo and both bathrooms are painted pink–albeit more subtle shades –clamshell and malibu pink (a sort of mauve).
I’ll never forget when my asinine cousin from out of town visited me while I was living in the apartment with the bubble-gum pink bathroom: She did not realize it was I who chose the color and made some rude comment about it. (Of course her bathrooms are gray and some god-awful Ralph Lauren 1980s green. Go figure!)
Once when traveling, I had the tremendous good fortune of staying in a bed-and-breakfast that had a lavender-tiled, lavender-fixture bathroom preserved from the 1920s. It’s a memory I shall treasure forever.
I feel sick every time I see old tile destroyed on home renovation shows. I don’t have a pink bathroom but it would definitely be a selling point for me if I was in the market to buy.
Pink Bathrooms still live. My parents bought a house in 1956 that had recently been redecorated and I grew up with the pink ceramic tub,sink, toilet in a room with BLACK plastic tiles on the walls and black with pink swirls tile on the floor. Fortunately it was the sunniest room in the mornings. It stayed a pink and black retreat until the wall tiles cement gave up the ghost. It is a more pastel muted pink bathroom with the original fixtures, but no more black walls and floor. The downstairs half-bathroom is still the same vintage but it is all in medium green – another colour from that mid-Fifties renovation. And now it’s my house and the pink shall remain (unless the floor collapses and the upstairs bathroom winds up in the downstairs hall closet!)
Pick Pink.
This site is so darn cute! I have a pastel pink and blue bathroom in the home I rent. I love it’s charm and nostalgia-I cannot imagine living without it.
We have a fully tiled classic pink bathroom in our 50s ranch, and the true bonus is the mint green sink, toilet and tub! We spent all our money redoing the kitchen so it’s a good thing we love our bathroom! It’s the only reason we could afford our house — I think it was a dealbreaker for most other buyers. Our relatives shudder when they walk in and ask us when we’re going to redo the bathroom but we just laugh. Now you’ve inspired me to put some more effort and flair into playing it up and having fun with it. Love this site!
I have a 2 – room pink with turquoise trim bathroom in my 1963 ranch style house. It has a shower room and a toilet room. There’s a pink tub, a pink toilet and 2 pink sinks. It’s in pretty good shape for being 40+ years old. It’s funky and I like it. I have vintage cherry decor in it (cherry plates, cherry print curtains, cherry misc.).
I have a pink and black bathroom, I love it. I put up black toile wallpaper, looks fabulous!
Hey Pam!
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY pledge to save the pink bath. Right now, I am working little by little to create my own in my 1960 home. ( the original was gone when we moved in) I have pink sink, Universal Rundle toilet, (like the pic of the one on your site) and tile floor done, but am working on a back-splash, and counter top, finish paint and possibly wallpaper. Don’t know about that though, we have no fans in our bathrooms,( I know about wallpaper and moisture) and until I figure out one to put through a block wall, it may be a wish to amend! Can’t put it in the ceiling…we have a radiant heat unit with wiring in the ceiling and might damage it. Would love to send you pics when I get some progress made. Or before and afters…maybe you could help with some ideas, I am using materials from donation restores, so I am really saving a lot and doing a lot of the work on my own,… so it is a “One of a Kind!” My own piece of art.
My guest bathroom is an American Standard peachy color, still working on that one too, with some salvage materials and doing a little at a time!!
Oh, BTW, thanks for helping me with the color of my GE stove again!
Jacquie
Thank you for your site — found it via the NYTimes article….not that I do not love pink, but I think you are really taking a stand here on ALL mid-century pastel bathrooms and tile work — starting in the late 20s and continuing through the 60s before 70s “neutrals” took hold. (It will take quite a while to get a “keep the avocado and dark brown bathroom” site going.)
Alas, my 20s home has very plain white subway tiles in a mostly period bathroom. But I grew up in a 50s house, and have many wonderful memories of my Nana’s tiny 1954 bungalow with just your pink bathroom tiled in black! (Nana decorated it with a BLACK shower curtain with pink poodles and many other poodle accessories! wish I had them still….) My mom had a yellow bathroom with black trim; my best friend’s home had gray tile trimmed in maroon (very attractive combo). My first apartment had yellow and peach tile; the second had a wild setup with peach walls trimmed in green and GREEN fixtures! (I was insanely jealous of our neighbors who had the identical bath but with green walls and PEACH fixtures.)
One thing you might wish to note for readers: most average homeowners were lucky to get “fashionable” pastel tile WALLS and perhaps floor in their baths. Most of what I describe above were wall tiles — the bathtub, toilet and sink were all WHITE. White fixtures are always cheaper, due to the coloring process adding another step (or two for black or dark colors) to the ceramic process.
If you are LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY enough to have colored FIXTURES, treasure them — because they were quite expensive in their day. A pink bath with pink fixtures was a real step up from a pink bath with white fixtures! Later on, in the late 50s and 60s, colored appliances became more common, but still cost more than plain white.
It is easier to find colored toilets than sinks, and sinks than tubs. Most tubs must be broken up to be removed, so it hard to find a used tub that is even intact — plus, the scrubbing tubs endure ruins the porcelainized coating. (Tubs are not ceramic like toilets and most sinks — old tubs are mostly a baked porcelain finish over cast iron, or sometimes in more modern tubs, over steel.) Tubs also suffer more “color fading” than toilets or sinks.
Dark colors like black, maroon, navy, brown or red are the most costly to produce and rarest to find. I’ve seen amazing period bathrooms (circa 40s) with dark peach walls, black trim and ALL BLACK fixtures — gorgeous! though I’m not sure a bath in a black tub would make me feel all that clean, LOL.
I love original tilework in baths (and some very lucky kitchens!) and I’d NEVER rip it out, but always try to work with it and preserve it — it’s far more clever to work with what you HAVE than to just destroy things and put in “modern” styles that will soon go OUT OF STYLE….trust me in 10 years (or less) you will hear the ripping sound of granite, stainless and “all white” being ripped out of countless homes and “the next trendy thing” being put in.
Instead let’s treasure and preserve our wonderful legacy of beautiful, high quality pastel tilework! I have passed a link to your delightful site on to all my friends and renovation buddies! THANK YOU.
Hi, Laurel, YES indeed, it’s a stand in defense of all vintage colors / aesthetic. Pink=emblematic. I explained this to the NYT reporter, but obviously, they cannot use everything in an article. Thank you so much for your comment — and welcome to our retro wonderland.
I vow to respect and honor the “Pink” bathroom. Ours is actually mint green tile, but my grandparents had the pink bathroom. 50′s tiled bathrooms por vida!
So nice to have company in this cause! I sent the link the home page to a home magazine last spring that showed the remodel (destruction!) of a pink bathroom. I don’t think they printed my letter, but at least the editors know not everyone thought the remodel was an improvement.
good for you, cynthia!!!
One of the big selling points when I bought my house was the amazing yellow and black tile kitchen; a full wainscot almost 4 feet high with a matching counter-top. Of course the Realtor talked about ripping it all out, How could I not save that 30′s tile, I ask you? Cheers to all who are treasuring this great stuff!
I just moved into a house with a pink tile on the walls in the bathroom. I liked it right away because it made me think of my grandmother. I think the color is soothing.
I recently purchased a late 50′s mid-century ranch with the most fabulous pink bathroom. The previous owners have tried to stifle it’s retro-wonder, but i plan to do all i can to get it back to it’s atomic glory. I’m looking forward to the great inspiration and guidance I’m sure I’ll find here.
-Benja
Nashville, TN
I am a fan of the British series “As Time Goes By” and in that series’ interior, the wall in the hallway/vestibule area is colored a fairly saturated (hot) pink. The wall also features a large framed print, whose scale and colors complement the wall color. The effect is lovely, cheerful and warm. Some years ago, my father was hospitalized after a fall, and the walls of his room were covered with a rose-colored linen-textured paper. One wall was done in rose and an adjacent wall was done in a sand or beige-like tone. The rose effect was wonderful, and the blend of rose and sand made things even more interesting. These two “experiences” made me wonder why pink hasn’t been more popular as an interior color. Is it considered too “girly”? Maybe that’s finally going to change.
My house has two wonderful 1950′s bathrooms, one pink and white and one seafoam green and white. Anyone who would rip out such perfection is insane.
I have The most beautiful Pink bathroom, It looks a though it was just fiished, the tile work the swans on the shower doors, its overwhelmingly beautyful and the facts that you posted makes all the sence in the world. Even before this pledge, I swore that bathroom will never be touched!
We just moved into a 1955 rambler with an entirely pink bathroom. Floors, tub, wall tiles, sink, toilet ….all original and in perfect condition.
I didn’t know what to think of it at first, but every time I walk in there I feel happy! It’s my favorite room in the house. Even my huge, burly husband loves the pink bathroom. He says it is comforting.
Pam,
From my vantage point in Michigan, I sometimes laugh at the trend stories The New York Times comes up with years after the rest of us have already caught on. (Their recent discovery of thrift stores comes to mind.) So when I saw the headline, I said to Greg, “Look, the Times has discovered pink bathrooms!” Since we have two of them in our 1951 ranch, and the local stores do not carry replacements tiles, I’m thrilled to find your site!
