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twix6

Idea for vintage half bath

twix6
11 years ago

Hi

I am looking for some pictures/ideas for a half bath /powder room that I want to have a vintage look. When I say vintage, I mean marble floor, beadboard walls. Due to constraints I can not use pedestal sink. A plus would be if you have come across one with a brownish paint on the walls.

Are the light blue/green colors generally associated with these type of vintage 1920's bathrooms?

Comments (8)

  • marcolo
    11 years ago

    What is your idea of "vintage?" How old is your house? A 1920s bathroom would've had neither beadboard (unless it was rural) nor brown paint.

    Here is a link that might be useful: 1920s Bathrooms Gallery

  • Janieful
    11 years ago

    Marcolo - so the ubiquitous use of beadboard in traditional bathrooms today is more a re-interpretation of the style? When did beadboard become popular? I'm just wondering.

    We are doing a new bathroom in a 1920s house (new construction) and are putting beadboard on the walls. This is mainly as a cheaper alternative to tile. I'm perfectly fine about not creating a literal 1920s bathroom.

    Back to the original question: I have seen lots of photos of period bathrooms with sinks that attach to the wall. What about a corner sink or pedestal. Would there be enough room for that?

  • twix6
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I can not put a pedestal sink because the vanity will act as a skirt over a staircase to the basement and goes into the part of the bathroom.

    So a honed carara marble for vanity top, marble tile for floor. Beadboard for wall. What would be the complementing color to that set up?

  • marcolo
    11 years ago

    Marcolo - so the ubiquitous use of beadboard in traditional bathrooms today is more a re-interpretation of the style? When did beadboard become popular?

    Generally speaking, the heyday of beadboard was the Victorian and Craftsman eras. So putting in beadboard means you are installing a bathroom that looks older than the house it is in. It can look nice, but anachronistic elements do date fairly quickly.

    Carrara marble is quite gray, so you have fairly wide latitude with your paint colors. Be sure you understand the maintenance issues involved with marble before you proceed. It must be sealed; it will etch; acidic cleaners or personal products will etch it; it is a soft stone (chips) etc.

  • jmcgowan
    11 years ago

    You might try looking at some architects' portfolios for ideas, particularly those who specialize in renovations/reinterpretations of old homes. One that comes to mind is Gil Schafer.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Gil Schafer - Kitchen & Bath Examples

  • palimpsest
    11 years ago

    The only beadboard original bath I have seen is a Victorian bathroom that was extremely early. The fixtures were raw brass and more along the lines of what would look like garden spigots to us, with the supplies and drains running exterior to the walls; the toilet was a china bowl with manufacturer's writing on it encased in a wooden seat with a high wooden (and probably zinc) tank, and the tub was a box tub with a zinc interior. It was all stained, dark brown beadboard--including the walls-- and was added off a stair landing for the house. This house also had working gas fixtures. The sellers had "new" baths that they actually used, (one other more typical Edwardian bath with newer fixtures and something from the 70s--it was a large house. Since this was very early, they probably didn't really have a notion of what a bathroom "should" look like but toward the end of the Victorian era marble, nickel and tile was the standard, at least here.

  • VictoriaElizabeth
    11 years ago

    We did a vintage-theme in both our baths. We weren't strict with period details, just an overall feeling. Here are a few of my favorite inspiration photos I wasn't looking for beadboard, so I can't help you there. My focus was more on tile, and on an overall vintage aesthetic, but maybe one of them will be interesting to you.

    Tim--your pics are great. That sink is lovely!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Our (never-ending) bath renovation