A bath is a bath right? Wrong! There are so many different bath tubs out there – from free standing to corner, to shorter lengths to a standard not to mention all the various tap choices. Add on the different shapes of sinks too – well it can be hard to decide which one to choose when trying to create a vintage bathroom. Or even a modern bathroom for that matter!
We are in the process of ripping out a very dated 1960s bathroom suite, hating it’s pale blue colour. It has taken us so long to do (about 6 years to be exact) that coloured bathrooms have come back into fashion and I am beginning to regret taking it out! However, blue bath tub aside, we are now starting to choose the suite that is right for us and our love of mid century design.
Our house is 1920s but our favoured era is the 1960s so it is my plan to create a bathroom that nods to both. I am planning to base the whole room around the colours in the Tretchikoff painting Mrs Wong which will hang on one wall – pink, gold and green.
The 1920s bathroom suite
When you design a bathroom with the 1920s in mind you need to think glamour. Free standing baths were still in most houses due to most not having money to replace the Victorian or Edwardian styles that were there already. There is something so glam about sinking into a roll top bath that was pretty standard at the time isn’t there?
Art Deco design was all the rage with geometric, angular shapes so for this era, choose a sink with a square shape and team with taps with a cross shape handle. Choose the same style for your bath and add a large shower head. These look more in keeping compared to the Victorian pillar tap version.
I love these freestanding bathtubs from Royal Bathrooms and personally I would paint one in a strong colour such as emerald green or a dark navy. You can also spray the feet if you wish to in a copper although I love the black finish (another popular colour of the time). To make it look more vintage I would distress it with a clever paint effect or even cover it in a gold leaf like this amazing one by Annie Sloan.
1920s bathroom tiles
The best tile to choose for this era is a classic Metro rectangle tile which can be found in any tile shop as these are what they would have had at the time. Rather than choosing all white, why not choose an olive green colour (we have these in our downstairs bathroom) or maybe edge the whole area with a black Metro tile. They also look great hung in a zig zag position rather than just horizontal and adds a more modern feel to it.
Personally I am looking for hexagon shaped tiles for our new space and plan to not square off the top line for added detail. I may even end up choosing a floor tile for the wall!
1920s bathroom accessories
Finish off the space with smaller details adding to the vintage feel. Consider choosing a vintage mirror such as one that hangs on a metal chain from the 1920s/30s – in fact why not hang more than one? I am planning on hanging a few plus mixing in some vintage handheld mirrors too.
Choose high shine chrome accessories to match your taps with a geometric shape to hang your towels and toilet roll. The perfect radiator would be an old fashioned cast iron one but these are often costly so instead consider choosing a chrome towel rail.
1920s bathroom lighting
I always find bathroom lighting hard to choose as often it looks so modern – and it needs to follow the UK regulations. The great news for 1920s fans is that there are some reproduction lights that work really well such as high shine wall lights.
I really cannot wait to get started on the last room in our home, and have so many ideas! I am longing for wallpaper too (I am thinking tropical lush leaves) and am threatening to paint the bath pink but I reckon my husband will have something to say about that!
Do share what your bathroom looks like? is it vintage or have you stayed modern?
This is a brand collaboration with Bathroom Luxuries.
