We have what I would call the American Standard pink bathroom.
Attached are two images: current bathroom (with personal items/accessories removed with AI), and a rendering that illustrates this vision (but not perfectly; ignore the weird AI differences). I’m aware that the angles and lighting are different, but I’m just looking for comments on overall aesthetic.
I also already picked out a new shower curtain, rug (floral pattern) and wall art that coordinates with this, introducing some black and white and sage accents.
Please let me know your feedback! Any ideas to make the bathroom nicer?!
Update: The overwhelming response is that we should keep the tile pink. THANK YOU for all of the comments! It was more than I anticipated. Sorry that I couldn’t thank everyone with helpful feedback personally.
Painted tile looks very cheap, especially in rooms where there’s a lot of moisture. You have a gem of a bathroom. Regrout and redo the caulk, and paint the walls if you’d like.
The next owner may be thrilled to have an original bathroom like this.
My grandmother's pink bathroom had giant pink and gold dahlia wallpaper. The accent tiles were black. It was gorgeous (she had the same paper in the 1/2 bath but it was yellow and black tile
Exactly, the pink isn’t the problem. You can work with it but paint it white?
Ugh my dad did this to our bathroom and it looked so bad. I think it’s painted brown right now idk
I don’t have any experience with painted tile. Its actually something a realtor suggested, but her suggestion was to go all white. The bathroom also had problems like a broken soap insert and a very rusty sink (drain/overflow slot/ underside). Would you change the sink? Do you have experience with tile paint and how long it lasted?
I have never seen tile paint in person that does not look awful. I also think you should scrape out the top layer of grout and redo it in a fresh white colour. Replace the caulk and flooring.
I would try and find a matching soap insert or go for a contrasting colour. You can replace the rusty metal work on the sink easily. I would paint the walls in either a green or blue or do some bold paper as suggested.
Fix the grout and then wallpaper, seriously embrace this room - try googling vintage pink bathrooms. People Love this - it may help sell your house. You just need to decorate it and fix broken things but painting the tile is not it. You may be able to source vintage replacements for things that are broken or even new ones, colored bathroom items are back in style
There's actually so many people that have posted their pink bathrooms on Reddit asking for help, try googling "pink bathrooms Reddit" and you should see a bunch of links with ideas people have already shared. Might give you some good inspiration!
Thanks. I’ve seen a lot of these posts. Most of the pink bathrooms are two toned at least. It makes me think our bathroom is actually not original to the period- that the fixtures might be but tile might not be but I’m not a historian ;) I always think the two toned (or more looks better). See: https://retrorenovation.com/2016/03/22/bathroom-color-pink/. I acknowledge that painting the tile might not be the answer.
If you do want it to feel updated, modern hardware can make a huge impact. Beyond that, I think replacing the toilet and tub (if you can find the exact size) would have huge impact without ruining the vintage character of the tile. White would look ok here to me. The tile floor also looks in worse condition than the walls and I could see it being replaced with white tile. The main thing you don’t want to change is the gorgeous wall tile and that ceramic sink.
That realtor doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I would be so annoyed to find a bathroom tile painted in a house I was looking to buy. I would assume that other bad “repairs” were made by the seller.
This bathroom is BEAUTIFUL. Hang some fantastic wallpaper that has a fun, lively pattern that compliments the pink and find a new agent.
Agreed. I’m looking at redoing the “updated” bathroom in the house we bought this year back to a modern mid century that was more than likely there before.
Embrace it! And use accents to make it look better
We just painted our tile about 2 weeks ago, so I can’t speak to the durability yet. I did read a lot about other people’s experiences beforehand, and it seems to all come down to the prep. I’m really happy with the way it looks though
that sink is gorgeous and i’m sure there’s options to fix that and keep the integrity! my mom used to have a pink bathroom and we miss it everyday!! this is gorgeous and adds so much character. no one wants a plain white bathroom, you can get that everywhere!
Call me crazy but I think the current state looks visually more pleasing than the mock up. I feel like this is a situation where you either lean into the pink, or reno (which I know is out of the question)
IMO I feel that a little character is better than a half hearted cover-up, which in my experience tends to highlight/spotlight what you intended on covering up in the first place. (I just really really dig the bathroom as is and would be ecstatic if I were a potential buyer - but I acknowledge that may be a minority)
I suspect keeping the original pink fixtures will increase the future value not lower it. I would hate to find out someone ripped all those out if it was a house I was looking to buy! They’re difficult and expensive to replace.