Kathy — Hi!!!! It’s nice to hear from a blast-from-the-past Michigan friend!
Pam, this is New York Times Janice and you know how I love, love, love pink bathrooms! I came over to STPB to see if I could find some design inspiration as we begin our pink bathroom installation and realized I never took the Save the Pink Bathroom pledge. I not only pledge to love, honor and save pink bathrooms, I pledge to bring another one into the world! BTW, I’m looking for a good paint color to go with pink tile with black trim (just like this site design). Would love to do wallpaper, but hubbie says no (he HATES wallpaper) and given that he’s not argued against installing a pink bathroom, I’m not pushing it by standing firm on the wallpaper issue. Any ideas?
I’m moving into a home that has the pink & whitefloor tile along w/ the pink wall tile done on the lower half. I decided to paint the walls a white that has a slight hue of pearl to it & then did all the wood work & trim in a deep raisin color. This seems to tone down & show off at the same time. I’ll try to post a pic. when I get it finished. Love the room!!!
I am taking the pledge!!!! I live in a historic 1927 home in Macon, GA. My upstairs jack and jill bathroom has all original bathroom fixtures and has the original pink tile walls. My husband desperately wants to change the pink tile. I refuse! The bathroom floor is the original basket weave tile that has pink black, grey and white. Whenever I have house guest stay with me they always compliment the pink tile and floor. My son and daughter share this bathroom. While my 6 year old grumbles that he has to share a pink bathroom with his little 4 year old sister. She LOVES it!
So happy I found your blog! I will email pics soon! Smiles, Jenn
I can’t wait to own my own home, so that I can install a pink bathroom! I have always wanted a little “corner tub” like one of my friends had in her parent’s house when I was a kid.
I too have a wonderful pink bathroom. I recently purchased a 1953 two story home with an apartment in the upper level. I live there and my parents live below (they are elderly and this allows them to be independent). It has the classic pink bathroom, pink tiles, maroon border and mosaic pink tile floor. All in excellent condition. I do not have the pink sink or tub, but all original. It is, of course small, just 6 x 8, but full of charm. My first thought was to gut this bathroom and start over, but it has grown on me and now that I’ve found this sight I have decided to save the pink bathroom and embrace all the pink has to offer.
I LOVE my pink bathroom and have no plans to change it. I have a 1958 retro “Brady Brunch” style home. The master bath is peach and guest bath pink. The tile is immaculate and in perfect condition in both baths. The sinks and toilets match. All of my best girlfriends little daughters love to come “pee pee on the pink potty!” Thank you for “saving the pink!”
My husband and I have lived in our 1950s-era cottage for three years. Although our house isn’t completely original, we fell in love with its charming hardwood floors, big windows, telephone nook and its yellow and teal-tiled bathroom. It’s the sweetest little home, and it has brought us so much joy. Although some of our neighbors’ homes are original, sadly many have fallen victim to extreme renovation and demolition. People are so quick to do away with anything that’s “old,” but unfortunately they are missing the beauty and charm of a by-gone era when things were made to last and to make us smile. You can’t be sad in a yellow bathroom, and you REALLY can’t be sad in a pink one. That’s especially important because our yellow bathroom is also our only bathroom, and we’re fighting for sink space nearly every day!
i used to hate the color pink. but, i have fallen in love with my pink bathroom. the color makes me feel so good in the morning when i’m tired and getting ready for my day. i pledge to save and take good care of my pink bathroom!! mandy stachyra, illinois
Oh yes I too have the honor of now owning a home that was built in 1957! Our master bath has pink everything, floor, walls, trim, doors, comode, tub and sink!!! We have decided to embrace the pink we cannot change and paint the rest. Today I have been painting trim, doors and cabinets white and the walls we are painting brown. Can’t wait to have it finished! I told my husband just last week if we waited around long enough pink would probably come back in style. Looks like I may have been right. So glad I found this website.
The pink bathroom was the deal maker when I bought my 1955 rambler! I love it!
Except for a replacement toilet, my 1957 rambler has all the original pink fixtures, floor, and wall tile in the bathroom. They really “don’t make ‘em like they used to” – the stuff is almost indestructible, and is still holding up after over a half century!
It makes me ill when I see them tearing out pink bathrooms on those home renovation shows! I have a vintage yellow bathroom in a 1970s condo that I’m trying to sell and the tile stores all say “no one sells that shade of yellow any more”. Not sure what we are going to do but I can’t take out our yellow tile, it is so 1970s!
oh yeah – The Johnson County, KS museum has a fabulous bathroom in their 1950s All Electric House http://www.jocomuseum.org/visit.shtml. The house was rescued from demolition and donated to the museum.
LOVE love my pink bathroom in my 1951 duplex. I used chocolate paint to nicely offset the pink / peach color and a fun shower curtain finishes it off perfectly!
I have the peach and black bathroom, but totally undestand the need to keep it. Always hard to find shower curtains that match. My bathroom is so old I don’t have a plug in in the bathroom.
Claire, keep an eye out on ebay — and my blog — I pretty much showcase all new-old-stock shower curtains that come up on ebay as they are great finds. Oh, also check etsy.com – vintage. Finally, you can go to Calico Corners — see what fabric they have and whether they can custom make one for you.
I pledge to save all 4 of my totally intact 1955 constructed bathrooms! I have grey, mint green, peach and copper! I am a Realtor so I see lots of houses and I have only seen 3 bathrooms with the copper tile and two of these wonderful bathrooms were in my homes! Walking into my current home and seeing the same copper that was in my first home sealed the deal! I try and point out the quality of these original bathrooms (kitchens, floors, fixtures and so on) to my clients and I beg them to call me if they decide they must “update” their new home so I can come rescue the tile, fixtures, etc. for those who can appreciate them! Pam, it was a blessing finding your sites. Thank you again!
Oh, I miss my pink 50′s bathroom in my previous home of 18 years. Most people including my husband thought I should change it. The realtors, the appraisors and local interior designers all urged me to update the pink bathroom with its cast iron tub, toilet, sink and tile. I stubbornedly refused; knowing that the pink had more character than their own boring, beige bathrooms. I hope the new owners will retain it.
The previous owner and the builder of the 1951 modern style home applied many of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design principles and added his own innovations. He placed heated copper coils under the pink bath tub to augment the heat retention of the cast iron tub. He also added a clothes chute inside the vanity. I did refresh the bathroom by adding wallpaper that had a bit of turquoise in it.
Today the Minneapolis Star Tribune devoted 1 3/4 pages to pink bathrooms. Then I learned that the Dallas paper recently featured the same article. Hope the HGTV people read the articles.
My grandparents had an all pink bath in their early 1940′s home. We especially loved the Kohler pink corner tub. Hope it is still in the home.
I pledge to promote pink bathrooms wherever I go.
My husband and I just became the proud of residents of a 1950s duplex with a pink tiled bathroom with white fixtures. Some of the tiles are in sad, sad shape but I pledge to bring our pink bathroom back to life.
I lived with one pink bathroom for 30 years and was always asked when was I going to change it. I moved to another home in August 2010 and it has a pink bathroom. I can’t wait to return it to it’s original splendor. As a kitchen and bath designer I am now helping others with pink bathrooms renew them and save them. Long live the pink bathroom!
thanks, carri, for your help with the minneapolis star-tribune story — i need to get all these news stories up on this blog!
Long live any ceramic tile bathroom from the middle of the last century. I am blessed with a full salmon tile bathroom and a lovely yellow tile half bath in my 1946 home. Thanks for keeping up the love of these old (but classic and well loved) bathrooms. Love your website!
When we move in to our 50′s home I was one of the only fan of the ‘PINK.” I’m sooo glad we still have it. The sink, toilet and tub and tile are in excellent condition. Living in Minnesota you just have to know everything is cool in PINK! I pledge to love and care for the Pink!
I too pledge to love, defend, and save pink bathrooms, and other beautifully-coloured bathrooms from the twentieth century! Our home has a darling aqua and black bathroom, original from 1951. It has gotten to the point my stomach turns when I see a travertine-tiled bathroom. I love the pink ones, too…There is a certain charm to them. Besides…pink is so flattering to most of us.
My earliest memory of a pink bathroom was my Grandma Etta’s bathroom. She had pink sink, pink toilet, pink tub. All her accents were black and white. She had a little soapdish that had a skunk and the saying, I’m a little stinker. I have a new home and everything is beige and white, so I have pink rugs in my bathroom , also pink shower curtain with white polka dots. I have a skunk on the wall which holds matches and has a strikeplate. He is my little stinker. I have movie stars of the 1940 and 1950′s in frames on the walls. The kids call it my hollywood bath. Our next house will be an older home with a pink bathroom.
Love you Grandma, I will always have pink in my bathrooms!!!
love, Deb
We are about to move into a 1950s rental with a pink bathroom in the hallway and a blue toileted one in the master.
