Vintage Bathrooms Guest Post

I am excited to have Sue Jason, from My Bathrooms, guest post today!  She has some beautiful ideas for decorating your vintage bathroom.  Take it away Sue!

Hi my name is Sue Jason and I am a blogger at My-bathrooms blog. I have a passion for sharing ideas which include home improvement and decor.

Vintage Bathroom Decor Ideas

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Victorian elegance and solidity speak to the better values of that time, good craftsmanship, pride in work and an attractive and pleasant appearance. Rework your bathroom into a classic retro beauty with some of the following touches of Victoriana.

Ornate Mirror

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Your bathroom mirror is almost always going to be one of the main focal points of your bathroom (another is the tub), and as such, it should always be one of the first bathroom features to incorporate the overall theme of the room. Victorian mirrors were large and beautifully polished, with curlicue edges and intricate carvings. Look for plenty of solid wood and gold effect for a rich and opulent air. Bellacor have very versatile collection of Victorian mirrors online.

The Tub

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A freestanding claw-footed tub of generous size, with a roll-top for authenticity is one bathroom feature that is sadly lacking in many modern bathrooms. There is something truly decadent and thoroughly enjoyable about being able to lounge full-length in a hot bath; having a proper soak! Find a genuine old bath at property sales, salvage yards and auctions, and then place it in the middle of the room to give it the status that it deserves. Try to create the impression that it is newly installed; perhaps into a space for which it was not planned to fit – as many were in those times when running water and plumbing in general were modern miracles of technology!

New Use for Old Furniture

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It is an easy matter to repurpose a pretty Victorian table as a vanity in the bathroom. Team this lovely and delicate piece of furniture with an old-fashioned mirror to add a timeless atmosphere to even the most modern bathroom. This beautiful piece is as timeless as those old classics and would be perfect to team with a repurposed table.

Retro Extras

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Keep your eyes peeled at car boot sales, auctions and estate clearances. You sometimes find beautiful, if somewhat unkempt treasures, like intricate wrought-iron chairs or old-style wash boards, which you can clean up and repaint, transforming them into a seat for the bathroom plants (or home to a pile of freshly ironed thick towels) or for use as towel or face-cloth rail.

Vintage Vignettes

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Create an authentic impression by using genuine Victorian washing accessories. Before bathrooms became common, each room contained a jug and basin, with the third, more unsavory piece, the chamber pot, usually tucked discreetly under the bed! Find a wash-room set and place it in your bathroom to fill up an empty space and add an air of true Victoriana to your bathroom.

Color Your Way

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Your colors are important too, as Victorian facilities tended to be white, muted cream or eggshell with mere touches of duck-egg blue, and sage green. Occasionally ornately patterned wallpaper would be employed in the bathroom, but this was a sign of expensive taste as wallpaper was not as cheaply available as it is today, and there was little in the way of waterproofing techniques to keep the paper firmly affixed to the wall! If you want to go for wall paneling do visit My Bathrooms, they have wall paneling accessories at very reasonable prices.  

Thank you Sue for some great ideas for creating a vintage look in our bathrooms.  I'm loving that first photo idea for a double vanity. Since we will be gutting, enlarging and remodeling our main bath soon, I am always on the lookout for ideas!