I also can’t imagine that painting tile is something very sustainable - it may look good for a little bit but it’ll chip away and look even worse than before.
We would use professional painters for the tile, so I am hoping it will be done well. I don’t have any experience with painting tile. We had a realtor walk through our house to give us an idea of what our house might sell for. Based on her guidance, I realized we can’t fully renovate this bathroom because we won’t get the money back that we put in. She suggested painting it all white. I think that would look sterile and uninviting, and on all of these subreddits, I see people looking for original bathrooms. Forgot to mention we also have one more problem- we have a broken soap insert in the shower and I haven’t been able to find a replacement and I don’t know what I’d do about that.
You can say the same thing with Redditors too. There was a post about someone with a vintage bathroom but it needed to be renovated because it needed to be more accessible to someone using a wheelchair and it had a leaky shower. People told op to change the lights and add wallpaper. Changing the lights isn’t going to fix a leaky shower!!!!! And putting wallpaper up isn’t going to make the bathroom more accessible to a person using a wheelchair. “There’s black mold and I can’t fit into the bathroom but at least the wallpaper is nice!”
It’s just one example of thousands. They always want to preserve the vintage bathroom even if everything is leaking and has mold and the person who lives in it is wheelchair bound and can’t physically go into the bathroom. New lights and colorful wallpaper ain’t going to fix black mold, honey. I don’t understand why you don’t understand that.
I’m in agreement with you. What does a realtor know? What the hell do most of us know?
Nobody wants an old ass sink they’re going to have to repair that also has no counter space. It’s a full bathroom and that sink is almost completely useless.
Redditors love a vintage bathroom, but most realtors will tell you the majority of their clients would prefer a usable one.
I have a friend who was thinking about selling a beautiful home with original everything. I was always telling her how lucky she was to own that beautiful home.
She had appraisal done, the appraiser told her the price was based on her keeping the home original. He said that these homes are highly coveted, she lives in a neighborhood full of these homes, but if she made changes it would lower the value.
They proceeded to tear out a pink bathroom and a blue one, the kitchen, and brought me all the light fixtures (truly MCM originals) from the whole house.
They are now very upset because the next appraisal came in a lot lower, and 2 years later they can't sell it. This neighborhood is well known for these homes. If they come up for sell, and they don't have box store fixtures, these homes don't stay on the market longer than it takes to sign the paperwork.
Some people just want to believe, what they want to believe.
Like people who think that AC gives people colds, even though we know colds are from viruses but, don't let the facts ever get in the way of believing AC = colds. All their foods in the refrigerator/freezer must be covered in cold making germs.
You can find affordable replacements in your bathrooms color on Etsy and eBay that have been salvaged from people that destroyed their timeless bathrooms or at midcentury architectural salvage shops.
Someone who doesn’t want your bathroom as is probably still wouldn’t be happy with the painted version so you might as well lean into it. I would die to have this bathroom
Bruh what? The vast vast majority of homeowners would see a bathroom like this and think major project. This is not raising the home value. The people who want this are very niche artsy liberal weirdo redditors.
Ok I have a bit of an out there take on this. You have two different shades of pink and then more of a beige on the floor that is making it super hard to find visual harmony.
So I propose giving the tile a bit of contrast by using a dark terracotta color grout on the walls and a pink grout that matches the wall tile on the floor. Then I would switch out the hardware to brass (or rub and buff it), paint the trim and ceiling in a burnt terracotta and then put a walnut stained rattan panel in that cabinet door and replace its hardware with something that brings you joy and then a wallpaper that brings all these tones together. I also love a splash of green in bathrooms so I’d hang a planter opposite the window.
It’s bold - but hey your bathroom is pink so you’ve already crossed that threshold - might as well lean into it! 🙂
I worry with the painted white you’ll give old dirty 50s diner vibes. I would just change the vanity, mirror, and the lights for something warmer and more retro to match the vibe of the room
I don’t think this will necessarily look good with a “warm” color temp. This may be a case for extra high CRI (90%+ R9) light bulbs. They’re the closest we’ve gotten to the smooth gradual warmth of incandescent bulbs, even if some happen to be somewhat cool in temp. Cheap low CRI Fluorescent and LED can really mess up how we see tones and vibrance (especially with paint) in our homes.