I admit it: I hate pink.
However, my best friend is a wealth of information and when I mentioned trying to hide (not redo) the pink-ness, she turned me onto this website. BEST thing ever!
Now, I can’t wait to get into the house and “pop the pink” with retro accents and fun, quirky 50′s touches. Thanks for standing up for such an understated and unknown treasure!
Pictures to come soon, hopefully! I also plan to put the pink pledge up on the wall in the bathroom for all to read =)
I pledge to keep my sweet pink bathroom!
I love it
Shower curtains are difficult to find as I have an L shaped rod
I envy those that have a pink toilet and tub, mine needs to be
resurfaced because of chipping. What I need the most is a new
pink soap holder for the wall in the bathtub/shower are. By kid
broke the handle. Any suggestions? Love this sight gottago
Wish I had a pink bathroom… sigh. Not just any pink bathroom, a BRIGHT FUCHSIA bathroom! Yes. My home is the most awful boring white you could imagine. I would rennovate it but it’s a rental and we’re probably moving soon anyway. As soon as I own my own home, you can bet I will have an awful, colorful home!
I’m doing my best to spread the word. I so wish I had a pink bathroom. I almost bought a house with a beautiful one but in the end it was not the right house for me and I ended up with a still old house (1931) but the vintage tile had been taken out long ago. I so wish that I had a pink vintage tile bathroom. I am always telling my neighbors not to change their bathrooms. They are so lucky to have them.
When the ceiling in the bathroom of our 1955 rambler FELL IN, we had the chance to gut and re-do the pink & black bathroom. Instead we painstakingly filed the grout off of every pink tile, and rebuilt it!
We have pink tiles all over our 60′s bungalow bathroom.Also Dame Barbara Cartland should also be a role model, after all even her books are now published as the Pink Collection.
Yesterdays rubbish is tommorrows rare features!
I hope I can not only save the pink bathroom but keep the house itself which is now in foreclosure! Pray for me and if I get to keep the house, I promise to do something to make the bathroom even more pink! Thanks all!
P.S. Someone has maybe thought of this already, but you could so connect this with pink ribbon campaign against breast cancer and do a fundraiser for a worthy cause!
We rented our current apartment solely for the pink tiled bathroom and kitchen. Thank goodness the landlord’s wife loved the tile and refused to gut the rooms for a more “modern” look. The kitchen looks great since the floor is black-and-white linoleum and the cabinets are white; not too punk, not too kitschy.
I swore when I bought my house 14 years ago that the first thing I was going to do was gut my pink bathroom. But back then, I didn’t have $20,000 to spare, and over time, I started to bond with my oh-so-ugly “oval office!” So I named her Flo and decked her out in falmingos, and the rest is history!
Pink bathrooms with a lovely pink tub are a must. I hope I find one apartment hunting soon!
Pink bathrooms rule!
These wonderful bathrooms with their durable tile actually date back to the ’40s. All houses in my neighborhood were built in the ’40s and most have or had this kind of bath. And most are pink. When I “remodeled” mine in 2002 I was bent on preservation. The stool and sink, which were always white, were replaced with period-appropriate pedestal sink and matching stool, both compatible with the original mint condition wave-bottom tub. Original tile walls and floor remain. When I bought the house, someone applied taupe paint to the aqua ovals in the narrow decorative row of tile one row down from the top. How tasteless! I discovered that right away, and spent a rainy April night with the ZipStrip to uncover the pretty original color. It’s a splendid bathroom–just right for one person. Long live the Pink Bathroom!
Zip strip? I gotta look that one up! Thank yoU!
I hearby pledge to preserve the golden age of pink! Let no junk shop be too crowded, no attic too cramped, no trunk be too small, and no remodeling companies remain un-harassed! I promise to save the pink bathrooms, and and currently hunting for a house with one, or any of those gorgeous Easter egg colored bathrooms. A house with out one is a deal breaker!
My 1923 bungalow has a pink tile 3/4 of the way up the walls, and a pink tub. I refuse to change it.
I pledge to never destroy the wonderful 1950s pink,white and atomic starburst bathroom we inherited from my soon to be husbands grandparents.our home and house has wonderful character. Pink is my favorite color anyway! so it was a bonus! we have modified our 1960s kitchen to a 1950s diner-esk style kitchen in pink, white and black also. our dining room was transformed into a retro malt/soda shop meets hot rod meets cocktail lounge. although my fiance isnt too keen on pink, he is a man he says, he loves MY kitchen and wouldnt make any changes to any of these great nostalgic rooms! I even have wood paneling all through my living room.
I just found a pink tub under a layer of white glaze in my 1962 remodeled-in-the-70s-and-the-80s bathroom, and I am bound and determined to redo the pink bathroom. Once we’re done with the kitchen, that is.
We too have a wonderful pink bathroom in our 1941 home! It didn’t start out that way, but the pink tile floor, grey and black metal(yes, metal) wall tiles and pink bathroom wallpaper that was disguised as linen closet shelf paper clued us in, that we may have a hidden pink bathroom. Out went the bad French Provincial sink/ cabinet combo and the low-flush toilet. In came the original wallpaper, now framed, a wonderful AS pink toilet and matching pink sink with chrome legs and of course a new black ceiling! Add to that a redone medicine cabinet with a deco mirror with pink accents and Voila! Our contractors thought we had lost our minds at first but eventually we won them over.
When I first saw the realty photo of the pink toilet and tub, I thought I was dreaming! So, ok, pink isn’t my favorite color, but…how can you possibly not go with it? After growing up with a fabulous mint green bathroom that my dad subsequently tore out for….beige…I am committed to making the very best of this super little piece of history. And now, thanks to you, I’ve found people who totally get it. Pink Bathrooms Forever!
As an architect doing historic preservation and new buildings, I heartily commend this pink bathroom preservation effort. And new pink bathroom are great too. There are some cool ones from the 20s too. I’m working on a bathroom remodel with wonderful lime green 20′s tile: can pink-friendly colored tiles sneak into this site?
We’re in the midst of purchasing a 1950′s home with — you guessed it– original pink tile in the bathroom.
We’ll be doing some updating throughout the house but when my husband mentioned starting with the bathroom I gasped! DO NOT TOUCH MY PINK BATHROOM!! Had it not been original, I would have scrapped it… but it’s lasted over 50 years of home ownerships… I gotta respect that. Plus, there is something nostalgic about the whole house which is what we fell in love with — the pink bathroom just adds to that.
The tub and toilet were replaced but that pink tile has hung on tight. Convinced but unexcited my husband is going to start with painting the knotty wood paneling downstairs in the dungeon-den white instead.
I’m the only girl in this family of 4 so I think I deserve a little pink in my house! I can’t wait to get in there and start decorating!
I pledge to educate the world (or at least the people I encounter) on the import (both aesthetically AND historically) of the pink bathroom. Pink bathroom lovers unite!
I, am renovating a 1901 Folk Victorian house with a horrible gutted bathroom. So I painted my new bathroom Hawaiian Shell, and now have white and black tiles, with pink details. Considering painting my new kitchen pink too. Why not?
I became a pink bathroom lover after we bought our 1929 vintage Colonial Revival home back in 1989. The upstairs bathroom has floor to ceiling salmon pink tile, pink American Standard sink and tub and a hexagonal white and cobalt blue mosaic tile floor. The original salmon pink American Standard toilet suffered a casualty a couple of years after we bought the house when the tank cracked. Long live the Pink Bathroom!
We have embraced our 50′s pink bathroom, did light pink wall paint. Put a rose applique on the toilet seat lid. Pinkorama!!!
I married into a pink bathroom! With the hidious mint green and floral wallpaper border it was obvious someone was more in tune to the 70′s and I’ll admit I was not a fan. However, with much thought and procrastination I’m slowly transforming it. I hope to have a clean slate so that I can decorate and redecorate as I see fit with minimal effort, but also, if we sell this house, someone else won’t be stuck with an awful bathroom. It’s one of the rooms in the house which everyone sees and since it’s our only bathroom I intend to not be overwhelmingly feminine! I shall fight the urge, but keep the pink!
We have 2 pink bathrooms that have pink tile halfway up the wall and one with a pink tiled shower. I am trying to pick out floors that go with the pink tile and am at a loss to know what to install. I got bianco carrera countertops to put on my white vanities. My toilet and tub are white. I need suggestions quickly. Please advise. I would like to go with bianco carrera floor 12 inch tiles with a pink insert and can’t find an art glass or tile or marble that I like. I would like a pink rose tile insert. Please advise asap.
