Hey Guys!
While we’re sorting out some of the background things going on with the bathroom remodel, I thought it would be really fun to explore vintage (or vintage looking) bathrooms and what it is I love about them. I love doing this kind of thing when looking to decorate my own spaces because it helps me hone in on what I really gravitate towards (and gives me an idea of how realistic I can get with those dreams).
One thing I really love about the bathrooms that I gravitate towards is how imperfect they are. There’s a quintessential mess to them. Whether it be fixtures or tile that appears outdated, tapestries that seem misplaced, or toothbrushes/lotions/brushes out for display- I like it.
I hope to channel some of that perfect imperfection in the decisions I make for my own bathroom. I have to be careful about the decisions I’m making because home values are not rising well in our neighborhood and we don’t want to be here forever (love the location, layout, etc. but maybe I’ll chat about that in another post). And since this is the only bathroom in the house, I want to go big but not too big. We still want to keep funds open in the future to add a second bath (and new roof, new HVAC, new windows, taking down a a load bearing wall, etc), so I’m trying to find a happy balance between high style, labor costs, the budget, and DIY capabilities.
I digress, here are a few spaces I’m drooling over right now.
(please, if you enjoy any of these spaces, click the links below them and pin from the original source!)
This is the bathroom from Lauren and Chad’s Apartment Therapy Home Tour. The penny tile floor, the rug, the claw foot tub (that is not happening, unfortunately!), the feminine drapes and lovely hanging plants. I love the dark walls and makeshift jewelry hangers about. Penny tile floor is not happening for us. It’s actually what we attempted to install ourselves, I’ll have to dedicate a blog post to that separately, but the more I think about all that grout to clean… yeah, that’s a lot of grout. Plants and feminine drapes are totally up my alley and those have permanent spots in the design. I probably won’t have the budget for a fabulous rug like this one, but I’ll keep dreaming 😉
I wish, wish, wish I had a fabulous archway like this one in Sasha’s Apartment Therapy Home Tour‘s bathroom. The fabulous textiles are just so good. The direction I’m thinking we’re taking with our design likely won’t include just an array of beautiful colors. I’ll definitely be talking color scheme soon,though. I really love the spanish tile floor. The tuscan feel is so warm. I’ve definitely toyed around with the idea of doing a floor like this but I don’t know that it would be very good for resale. And then there’s the lovely gold shelf and hanging planter- easy bohemian charm.
Hanging plants- check. Sweet indigo shower curtain- check . I love the white subway tile (but something is drawing me away from that) and the wall mounted sink (oh, if I had all the storage in the world I would go this route!). I find the chrome fixtures refreshing, but I don’t think I’ll be using them myself (I’m leaning towards old world bronze, but we’ll have to see where it goes!). This bathroom hails from a Design*Sponge home tour of Michelle Leblanc and Chris Riemenschneider.
I have been obsessing over this image since the day I stumbled onto it on Pinterest. It’s from a short post on Fat Cat asking about the mirror and light fixture combo. The post is years old, but if she’s still wondering- I say I love it. I love the imperfect pairing and the mixed metals. More than that I love the little wooden shelf. And more than that I love that fabulous mirror. Of if I could stumble onto a perfectly retro mirror like this one I would just die. Not literally but figuratively of course. I’m also pretty smitten with how imperfectly dated those wall tiled are (love the idea of tiled bathroom walls all around but I don’t even want to calculate the cost of that after having done so for the tub surround and floors- yikes!).
This bathroom is in the home of Alex and the home of Alex is a converted garage. Be still my beating heart! I love tiny spaces and this one doesn’t dissapoint. First let’s focus on that amazing circular mirror. I’ve been on the hunt for one, just to have one, but if I find one it may very well end up in my bathroom. I’m also smitten with the clawfoot tub, because let’s be real- who isn’t?! The brick wall is amazing and not something I’d dare risk putting in my house. But the charming tiled wall is something I find myself drawn to time and time again. And plants. Because what bathroom is functional without plants?
Let’s visit another bathroom with an amazing rug. I probably should have been visiting flea markets this whole time (I’ve actually never been to one!) so that I would have hopefully stumbled onto one of these but at this rate I won’t. At least not in a price range I’d been OK forking out the money for. Subway tile again makes an appearance (they say it’s timeless, but what about square 4×4 tile- isn’t that stuff everywhere?) and I swoon for the floors, but the grout is an issue for me again. I’m really glad to have seen these kinds of floors slowly coming back into style though! I think the old mirror is especially charming and I love the shelving unit above the toilet- it’s very printer’s drawer-esque but deep enough to be functional. This bathroom is from an Apartment Therapy post about Non-Matchy bathrooms.
There are actually a lot of things I don’t like about this bathroom. But there are a few key pieces that make this bathroom a favorite for me. Firstly- the textiles. Because they’re textural and unexpected in a bathroom. I’m loving that there’s more than 1 mirror. I’m not sure that there’s enough wall space to do that in my own bathroom but it’s certainly an idea on my radar. I’m also crushing on the linen shower curtain and that fabulous turkish towel (if I can find any that aren’t much more expensive than the ones I’m currently eyeing down at Target and World Market– then I’m buying stat). via a Private Barbara Bestor Apartment Therapy Home Tour.
This bathroom is from Home Adore- Garden St Residence Pavonetti Office Design. The black and white is classic and I appreciate it even if it’s not for me. I don’t think it’s coincidence that those floors have popped up again. I really do love the,. Other things I love are the black faucets and curtain rod, but there’s also another metallic in the space, note the light fixture (it appears to be a brass finish of some kind) and gold mirror- I am seriously crushing on the combination. And of course- the essential plant element is present.
And do you remember my dream house post? I shared a home that was/is? for sale (just checked, appears to still be for sale) and it is the epitome of the perfect home as far as design goes. I thought it’d be fun to revisit that today since I am talking about dream spaces and all. I love the color coordinated wall and floor tile. They both make my heart race with excitement! I just don’t know if I’m brave enough to attempt something like that. Resale value- ya know? I love that there are dark colored tiled with dark fixtures and yet the whole space still feels incredibly light and airy. #goals
So what did I learn from visiting my favorite bathroom spaces today?
- I want a lot of things that I fear wouldn’t be great for resale value
- Plants are essential for living and breathing (and for bathrooms to function properly)
- I’m drawn to elements that appear “dated” or “un-updated”
- Mirrors are a huge focus for me, it has to be a carefully chosen detail
- Mixed metals are happening
- Interesting textiles make for an interesting space
- I have a serious issue with even entertaining the idea of grout cleaning
- Light and Airy is key but execution for this goal is unsure
- Green and Blue are colors I gravitate towards
- I still don’t have an idea of what I want to do for my own space
So was that fun? Did you make it through all of that? Do you have any suggestions for materials or ideas for decor for me? You guys are the best for being here so I’m sure you know something I need to know about!