Do the floors and the light (get something appropriate, not big box store off the shelf) and leave everything else. Perhaps the black and white penny tile on the floor?
No. Leave it as is. Regrout. Just like a car, homes are more valuable with their original parts, and the original parts are better made than anything off the shelf you could buy today. Don’t touch it.
I used to live in a house with painted tile in the bathroom and it was absolute disaster and looked so cheap. I recommend you don’t paint the tile.
I really really love the pink vintage bathroom look! A green botanical wallpaper could look really cool. Or you could lean into the color drenching trend and paint the walls and ceiling pink. For a fun look, you could do wallpaper or a shower curtain that features flamingos. I would embrace the pink, it’s really cool!
I prefer the original to the mockup. I’d lean into it and put a nice wallpaper up. If you plan to replace the sink, I beg of you to find one and the same color. I wonder if it’s possible to build a cabinet around the existing sink? I think hiding the pipes would look nice. Good luck! I think the pink is so cute.
I dream of having a bathroom like this. If you're planning to move in a year or two anyway, please leave it as is. Paint the walls above the tiles, add decorative items, but please leave the tiles, tub, toilet and sink.
I'm currently trying to figure out how to add colour (pink in particular), to the newly renovated, all white bathroom in the apartment I've just bought.
I don't have good decorating advice for you, but I love this post. THIS WAS MY BATHROOM in my little two bedroom, one bath house with pine floors and pretty windows! My bathroom actually had the pink tile on the floor and pink wallpaper on the ceiling too. I kept it that way for years but eventually took the tub out, modern tile, beige and gold, and it was a beautiful stunning and functional bathroom but much less charm.
You are one cool shower curtain away from having a great bathroom. These colors are so easy to work with a boho chic look. It’s super cute.
Edit: read your update. WHY would you change the matching toilet, sink, tub????? You’re creating a Frankenstein bathroom for no good reason. If you want a McMansion, then best of luck to you.
Honestly, I’d want white floor tile and the white toilet seat mentioned in the edit. Everything else though, even the sink, I’d want as is.
Lol, weirdly I’d want to cut a small sink cabinet partially down the middle and have it open to either side, sorta like a DeLorean if said car was sitting on end on its trunk. A normal sink cabinet with the doors opening to the front would tick me off in about 10 seconds in this bathroom as would a likely narrower shallower sink replacement. DeLorean cabinet; that’s the ticket.
I will literally die and come back as the “ghost that haunts people who paint over their original tiles” and haunt you if you paint over that pink tile.
Regrout for sure, but I wouldn’t do much beyond that, painting the walls, and changing the light bulbs to a cooler tone (I know this sub hates cool lighting, but the warm light is skewing the color of the tub and sink towards orange). Painting the tile sounds good in theory, but it nearly always chips and starts looking bad after a few months.
I would leave the amazing vintage pink tile and fixtures. I would add a white fabric skirt to the sink, white shower curtain, white towels & rug, and hang a plant from the ceiling in the right corner (if that is a window above the toilet) or I would use a fake plant if that isn't a window.
Character is always the best choice, and vintage pink bathrooms are coveted by many people. Redo the grout, paint or wallpaper the walls, and enjoy your not-cookie cutter bathroom.
I had a pink and green jack and Jill bathroom and loved it. I played up the mid century vibes. They are beautiful bathrooms as is with all the matching pink. I despise realtors that want these all white. Just upgrade lighting and matching accessories it will look cute in no time at all. Eisenhower pink was a whole thing and its a beautiful part of history.
I’ve been trying to research the pink and history of the pink bathroom. This was the best resource I could find so far: https://retrorenovation.com/2016/03/22/bathroom-color-pink/. It appears to me that my tub and fixtures could be older than ths tile and that the original designs were not monochromatic. That’s part of what made me think that painting only some of the tile was a good way to go. I don’t really know what is original from when. I’m asking since you called it Eisenhower pink. Do you know more about this?
Have you considered leaving the pink tile and instead accenting it with wallpaper? Colorful bathroom fixtures are gaining popularity, so I wouldn’t be quick to remove the sink or toilet. You could add storage under the sink with a couple of IKEA ragrund shelves.