We bought a 1951 ranch that’s got so many little gadgets and things that I feel like I’m in the Jetsons. The bathrooms all have large fixtures in 50s colors (one in green; another with tan and blue (the blue fixtures are being replaced), and the “PINK Bathroom — the highlight of the bunch. All of the bathrooms have sinks with ceramic spouts instead of faucets and stainless steal everything. the pink bathroom has deep pink tiles on the walls with a ribbon-like border (1/4 inch wide) of pink tulips with pale gray and pink contrasts. It’s got a ceiling fan that looks like a jet engine (it is stainless steel has a light in it and blows heat out of it, too). Fixtures are gray. Floor tiles are small white squares, which I think are an update. They are not bad. I was sort of embarrassed about it until a friend saw it and raved, “You’ve got a pink bathroom! I love pink bathrooms. I always have had a pink bathroom wherever I’ve lived.” She said that she had had to make the bathroom pink while mine was “ready made.” I’ve never felt the need to hide it again. I am thrilled you put up this website. I spotted your website in the Virginian Pilot newspaper’s home section that had an article about “the pink.” Got a Benjamin Moore paint consultant (they come out and help you pick paints) help me pick out just the right “light pink” for the plaster walls.
Gina
It is my *goal* to have a retro pink bathroom and kitchen!!!
I pledge to have a pink bathroom one day.A lovely 1940′s style pink bathroom.Hubby may not like being surrounded by girlie pink but i will.
I bought a mid 50′s fibro house in Australia last year. It has a pink 50′s bathroom with pink tiles and a pink bath and pink ceramic soap holders and pink ceramic towel rails! A previous owner replaced the pink pedastel basin with a hideous white laminate vanity. I pledge to try my hardest to convince my hubby to let me restore my pink bathroom to it’s former glory, he wants to rip it all out and put in a modern bathroom, I’m in love with my pink bathroom and i would hate to see it go!
My husband and I recently moved into his grandparents old farm house, which is equipped with, you guessed it, an extremely PINK bathroom. We originally planned on hiring someone to repaint all of the tile, but I’ve decided to leave it and try to paint and decorate around it. Mind you, it’s on the countertops, 3 or 4 feet up the walls, on the entire floor, the towel rack, toilet paper rack, soap dishes, toothbrush holders, and tub….so I’ll do my best to make it cute!!
We have almost completed our 1955 pink and grey bathroom restoration. I need some help, though! Does anyone in the Nashville area know a good company for restoring our Cast-iron tub? It is built-in, so we would need a vendor that can restore it in-house. The finish is pocked and the tub is rusting. Otherwise, it is a perfect 1955 tub and we want to keep it and all the lovely pink tile!
When we bought our 1953 home one of the first things I made abundantly clear to my spouse was the fact that we will NOT disturb or destroy either of our 50′s tiled baths (one pink and one green). I was tickled to find your blog(s) and do solemnly swear to preserve, promote and derive much pleasure from my home’s fancy baths!
The 1958 ranch I grew up in had a pink main bathroom and I loved it. I suspect my 1957 L-shaped ranch did, too, before a 80′s remodel by the previous owner, since several houses near me still have them. I plan to someday restore my kitchen to it’s mid-century glory and eventually the bathroom, too. It just may become pink again! My grandmother’s house still has a pink bathroom.
I was looking into retro fabrics for draperies and I happened upon Save the Pink Bathrooms. I too have a 1963 pink tile bathroom and absolutely love it! I have complimented it with black & white stripes and black palm tree profiles since we live by the beach. Too bad my kitchen wasn’t saved like the bathroom- it probably used to be the same tile in turquoise! I love those too! Pink bathrooms forever!
We love our pink bathroom that is original to our 1959 multi level split ranch home. The house was untouched by the only previous/original owner. They kept it all in pretty good condition. Double pink sinks, pink cabinets, pink tile. Pink, pink, pink! Wouldn’t change it for the world!
I pledge to preserve my pink and maroon bathroom built in 1957. Just hope I can find the tile to rebuild the shower as it has a leak and tear out is sad to think about.
Wow is all I can say. What a bunch of lovely pink loos! I have always loved PINK. It is a true shame that so many designers encourage people to demolish these gems and replace them with oh-so-ordinary looking bathrooms.
I am so lucky. I recently purchased a 1962 ranch. The unfortunate part, the previous owners did no updating. The good part, the previous owners did no updating!!! There are, count ‘em, two pink privies. Plus a pink oven and pink kitchen sink. I am in heaven…
My husband and I are house shopping- I want a mid century home, he wants a newer home. I doubt I’ll get the 1960s home of my dreams, but I vow to give my modern home retro flavor.
My grandparents have a beautiful circa 1962 pink bathroom- gorgeous pink/sage/gold wallpaper, pink toilet, tub and sink. It’s perfect just the way it is.
I am in the process of purchasing a 1956 home that had one owner. It is all original. It overwhelmed me, but I’d like to keep things authentic. If you have any advice on how to update things while keeping the spirit of the house? I am going to love sharing photos of this house. It has a pink and teal bathroom, original appliances, wallpaper, beautiful flooring and light fixtures. Everyone I show the house to tells me how to modernize it, but I want to live there first and see slowing if I want to change anything. Great site!
I pledge never to remove our original 1954 pink bathroom as long as we own this house!
I pledge to keep the tile in my 1940s vintage pink and blue bathroom. I realize that it is part of a design era that needs to be celebrated not disdained. I can’t wait to write my blog post featuring my pink bathroom. Thank you for all you do for all vintage lovers out there!
I’m not going to lie. When we gout our 1940s house, the first thing we wanted to redo were the peach and pink bathroom. Good thing our priorities changedand now we love them… I pledge to save the Pink (and the peach) bathroom and only renovate with orignial time and fittings!!
The original tile in the bathrooms of my 1950 house, along with the magnolia tree, were a selling point for me. I have green and black in what I refer to as the Men’s room and yellow with maroon trim in the Girls room. It makes me ill when I watch the renovation shows and they rip all the character out of a mid century home. Keep fighting the good fight!
I purchased my grandparents’ house after my grandpa passed away last year. My grandparents purchased the house new in 1961. Not only does this midwestern ranch have a pink bathroom, but also a powder blue one and the original range. I have many good childhood memories in this house, but must get a new oven as 1961 technology requires rotating items multiple times for even baking. However, the pink bathroom reminds me so much of my grandma I would have trouble changing it.
I am a Mid Century junkie! I would love to have a pink bathroom with all the original tile. I am slowly but surely building my mid century collection of furniture and artwork. I’m very lucky to have some family vintage pieces. I not only love the style, but it takes me back to my childhood and I had a great one.
I have a pink bathroom that I inherited when my husband and I purchased our 1950′s rancher in suburban NJ. I do love my pink bathroom and will do all I can to preserve it. (even though our tub is white, it’s nothing a shower curtain can’t cover)
I inherited the house that my dad designed and had built for my mom after they retired. He let her design the bathroom with pink tile and floor; very retro. Really beautiful! Currently my son is using this bathroom so I’ve toned the pink thing down a bit by incorporating gray towels and such. He’s leaving for college in August and the pink towels and accents are coming back! Oh yea, the house isn’t even that old — 1992.
The new owners of the property we’ve been renting are planning to demolish the house and along with it, an original 1954 pink bathroom including a lovely pink corner bathtub in excellent condition. They have given us permission to take anything we want from the house, I’m going to make sure that the bathtub is taken out and either brought with us or that it finds a new home with someone who will appreciate it.
My partner and I have a house built in 1941 in central New Jersey (with the main original dark tan/copper ceramic tiled bathroom with ivory fixtures still intact). A second bathroom in sunshine yellow tiles and white fixtures was added in the 1950′s (I’d love for the fixtures to be ming green – that’d be SHARP!). All we’d need to have the house complete would be to have a third bathroom in pink. It is my pledge to maintain the historic integrity of these bathrooms and to not make unnecessary or historically inappropiate changes
I don’t have a pink bathroom – but a blue/ green/orange one! Same style tiles, so I thought its close enough that I could take the pledge!! I heard a great tip that I wanted to pass along… if you are having trouble deciding what color to paint the walls (like in my case where there are 3 different color tiles..) go get an old man’s tie that has all the colors in it -and you can pull a color out of there. Most of those old ties you find at Goodwill have some crazy color combinations – you just might find your bathroom tiles!!!
We were so happy to be able to buy our home that the pink bathroom didn’t bother me one little bit. Our bathroom growing up was pink – still is Momma never has changed it. At least ours has a shower. Looking back: since we never had a shower Daddy and brother got to take sit down baths in our Pink tub – too funny!
Anyway, our bathroom is and will always be pink. I couldn’t love it more if I tried.
Excited to find this web site, but VERY disappointed there is no picture gallery, and if there is and I’m too lame to find it please point me in the right direction! – thank you =)
We purchased our 1953 ranch house in 1997 w/two baths – one blue w/a lovely shower, the other pink w/a great big pink tub, and classic sink – but the toilet had been updated. The first thing we did was to replace the toilet w/a Standard vintage pink toilet.
The realtors had painted the bathrooms in grey….how clueless!
YAY !!!!! just bought a 1964 Ranch with a mint condition original pink bathroom ( tub, tile and sink) it basically made my decision for me. Cant wait to get in there and make it MY own personal pink bathroom! It’s just screaming for a sudsy bath and glass of bubbly!
