Reader Dilemma- 50's bathroom
Teresa read about my bathroom quandary, and sent in photos of her own 1950's bathroom for help.
Here is my gray & burgundy tiled bathroom. We are at a loss here. If you care to suggest a color, we'd be thrilled!-Teresa
I'm inclined to suggest a nice rich burgundy color, to balance out the activity down below. Or perhaps a middle value gray. Be sure to match the gray against your tiles so you select a gray in the same temperature range. If the tiles are a warm gray, make sure your paint is warm too, and so forth. The white is just too stark, and doesn't compliment the palette and retro feel. 
You all were so fantastic with the last bathroom, that I'd like to get your ideas. What do you think, everyone?
7 comments:
Fuchsia pink accessories would be great with the grey and burgundy. If it is a wall paint colour you are looking for how about mint green?
I agree with Rachael - embrace the gray. However, you could also make the burgundy look like a choice by chosing the same color for all your linens & window treatments. Some clean white accents (candles, alternative hand towels to layer over the burgundy ones, etc.) would add a nice third color.
I like the retro light fixture's look, but does it give you adequate lighting? There are other decent retro genre fixtures that would fit the color/style mood we're discussing and might give you better downlight ...essential for make-up application. Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn are both sporting those clean silver/white retro lights in their current catalogs.
One more thing...get a bigger mirror! It should be at least twice the size of the one you have an extented from the bottom of light fixture to the top of the tile trim. Make sure it is frameless to keep the clean lines you have going for you. The larger mirror will lighten the perception of grey on the above-tile section of the walls and will reflect more light, making your space feel bigger. It will also be more kid friendly for teeth brushing when your little one(s) get to that height. Good Luck! Send us your final pictures!
I like going for gray as well. Have you considered any fabrics for the windows and shower curtain? I'd find the fabric first and then choose a paint color. You won't find an off-the-rack shower curtain for these colors. I am positive they haven't been popular for a long, long time. Most of the stores will give you a swatch or you can buy a scrap of things you like for matching.
Go for clean roman blinds for the window. Yes. I like that.
Love the floor mosaic tile.
I'd try a complimentary color to the burgundy/pink. And I suspect that the small mirror is actually a medicine cabinet - not changeable without a pretty big expenditure. Maybe you could add some framed mirrors on either side.
If you are stumped for a color scheme try to find a great graphic fabric with several colors and use it to figure out a color scheme. I used to suggest that for designers who didn't know which direction to go - just find something with burgundy/grey that you really love. The hard work is done - and you have several directions for your color scheme.
I based my whole bathroom (1950's) on a vintage piece of barkcloth that I've been hoarding for over 20 years. Pictures soon.
color gray is a perfect mix with green i must say.. :) but you can try different varieties of colors to get a cooler look for your bathroom..
Thanks everyone!
When we purchased the house, this bathroom was painted cobalt and there was a huge mirror covering the wall over the sink & toilet. We repainted in a pink-toned white (SW Ibis) and thought we were done.
But, there was no outlet in the room. Rather than install it in the tile--and risk massive breakage of unreplaceable tiles--we opted to install the outlet above the tile. The only option was to remove the mirror, so that's what I did...and revealed the diagonal-grey-grid-on-white wallpaper from the fifties.
We opted for a medicine cabinet because there is NO storage in the room. We've also added a mirrored wall cabinet from Ikea over the toilet.
The light fixture is a cheapo placeholder from Lowes. Not great light, but then I don't wear make-up ;-)
We originally accessorized in burgundy, but found that it closed in the space. We now have a pale grey rug set, white shower curtain and off-white (unbleached) cotton towels. Also, some grey sheers, that are placeholders while I dither about installing the blinds.
I'm leaning toward a warm grey. I appreciate the suggestions to find a fabric first. That's a great idea.
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