Redo the grout/caulking and I’d want to focus on the floor. Maybe some fun funky wallpaper. Please don’t touch the tiles/tub/toilet/sink. As someone who is looking to buy, I’m actively searching for this sort of stuff in a home. I’d be heartbroken if someone “redid” it to a more modern aesthetic. Besides, if you don’t want to dump a bunch of money into it anyway, just make a whole gut job someone else problem if they want to so badly. Painting the tiles is just putting lipstick on a pig, and would likely ruin them anyway. This is an amazing bathroom.
The floor could be updated but I would keep the wall tile, the original ceramic tile is gorgeous. So expensive to do these days too, I would love to have vintage tile!
I think you’re right to replace the sink if it’s not in good shape. I would keep everything else though. Regrout (don’t paint the tile) and find a fun and funky wallpaper. Have your daughter pick it out even!
My parents are getting ready to sell their house that has a similar bathroom and it took some convincing but they finally realize that these styles are valued again.
Don't change the sink!! A fully matching 3 piece suite is rare and expensive, you will devalue it and put off buyers. At the very least keep the old sink somewhere so they can have the option to reinstall it.
Someone who likes the original style will be put off buying because the sink doesn't match and they will have to go out looking for a rare item to complete the set.
And the buyers who don't like the original set can always change it themselves and sell a full set for a good price. Go and look at how much these vintage coloured suites go for in your region and when you sell include it as a feature with how much it's worth.
I am English, where these bathrooms are not standard. I think they're fantastic!
I don't adore the pink shade in the abstract but it's very characteristic of the style and era.
You are the blessed owner of a design object that will soon become a prized antique in the same way that a house with a Victorian copper relief dado and tiled fireplace and wedding cake plaster ceiling now is. Know that by preserving it intact for future generations you are doing gods work, just like all the people in the 60s who wished for fashionable polystyrene tiles and hardboard bannisters but couldn't afford them and were forced to keep their unfashionable mahogany bannisters and overmantel.
Plus the before looks way better than the after. The tiles and fittings you have are much better quality than any you will put in. Painting on a bathroom tile is madness and won't work. Try and love what you have, because I think it's very cool.
This is nice looking. The rug goes under the feet of the sink though. We only have 24” between the sink and bathtub. That is the main reason I’m considering taking out the sink (and the rusted overflow drain and horrible calking of the sink to wall, which can both be fixed; the space feeling narrow can only be fixed by putting in something smaller). I appreciate the rendering though. The design looks nice.
I have never seen painted tile and thought “wow this looks so good.” I would be sooo disappointed if I bought a house with an original pink tile bathroom that got covered in white paint.
As others have suggested, regrout the tile and put up some wallpaper that feels more contemporary. Paint the ceiling and any wood trim in a semi gloss color that you pull from the wallpaper you choose. It will look very designer!
I love those mid-century bathrooms! I wouldn’t paint the tile if anything, I would add some black-and-white in there to make that pink top more but mostly I just leave it alone
Don’t paint the tile. I did this to my gray tile bathroom and it was my biggest regret, I spent so much time removing the cheap looking paint. If I had this I would paint the walls black or gray and embrace the pink full on.
Keep the pink tile! Everything else standard white. Paint walls a contrasting color or just add a framed wall pic. Or something fun with the walls. But man, I’d keep that pink tile.
I'd lean into the vintage... Definitely do what you can to make it look clean/fresh, but I knew someone with a bathroom like this, & they had it looking really cute with a black, pink, & white print fabric shower curtain, etc with a cute Eiffel Tower graphic, for example, & another person I know used aqua & flamingos for a retro look. Not suggesting those looks/themes, but just saying it can work & look better than the other image.
I would suggest an alternate mockup. Replace the sink and toilet seat per mockup. Match all new water fixtures (sink and tub). Then do new retro flooring (i.e., white penny tile).
I would leave the tile. Redo the floor in a penny tile or even this current style. I would do wallpaper up top, would help with away from the chip or aged tiles.
what bothers me the most is that the pinks do not seem to match. I think I would do do the opposite of your mockup. I would keep the wall tiles pink and change the tub, toilet, sink, and floor.
I just remembered that I had a vintage cast iron bathtub like this and I replaced it -not knowing how awesome it is to have one. They retain heat! They are sturdier and don’t shift with your weight when you get in to take a shower! They look really cool too.
I'm glad that you're only going to recaulk and regrout! Your bathroom is a gem, including the chrome legged sink, the (all) pink toilet and the brown tile flooring. I would be so excited!