I’m not a realtor, but I get invited to tour LOTS of midcentury homes for appreciation, consultation and next steps. I pledge to make every single homeowner aware of savethepinkbathrooms.com as an option. I hate pink but I love pink bathrooms!!!!
Kelly, there is a link to our STPB Flickr set in the last story on this page. And, you can see all my Pink Bathroom coverage over on the main blog here: http://retrorenovation.com/category/bathroom-categories/pink-pink-bathrooms/
At risk of being accused of being afflicted with “Low T”, I swear that if I ever buy a fabulous vintage house with a pink bathroom, I will seek to honor, protect and defend the royal pinkness and buy a retro set of ceramic fish and ceramic gold bubbles as were in the bathoom of my childhood. I pinkie promise swear, so help me Haver.
I recently bought my first home. A1959 Ranch. My house is PINK stucco…And my bathroom is pink as well. I fell in love with my house immediately. It had not been changed in 52 years! I am working on updating it slowly so that it meets my needs but it is SUPER important to me to maintain the integrity of the house. I have a pink sink, tub, and toilet. I have white and black tile with pink accents. And I had a pink wall. Sure. I could have gutted it. But it was in GREAT shape. The tile is BEAUTIFUL. So instead, I decorated around it. I went with a Pin Up girl theme. Kept everything as is with the exception of a new light fixture and painted the wood cabinets white. It looks great. I may eventually change the pink counter top, but I am in no hurry. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my “Girlie” bathroom…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beervirgin72/5676732222/in/photostream
Please add my name to the pink pledge in order to save and preserve the wonderful tradition of pink bathrooms. Thank you,
Megan Shaw
I close on my first house next week!!! YEP YEP!! The pink bathroom was such a deal breaker!!! I thought about tearing it all down, covering it, painting it. I found this website and now the pink bathroom stays!! You Saved A PINK BATHROOM. This house was built in the 1940′s and the floor is pink tiled dotted in white tiles and the walls and shower are pink. GREAT Condition!! I am sending pics soon!
I have had the original pink bathroom-tub,toilet and sink-with grey tiles on walls and floors. I will preserve it as my main guest bathroom. Thanks to all for making this a cool thing to do before it was too late!
I manage a vintage motel which still has several pink bathrooms with black trim, along with the old black and white mosaic tile floors. We are upgrading the facilities but I will NOT allow any changes to the pink tile. Unfortunately, the original plumbing fixtures are long gone.
Waiting for my personal bath are a full set of pinky-coral vintage bathroom chenille tank cover, lid cover, and mat, and a 1960′s acrylic of pink flowers, in storage until I can do my own pink, coral, and black bathroom.
Decorator colors should be serene or cheerful, but never depressing. The tan epidemic apparently is a result of a PR campaign by antidepressant drug manufacturers and psychologists.
Viva the pink bathroom!
Several years ago I lived in a small apt in a 1957 12-unit building. The bathroom walls were pink with black trim, but the tub and sink were white – white paint on top of pink! With my landlord’s approval I stripped the paint off and exposed the glory. Don’t know what’s become of it since moving, but I do miss that bathroom. Think Pink!
I more want to save retro bathrooms as pink is my least favorite color… but I grew up with a pink bathroom that was left over form the early to mid 50′s. I can remember tap dancing on the small tile desgins in that bathroom. I hope it still stands in that childhood house.
I love my pink bathroom but I have to replace my floor and I need a pink toilet stool ring to make it complete.
Hi Diane, we have several stories about where to find pink (and other color toilet seats) here: http://retrorenovation.com/category/bathroom-categories/toilets/ Good luck!
Hi Pam, I stumble upon your site yesterday. I am in the process of buying a 1960 built ranch with a finished basement. It took me a little while to decide to buy the place due to the “ugly” but now that my closing date is getting closer I am thinking of things to do with it. I was thinking of doing to kitchen retro due to the fact that i dont have to money to renovate just yet! The kitchen is the old style with the stove top in the counter and the oven on the side. When I found Save the pink bathroom” i freaked!! My bathroom has not only a pink tub, toilet and tiles it has double pink sinks and shiny silver wallpaper with pink flowers!!! I have come to the conclusion that I simplely can’t get rid of it! I am so happy I found your site!!! Thank you so much!
I enjoy my pink formica bathroom countertop every day. I also have a love of seafoam, teal and yellow bathrooms. Thank you, thank you for leading this charge!
I have a 3 bathroom home. All are early 1960′s tiles. The guest bathroom is gloriously pink. I vowed before I found this website to preserve it. I had decided to add my version of “french” by accenting with white and black, and thus keep everything (including the pink formica counter top). Unfortunately, last fall I did lose the 5 gallon flush pink toilet. In an emergent plumbing need I was only offered up a white replacement. I vow…I shant let it happen again. And, I vow to maintain my other vintage bathrooms of green and blue tiles as well.
We recently purchased a 1925 home which suprise, suprise has a pick bathroom which accoridng ot the toilet tank was installed in 1948, or at elast remodeled that year. I woudl actually call it a water closet. It’s tiny…and located under the main staircase. But it sure beats running all the way upstairs. The sink and toilet are white, but the tile on hte walsl is unmistakebly pink/salmon color with goldish colored dark brown accents. The closet can’t be more than 4′ square, but it’s funciton and serves it’s purpose. It also has some great period floor tile as well. Only problem, no ventilaton whatsoever. So I’ll be adding a constant exhaust fan that’s also exhausting the garage located below.
Unfortunately my house has a dull hospital green colour scheme… HOWEVER I am working on my husband to allow me to renovate ONE of our bathrooms into a fantastically chic, retro inspired PINK bathroom! Wish me luck.. I’m sure I can persuade him some how!
I absolutly LOVE LOVE LOVE my PINK Bathroom!!!! Our house was built in 1912 and previous owners installed the pink bathroom. I’ve completed it with pink towels, pink bath mat, pink toothbrush holder and a pink shower curtian with flamingos. The doors are even pink!
My 1898 Victorian home has a pink deco bathroom that must have been put in when the house got indoor plumbing in the late 30′s or 40′s. The downstairs half-bath has the same deco floor, but in green tile. I wouldn’t change these rooms for anything, particularly the pink! Even my husband loves it, and he’s no ninny. The tilework is fantastic- and it has a separate shower- clearly very high-end for the time!
I LOVE pink and HATE to see vintage bathrooms of ANY color destroyed! Unfortunately, out of necessity, I had to dispose of my vintage pink toilet when it just wouldn’t WORK anymore (daily plunging was not a long-term solution) BUT I will never get rid of my pink and white “spattered” lookng tile!
We have a 1950′s cape with a great pink bathroom. When i decided to add some cute wallpaper to the scheme I found pieces of the most awesome mint green vintage wallpaper that had gondolas and little men rowing!! It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish it could have been saved… I know there are vintage wallpapers out there but no amount of googling can recreate the awesomeness that was hiding behind the crappy 90s wallpaper. We have a pretty awesome custom vanity too with this cool formica with little gold flakes in it!
For the record, we have 2 bathrooms, and people were astonished that the bathroom I chose to renovate was NOT the pink one, but the tacky beige fake marble one!
I have a pink bathroom with a maroon accent tile! Ilike my bath so much that i painted my kitchen pink too!
I know people who have torn up pink bathrooms. It makes me weep.
Such a great service you provide! We restore “vintage” houses and your website is a great source of inspiration and information on 50s and 60s bathrooms! Keep digging into the past and finding those nuggets of retro gold (or pink as it were)!
If I ever own a house, I pledge to make my bathroom pink if it isn’t and protect it with my life if it already is.
I don’t have a pink bathroom in my ’64 home, but I wholeheartedly support the effort to save them. I think they are a great poster-child for a larger effort not to decimate the uniqueness of an entire era in the name of “updating” everything. I would love to see more people embrace their home and it’s original character rather than trying to make it something it was never meant to be. Long live the pink bathrooms!
I see a lot of pink but no Harvest Gold love! Well, my Harvest gold bathroom will be pried from my cold dead fingers-but the wallpaper needs removal and a paint job…I’m thinking salmon PINK!
Just when I was coming to terms with remodeling my PINK KITCHEN! with a PINK STOVE, and PINK BATHROOM, a dear friend of mine screamed DONT DO IT!!!!!!t . Promise I will keep.
My husband and I just bought a 1954 Colonial and it has the most outstanding PINK bathroom! We will never rip it out! LOVE IT
I bought my house 5 years ago…because it had a pink bathroom!! Theinteresting thing is that the tub is mint green. I imagine the sink and toilet were mint green as well, but have long since been replaced with white. The previous owners had painted the tile and tub white and the walls tan, but had left the pink floor. I spent months stripping all that paint off and painted the walls a pale pink. It is now beautiful again!!
Six years ago I moved in to a French mansard Victorian in Boston–with a pink bathroom!! It was totally out of character for the house and everyone told me to rip it out, but I refused. I restored it with a new black and white tile floor, vintage light fixtures from Rejuvenation, and new black ceramic towel bars. I replaced a ratty old medicine cabinet with a perfect round mirror, but I am still searching for the perfect cabinet of some kind…
i have a pink bathroom. I love retro
I just purchased a 1950′s ranch house with tile bathrooms that had been PAINTED an ugly mustard-yellow color. That’s right, painted. Who PAINTS tile? Anyways, I proceeded to strip the paint and was DELIGHTED to find the original pink with gray trim still in good condition. So I’ve not only preserved a pink bathroom, I’ve rescued one!
My grandma used to have painted pink kitchen cabinets and one of those great old indestructible linoleum square floors in red with white and black in it and Formica counters with stainless steel edging. I loved that kitchen!
Why does everybody just automatically move into a house and rip everything out? Why do they buy that house to just go in and rip it all out? And why does everybody have to have travertine tile in their bathrooms and granite and stainless steel in their kitchens? It all looks the same! BORING.
Have some respect for the retro! It doesn’t mean you can’t refresh it’s look with some new paint, wallpaper or accessories, but it’s so cool! My friend moved into an apartment that had a green tile bathroom and she embraced the retro but made it fresh and modern too with some white and black accessories–it looked better than most “modern” bathrooms.
Love the retro–preserve it please!
I recentlhy moved from a 4,400 s.f. Colonial to one of Philadelphia’s ubiquitous 3 b/room brick rowhouses built in the early 50′s, and to my delight and amusement it had an almost 100% original pink bathroom (The white tub is an obvious replacement).
Going with my whole new attitude of “less is more” after the break-up of my 15 year marriage, I decided to embrace this little ‘brick box’ for what it was, and make it part of my new adventure into a new life. These homes were built with simplicity, but some sense of style (by 1950 standards) like my stamped plaster walls and the pink & black deco-esque bathroom. This was LIVING back in the day – and I’m lucky that the 1st two owners preserved this little gem so carefully.
The only change I made was to strip off the foil silver & ‘old lady blue flowers’ wallpaper, and after pondering it for weeks decided to paint the plaster walls a “wheat toast brown” – which really changed the entire ‘feel of the room. (Guys – if you’re out there and wondering how to man-up a pink bathroom, try going with a grey or brown or taupe color to tone down the girliness of the Mamie Pink)! It’s stunning – and after adding a few black 50′s accents (Pam – I sent pics of the two little famenco dancers on your other blog) – the feel of this post-war bathroom is complete!
Long live the Pink Privy !
Our pink bathroom is petite and pretty. Our house was built in 1922 so I’m sure someone in the 50′s was thrilled to update to a trendy bath. Well, we like it too and don’t plan on changing the color.
When my parents were shopping for the house they raised me in, the only reason my mother agree to the house we live in was because of the pink bathroom in the basement with a matching flamingo mirror. Now it is the last room in the house to be renovated, and I promise to make sure it is restored to its brightest and best pink, so that some day a new family can look into the flamingo mirror and think, “I love my house!”
-Maggi
Well! I am not quite sure whether my “new” bathroom is pink or puce, but I love it! I’m delighted to find suggestions for finding parts we need to replace. What fun!! It’s a 50′s re-do of a 1930 house, mint green and whatever color of pink it is. Reminds me of the expression “pink going on purple.” We considered all new fixtures, but after reflection decided to embrace what we have, lol!
Lucia
Ours isn’t pink, and it has been ‘improved’ over the years.. but when we get the bathroom.. its going back pink.
I have a pink bathroom with pink tiles and smaller tiles around the top with swans on them. The floor is a maroon color. I did put in a new vanity sink that is cherry wood and the bowl has a pinkish marble look to it. The tiles around the top go into an arch over the bathtub. Everyone loves my pink bathroom. I didn’t care for it at all but I have come to love it too.
I promise to never, ever, ever rip out a pink bathroom. I also promise to discourage others from doing the same. I pledge to forever love the pink bathroom.
I love the pink, the blue, the mint, and the metallic baths of the world. I live in a house built in the 1950′s, but they put a gray and burgundy tile/ white fixture’d bath in.
If only they had put in pink then I would never think of changing it!
Rats. I may redo the tile at some point, due to the dull color and bad condition.
No worries, I’ll get good guidance from this site, and keep my eyes open for any pinks I see in the future!
Thanks for starting something we all can appreciate!
Against my Realtor’s advice I want to save my pink bathroom. They are an universal constant from one of the great periods of American history.
Please create a Save the Pink Bathrooms Facebook page.
My husband and I wanted a pink bathroom. We happened to walk past a home undergoing renovation, spotted pristine pink fixtures heaped on the front porch, and are now planning our pink bathroom! We’ll have a spot for my husband’s grandmother’s pink flamingo mirror now. Your site is an excellent resource! The first bathroom in our 1984 home was gutted of its fiberglass junk and a clawfoot tub and cornermounted lavatory from the early 20th century were installed. I concur with Nancy – please create a Facebook page!
I have a pink bathroom! The pink tiles are actually plastic tiles. I had to replace some of them in the shower with a water proof surround (so I have some extra tiles – if any one needs them). My theme in working with the pink is shells. There are so many shells that go with pink. Enjoy the pink. I also had a pink room growing up.
I squealed when I first walked into the pink bathroom of what was to become my dream home (that I live in!) I also have a lovely blue bathroom just like my grandparents had. The bathrooms are just two of the reasons I adore my home. I will never, never, ever, ever change them!
I PLEDGE… to join in with this group of dedicated lovers of all things vintage and especially those pink bathrooms of yesteryear.. My grandmother had a pink bathroom in her farmhouse…and I remember, as a child, thinking how pretty it was whenever we visited. I never dreamed I would end up buying a house with a pink tile bath. We are purchasing a 1961 house in Iowa that has the Vintage original PINK tile, and also a BLUE tile bath in it. I am tickled “pink”…such sentimental thoughts . …My neighbor just painted over all of her pink tile in her bath a year ago…I hated to hear that… (but if she ever changes her mind, maybe she can get it removed without damaging the tile!!) I think it will be fun to get my hands on this bath and decorate it keeping it’s character and personality and era in mind while adding some up-to-date splashes of decor and fabrics. Found this site and cheered!
I have a pink and black bathroom! Original to my 1956 house, and it clinched the deal for me!
The other, smaller, bathroom is yellow and gray tile. I love that too!
I have a 1957 Better Homes & Garden Idea Home. It’s probably at least 75% original. Each one was individualized by the contractor that built them. Mine happens to have both pink and yellow bathrooms. Those were my “WoW” moments in first looking at the house. The person I bought from laughed and said they’d have to tell their son (who wanted the bathrooms renovated when they lived here). I, too, as someone noted above love to have a “Save the pink bathrooms” t shirt.
I grew up with a 60′s pink bathroom and have often wished it had white tile. It isn’t that sweet pale pink; it’s a strong pink. My sister & I joked about it being Pepto Pink.
I have recently inherited the house with that pink bathroom (and a green bathroom). I really considered “destroying” them both; my niece convinced me not to. So one night while searching for ideas for the bathroom, I came across the “Save the Pink Bathrooms” website. Now, I am excited about my pink bathroom and the decorating possibilities!! I promise to cherish & save the pink bathroom!!
I love it! I can’t save a pink bathroom, but mine is turquoise, and I am saving that– After all, it’s the brother color to pink.
I am moving into a 60′s house with a pink bathroom. The tiles are in great shape and I can wait to bring it back to its glory. Think Pink…after all, I have a pink bike so why not a pink bathroom! Yea PINK!
Where can you get vintage wallpaper?
Congratulations on your new/old house, Libby. Ask and you shall receive, here is my story on where to find vintage wallpaper: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/03/01/7-places-to-buy-vintage-wallpaper-from-1-25-to-200-per-roll/
I live in Florida. My mother sent me an article out of the St. Louis Post Dispatch; PRESERVE the Pink. It cited this website. I’ve been a lover of pink bathrooms as long as I can remember. I just sold my condo that had 2 pink baths. My rental home has a pink main bath and I tiled the garage bath in 6″ pink tile with black trim and feature strip.I’ve just purchased my next home that will soon be painted pink along with the pool deck. I just had my loungers restrapped in Turquoise and Pink. I will put a link to this site on my website and do whateveer I can to encourage people to “Save the Pink Bathrooms”. My “new” house was built in 1972…. I tried to find a mid-centruy home with pink but didn’t have that luck in my price range. I will add touches like flamingo wallpaper and pink accents throughout. I would love to see Florida go back to the days of pink and turquoise.
I am very excited to become a member of this special group that is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the mid-century era. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of!
Yep, I take the pledge. Recently bought a 1930s cottage here in north Texas where one bathroom has ancient, dirty, but perfect pink tile walls, bath surround, and countertop. Gray porcelain tile floor, also dirty but perfect. I can imagine the delight that went into planning this bathroom when it was new… the cast iron bathtub and sink are white porcelain. I’m getting a lot of “Eeeeew, PINK!!” comments as we’re starting the rehab process, but I’m tough, I can take it.