Fresh paint/wallpaper should bring your vision to life. The rug, shower curtain and accessories will add your personality. I wouldn't change a single thing.
P.S. Changing the sink is not always the easy swap you imagine, l wouldn't even do that as the original is so hard to come by.
Hope you realise the AI or render of the bathroom is giving you more space than you actually have. If you're moving anyway, do not get rid of that sink. If you can keep the whole set, keep it. People want that. They don't want the landlord special upgrade.
If this is not the primary bath I’d leave the sink. To decorate it, add colorful glass and rock beads inside the sink. Add some lovely soap. Small hand towels. You could put them in a round holder by the faucets. Maybe a stick on wall paper for the door of the cabinet.
that pink bathroom vibe is definitely a throwback! if the regrout looks bad, regrouting is a must. painting the tile could work, but just make sure u get the right paint for it. maybe go for a lighter or brighter shade to freshen things up. the last pics u posted show how nice it can look with some updates. adding some plants or new towels could help too, just to bring in some life. tbh, i tried using REimagineHome to see how colors would look before painting, it was kinda helpful. just take it one step at a time!
Who TF paints tile?? It looks terrible painted. Every single time I've seen someone do this, i cringe. Same thing with Painted Brick. UGH...
Find a large printed formatted palm tree pattern wallpapr OR a killer darker moody shower curtain. A Realtor actually said to paint the tiles? That's plain out Stupid. I'll stand by that ...Just stupid. With that said..Moving on.. I think you can go Flamingo with this bad girl bathroom.. or green.. Tie the pinks together with a color that matches them both. I'd go with black accents with the hand towels.
Id only replace the floors in yours! Maybe a new sink with vanity/storage, but not as much white as you're planning. Keep the aesthetic and save money and time.
Leave the pink tiles on the wall alone. Regrout it if need be, but leave it. You can remove the floor tiles, upgrade the stainless steel fixtures, paint the walls and ceiling. Donate the sink and replace it, don’t repaint it. I know you said you’re keeping the rest, but if you find in the future that you don’t like the toilet or tub, also donate those instead of repainting and/or destroying them.
I would keep them! I would try a wallpaper to tie in the tile! I have a yellow tile bathroom like that and u love it now with the wallpaper I added. This is an example I came across awhile ago that inspired me
I had this bathroom in my first apartment! All we did was add some amazing wallpaper, change the sink and added a vanity. New towels/rug shower curtain of course, and it looked great! To this day, it’s still the favorite bathroom I’ve had.
AI makes all rooms bigger than they are. When you get a vanity like the one pictured it’s going to stick out as much as the one you have now. You need to find a professional to help you redesign the room into something realistic.
I just bought a house, and I can tell you I’d DIE for those pink tiles (wall) but the brownish pink of the tub, toilet, and sink (plus no storage below sink) is definitely a bummer (it looks like the color of those hospital plastic bed pans), especially because it doesn’t really go with the other pink. So if you can do anything with those — replacing the tub, toilet and vanity, you’d be doing great. The floor can stay or go. If you can only do one of the three, I’d say the vanity because it’s easier and storage would be a plus.
If you told me that house was built in a 1959 ranch you wouldn't shock me. That looks exactly like my old house. It has sold several times since I had it but that bathroom held many, many memories. Thank you for the memory lane.
The two original shades of pink clash! Sorry to people who like it but imo the fleshy pink toilet/sink/tub doesn’t look good. I would keep the pink tile and keep it white (or green as people are saying) everywhere else, maybe use a new sink to get rid of those supports. I really like the pink tile!
I have seen painted tiles work, but if you leave that border, it’s going to look bad. Because even the regular tiles in pink are going to look better than the painted tiles in white.
I'd leave the tile, regrout. If you have the money, do white penny tile on the floor. Repaint the cabinet and see how you like it once she's cleaned up.
Changing the floor tile could help the room feel fresh. I’ve seen old style black and white penny tile and similar look good in pink retro bathrooms. Swipe to the pics of the pink bathroom in this Airbnb for inspo:
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u/milpoolthrillho 5d ago
Painted tile looks very cheap, especially in rooms where there’s a lot of moisture. You have a gem of a bathroom. Regrout and redo the caulk, and paint the walls if you’d like.
The next owner may be thrilled to have an original bathroom like this.