My husband and I just bought our first house, a 1958 brick ranch. Four weeks into ownership, we start removing the awful beadboard paneling covering the walls in our main bathroom. What do we discover? Under the beadboard, and three layers of paint, PINK! Perfect bubblegum pink. On the walls. On the moldings. Even on the lightswitch!
I couldn’t be more thrilled, because I was truly disappointed that when we chose our house, it didn’t have the iconic pink bathroom. But sure enough, there is one hiding in there! We’re going to completely restore the paint, which may be all we have to do, because the bathroom still has the original almond and gray tile lining the tub area. I’m in love.
i have a pink and green bathroom from 1924 ===I don’t see any comments re: this deco type of bathroom. It has beautiful mosaic tile flooring, VERY” small combination of white and pink. The tiles are subway tiles around the border of the VERY pink/lavendar tub and toilet (almost the color of this site. The toilet is a pressure toilet, no tank! Does anyone have anything like this?
I am trying to find a toilet seat cover or where would I look on the toilet or tub for the name of the mfg.? There was a pink pedestal sink, porceline, but sadly it is gone.
HELP
Almost 2 am and I just finished painting my pink bathroom walls with a fresh coat of pink. It goes well with the pink tub, floor tiles, sink and toilet. The house was built in 1968 and it’s all still original. I have just about the same tile as in the sj-masters pic on this site. They don’t make em like they used to!
Long live the pink bathroom!
I just bought a home with very high quality, midcentury, pink fixtures – tub, toilet & sink in excellent condition. I would keep them except the rest of the room has mint green ceramic wall tiles that are mudset (meaning that to remove them would mean that the walls have to come down). Unless someone has an idea for a theme with pink & mint green, the fixtures will have to be sold. I’m in Rockford IL. Any rsuggestions?
I bought my first home in 2010. It was built in 1961 and it still has the original pink bathroom- I LOVE IT and I will never get rid of the pinkness of it all!!
I grew up in a small rancher in No. VA where my Mother raised me to hate the baby blue tile with black trim in the main bathroom. When I became working as an interior designer, I had people come to me that were not prepared to remodel, but wanted help “disguising” their pink bathroom…. I sat them down, and said to them “you cannot HIDE pink tile…. it’s going to be there– no matter what. You have to EMBRACE it!!!! Have fun with it!!! If you try to hide it, it will always look like something is wrong with your bathroom”.
So this past May, my husband and I, moved into a 1951 home in Richmond. It has had VERY little improvements since then. And what do we have???? A PINK bathroom!!!!! Complete with frosted swan tub enclosure and pink and gray boomerang Formica vanity!! Yay!!!! And we have a chartreuse bathroom as well!! Fun!!!
Anyway– We have a non-existent budget so I have simply done plain black linens for the Pink bathroom, with a black patent shaded lamp on the vanity, and vintage pin-up art on the walls.
I LOVE it!!!!!!
I absolutely totally agree with your approach to trying to “disguise” pink bathrooms. Kind of an analogy for life, eh? WORK WITH THE CARDS YOU HAVE BEEN DEALT.
Selling point of my 1945 Colonial house was the original vintage pink and black tile and the beautiful intact mosaic tile floor. Only wish the previous owners didn’t put one of those bathtub fitters over the tub and wall enclosure. I’m sure one day I’ll want to pull it off and hopefully see a beautifully intact pink tub and tile enclosure.
Count me in! I pledge to do my part to save and protect pink bathrooms everywhere. Goddess willing, I will one day have one of my own to cherish, care for and adore.
Just bought a 1962 house, with a yellow tub and sink in one bathroom and a white tub/pink sink combo in the other. I plan on restoring them back to their original glory! Realtor didn’t get it when I tried to explain how they don’t make awesome tubs and sinks like that anymore!
Dear Mary McCarthy, You have just described our wonderfully pink and green bathroom!! They really do belong together, our bathroom has pink tile on the wall with the “border” tile rounded, mudset green. Our floor is a small designed tile pattern…..yep…pink and green! Fixtures are pink, tub, toilet and sink. We just painted the upper wall a “barely there” light green and it is beautiful. Please feel free to email me at angels1pick@gmail.com and I will send you pics of our bathroom.
Honor the Pink Bathroom!
Angel
For Barbara,
Where in Northern Virginia were you raised? I also was raised in NoVa and the house you described is EVERY other house in the neighborhood I grew up in.
Do you have pics of your finished bathroom? If so pls share at angels1pick@gmail.com
Thanks, Angel
I am happy to make the pledge to save my pink bathroom (well, actually just the tub is left). I live in a tiny two bedroom, one bath 1953 brick rambler in Seattle, WA. All that is left of the original fixtures is the pink American Standard tub. I finally realized after looking at boring modern spa bathrroms and then finding this site that the pink tub is here to stay.
Now that I made that one decision, I’ll need help picking out the tile and figuring out the vanity. Thanks Pam, for putting this site together.
-Tina
I am a real estate broker in Seattle and work in an area that is primarily mid century homes.
I love it when I see the original pink, blue, green or grey bathrooms with matching tub, toilet and sink. I am constantly telling my clients that the best bathroom renovation on this type of bathroom is no renovation. Houses that still have the original bathrooms (plus other architectural and design elements relevant to the era) in most cases are worth more then the house that had some misguided “updates” Granite and vessel sinks are not always the answer.
So glad to see your here spreading the word, keep up the good work!
It all started with my Dad’s lemon yellow bathroom, complete with yellow toilet and pedestal basin, and grew into a full-blown love affair with coloured 1950s bathrooms! As an interior designer I pledge to save as many pink, blue, yellow, green and turquoise bathrooms as humanly possible throughout Sydney Australia!
Angela x
I’ll give up my pink bathroom when they pry it from my cold dead hands! It’s decorated with only framed cute kitten art!
I too like pink bathrooms. My church has the ladies restroom done in pink, and my cousins always have had a pink bathroom for female visitors in their funeral home. Although people visit the funeral home for somber occasions, everyone loves the decor. I also should think girls and young women would love pink bathrooms, especially since many women are living alone during their single years and would decorate their homes to suit their own feminine style. I know a lady in my town who is ripping out all the “hunting lodge” decor since her husband died, and she and her daughter are decorating the entire house with a pink color scheme. Also, with daughters often having their own bath-bedroom suites, one would think girls would want pink bathrooms. I agree too many vintage things are being ripped out of homes, and in a few years people will be looking for these vintage fixtures and other forms of pink decor.
This is addressed to the posters who are struggling with a pink and green bathroom. I would suggest that they go to the fabric store and look for floral prints such as pink roses with green leaves on a white background. Such a fabric would be wonderful for a shower curtain or valence, provided there is a vinyl lining, window curtain and valence set, or a draw-string cover for the toilet lid. They also might make trim from such fabric and sew it onto solid-color towels or a lampshade or use it on a matte for framed wall art. A lady’s or girl’s bath robe that matches the shower curtain also would be fun, and it could be kept on a hook as part of the decor. Pink and green are complementary colors, and they can look great together.
We moved from a townhouse to a single family home in NoVA a short while ago and it came with a pink master bathroom. My husband and I giggled, and then cringed when we first saw it…PINK?!?! For Real!?!?! – at least the toilet and sink are white…*whew*!!!
Our initial thought was to rip it out and update it (we had just remodled our townhouse master bath, and going from a big [as far as townhouses go in this area] spa looking slate bathroom to 1950′s pink was shocking). I bought a black shower curtain and decided to just deal with it for the time being until we knew what we were going to do with it.
We have recently decided to tackle the bathroom project, and I kept thinking about this site. Not only that, but how the previous homeowner (whose parents bought the house when it was built) told us that her dad always used the pink bathroom – it was his bathroom (manly, huh?!?!)! I told her that we would take good care of her house, and to me, it meant updating (ripping out and replacing) the bathroom – but my friend, and next door neighbor, told me, why not just add a fresh coat of paint and add a few white towels and black accents…. For future resale purposes, a newer bathroom would definitely appeal to more people…but there are people out there that aren’t scared by pink…so, I thought, what the heck!
I have added the black accent rug, and am working on painting 4, 2′ horizontal stripes using two different shades of grey (it’s a very small bathroom, so I am hoping it will help the room seem bigger) to match the shower curtain. I spray painted our shelving unit black, and we (yes, this includes my husband) are loving the pink bathroom a lot more now that the painting is almost done!!!
I am glad that I found this site and listened to my friend – it was definitely a cheaper way to “redo” the bathroom while keeping the promise we made to the previous homeowner.
When we sell our house, I am going to add a flyer in the bathroom that lists this website and mention that our bathroom has been added as a “Save the Pink Bathrooms!” bathroom! I hope it will encourage future owners to do this same!
My pink bathroom is safe from harm. And my blue one is too! Yep, we’ve got a His and a Hers.
My wife and I have purchased a home with a pink guest bath, a blue master 3/4 bath, and an intact Youngstown by Mullins Kitchen. Before God and this cloud of virtual witnesses, we hereby pledge ourselves and our postarity to the preservation of all three until such time as they become totally unservicable, and, thereafter, to restore them to the best of our ability.
As an Interior Designer, I am helping one client at a time save their pink beauties!! There is something about diluting the reluctance of keeping pink tiles, toilets, tubs, and sinks that make us all smile in the end! Cheers to pink!
I will not only keep my soon-to-be-mine pink 60′s bathroom, I will even allow my 4 children to use and abuse it. We must let the next generation know of the glories of pink bathrooms.
I had a pink bathroom in a rental apartment years ago – It had white walls above the tile which the landlord wouldn’t let me paint, but she did let me paint the outside of the medicine cabinet – it was an older mirrored cabinet with a steel (?) frame around the mirror. I painted the frame black, got a black toilet seat, and it looked great! Pink and black are fab!
I pledge to uphold the virtue of pink bathrooms wherever I encounter them. I will respect original design, era-appropriateness, and the youthful glow that pink bathrooms give our skin.
We purchased our house in part because of the pink and black tile in the bathroom; we loved the retro look of the room. After a number of years, we determined that we needed to do some remodeling to fix some water damage around the tub/shower area. We procrastinated a long time because we wanted to save the tile. We located a contractor (the fabulous Satoree Design) that we trusted (they had done some work for us in our kitchen) who, in turn, brought in a tile expert who said that he could save half of the tile. Thanks to this blog, we were able to locate B&W Tile in California who manufactures tiles in retro colors. After obtaining some samples, we discovered that the original tile was really two different, but similar shades of pink. we were able to replicate that color variation by ordering two separate dye lots of the replacement tile. All in all, we (a) fixed the damaged wall; (b) replaced the floor, toilet, sink and faucet; (c) removed the tub and created a walk-in shower with sliding glass doors. We could not be more pleased with the results. While the walk-in shower is not to period, with the retro colored pink and black tile, it certainly has that feel.
I pledge to love honour and respect our new pink bathroom! We have just bought a house with an original pink bathroom suite and black wall tiles. I think it’s mid 60′s. With a bit of scrubbing it looks almost new and we intend to keep it.
Recently my family purchased a home in the suburbs of central New Jersey. The neighborhood is full of cookie cutter ranch style houses all built circa 1950. We were somewhat shocked that the house, so modernly decorated, had this retro pink bathroom. Since recently into vintage fashions and décor, I convinced the family to work with this muted shade of pink with some retro accents. It was until my mother and I started researching online that we discovered such a bathroom is a piece of history!!!
Therefore, we the women in 2012 do solemnly swear to keep our original Mamie Eisenhower bathroom pink, nothing but pink, and pledge to spread the awareness to save the pink bathrooms.
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On my honor, I will try, to do my duty to preserve the original yellow, blue, gray and dusty rose tile and fixtures in my mid-century modern condo bathrooms. The faucets can stay as long as they don’t drip and can be repaired.
I’m making a pink bathroom right now, and am even using the Flamingo wallpaper advertised to the right! I’ll post pics when it’s done!
My husband sold our country home of 19 years and bought a we call it a Grandma home a little cape in town. We had to relocate for our jobs broke my heart but you have to do what you have to now days we are lucky we have jobs . Any ways the bathroom is a 60s pink my husband hates it I think it has charm but everything is pink and white i would like to kick it up a little it is kind of plain . has plenty of light and I am going to save it so that’s how I found your site and looking at ideals
The house where I lived from 1962 to 1970 in Aiea Hawaii had a pink-tiled bathroom. It was my parent’s first house. I remember it well.
These days I live in Sunnyvale California. My wife and I were house hunting and came upon a 1958 ranch home in the Piedmont district of San Jose last year which had a pristine pink-tiled bathroom. Unfortunately the house was sliding down the hill and would require $100000 to rework its foundation. So we had to pass it up.
I pledge to return my 1950s bathroom to its original glory!
I have over 100 pink tile for sale. Could not save my pink bathroom, but I saved the tile, because I had such a hard time finding replacements. If you are interested call me at 412-818-6017. It has “Wheeling” stamped on the back.
my house was built in 1880, about thirty years before plumbing. my current bathroom was built in the 1940s. it has a pink floor, tub, toilet, and sink and blue walls just like the drapers’ on mad men. i have loved this bathroom every since i saw it, but everyone who comes over comments on how PINK and gaudy it is. since i have 100-year-old plumbing, it’s time to upgrade. all of my friends almost talked me into gutting the whole bathroom. today, in a last ditch desperate attempt, i searched online for good ways to update my bathroom so i’m not the only one who loves it. when i found this site, i realized there are MANY people who would love my gorgeous pink and blue bathroom! now, i’m not changing anything but the pipes in the wall. thanks so much, pam! this site has validated my style preference and saved me a ton of money!
I am a baby boomer and yes the bathroom was pink. I love that bathroom. My parents lived in that house for 60 years. I now own the house and my daughter and her husband live there. She does not like the pink bathroom but loves the wall paper and I don’t like the wall paper but love the pink tiles etc. Since I own the house, the pink bathroom stays. The house my husband and I live in, has a pink bathroom along with the original 50s pink swan chalkware plaques and the pink swan towels. I am very happy to sign up and pledge to save the pink bathroom.
I love my pink bathroom! People come in and think it’s the first thing that needs redone. WRONG! It may need some love, but it stays pink! The house I live in was my grandparents home for 50+ years before I bought it. I remember it so clearly as a child. So glad I found this treasure of pink bathroom lovers! Thank you!
My wife and I recently purchased a beautifully preserved mid century modern with an immaculate pink and black bathroom. Originally, my wife wanted to gut the bathroom, but thanks to your website, she is committed to preserving it. I am so happy. Instead of some boring generic bathroom, we get to have a little fun. Thank you.
My wife and I are renovating our house and we want to have the aame colors as the bathroom did in my parents’ first house. It was a ranch style house built in 1955. And while the wall tiles and floor tiles were pink, the tub, toilet and lavatory sink were blue. Unfortunately my parents sold the house when I was only 2 years old so I have no recollection of that bathroom, but my mom took some old home movie footage of me taking a bath when I was a year old or so and the blue tub and pink tiles on the wall really looked good.
I pledge to always love, honor and care for my pink bathroom, til death do us part. I have a 1950′s cape cod house, with a jack and jill bathroom, pink sinks and tub, and even better pink, grey and white FORMICA BOOMERANG counter tops. I fell in love the moment we met.
RONE in the email address, stands for Restoring Old New England and we are a 501(c)(3) that is proud of our up & coming goals. Our main goal is to provide shelter to homeless young adults but, what we are most excited about, is our home restore program. Restoring homes, especially Retro-1950s to 1960s. It is a time and era that I love the most. I have to say though, for the past 25 years, I have been in total disgust with all realtors insisting on home buyers to renovate to modernize. What is wrong with all those beautiful colors that we all loved so much? And modern craftsmanship does not stand up to the wear-n-tear of old. For a country so hellbent on recycling, why are all the Retro Homes disappearing or at least the beauty of interiors ending up in the landfills? It just makes me sad. My next home (very soon), will be totally Retro (especially the Mamie pink bathroom) and I think the children will love it. So, I will need all the help I can get on where to find everything needed. Please send your ideas. Thank you…
I am in my second year of living in my mid century modest ranch house. No, I really mean ranch. It is on a half acre of horse property with my two horses andorra belly pig. I live in an agricultural area of new Mexico right next to the rio grande. As new developments with weeds look alike all made out go tricky tacky exploded on the west Mesa, I dumped my $200,000 plus home and opted for a leaner greener and reto home which I can actually afford. Finances being so tight in post financial crash pay check cutting America, I find finds from salvage yards and barter and trade with oldies in my community to restore and preserve my ranch it’s. Recent acquisition: authentic pink toilet, sink, and medicine cabinet…of course the theme of my teeny tiny bathroom will be pink poodles! My little house is built to stand the test of time with 24 inch fur studs, etc. old carpet has been stripped and original linoleum is showin, grey and pale pink throughout house. Original boomerang pulls on all doors. I can’t wait to have my pink bathroom! Pam, you are so right, I love not love, adore my mid century modest ranch with half acre and animals included!
Hi’
My Mother and Father purchased a 1964 H.B. McGinnes trailer with 2 bedrooms and one bath way back when I was only in my teens to use as a summer camp. Nothing has been done to the bathroom which still has pink walls. I’m not sure what they are made of, but edged in tin? Anyway, I hope to vintage IZE it as much as I can afford etc. If anyone has a link to pictures of this trailer I would love to have it. I am new to this whole Vintage addiction.
Peace Joan
Just bought a 1958 house in FL with a yellow and pink tile bathroom with a pink tub and towel racks. I am in love with it. Period restoration is a passion of mine, and have restored a few houses in my day. I thought my husband shared my passion as he has helped me in the past……but he hates the pink. A gentle loving man; we never argue. But he hates the pink! He wants to gut the whole thing and make it beige. Yuk!
If I get my way, and I usually do, I will SAVE the PINK. We have decided the bathroom will be the first project. I will post a pic if I win this battle. Wish me luck.
Bunny