Vintage Bathroom Renovation

Let’s talk about how we gave a vintage 1960’s bathroom a modern look on a budget and without demo.

When we moved into our 1965 brick ranch, I basically knew what I wanted each room to look like and how much demo it would require to get us there. Well, all but one. The master bath had me stumped. The light blue and white tiles covering the floor and shower were in great shape, but I just didn’t know what to do with it. The big question was…how do I modernize 1965 light blue tile?

It took me 3 years to figure it out, and 11 months of hard work, but I think I was able to bring it up to date with the rest of the house.

Sources at the end of the post.

The plan for a no-demo bathroom reno

For this reno I wanted to replace the small vanity, the toilet definitely needed to go, and the old medicine cabinet would be replaced with a mirror. We also needed to remove the old baseboard heater and thermostat, add an exhaust fan, an electrical outlet and lighting over the vanity. The old tile also needed a good scrubbing and new caulk. Lots and lots of caulk.

I really wanted to hang some wallpaper on the top half of the walls and bead board on the bottom. Fresh white paint would also help brighten up this L-shaped small space.

If you want to read more about the reno and the progress, the real nitty gritty, then check out my post, here.

Picking up where we left off…

Plumbing issues and toilet and vanity installation

After the tiling, painting, cleaning and wallpaper install, we were ready to tackle the plumbing. The bathroom had the original toilet, which was on the small side, and short, so an upgrade was in order. What we saw when we removed the old toilet was pretty concerning. It quickly put a stop to our reno.

The pipe that goes under the house was sticking up unusually high. After a quick trip to the crawlspace we figured out the issue…The floor had no support under the toilet and over the years, it had sunk several inches, which caused the pipe to sit higher than normal.

Lucky for us that none of the tiles cracked and the shower remained intact.

To fix the issue we had to shore up the floor under the bathroom and cut the plumbing pipe down so we could install the new toilet.

Once that was done we could proceed with the installation of the lighting, mirror and new vanity. The old vanity was ok but too big for this tiny space. I wanted something that had a bit more surface area and it needed to be the right size so you could get to the toilet without having to shimmy past it.

I found the perfect piece, it’s just 19″ wide, and it has enough storage for a few essentials.

The lighting over the vanity is also a new addition. There was only a singular ceiling light before so installing lighting, and a much needed electrical outlet, brought this bathroom from the 60’s to 2026. There were no outlets in this space so we definitely needed one.

Last but not least was the decor…

A vintage mirror now hangs where the old medicine cabinet was, artwork was hung above the toilet and, to soften the space, ticking stripe cafe curtains on the window and a pretty rug were also added

I kept things interesting in this small space by mixing the metals. The faucet, toilet paper holder and vanity hardware are polished nickel and the lighting, towel hooks and curtain rod are antique brass.

I really love this space now! It’s not a shiny new modern bathroom but it’s polished and pretty and fits the vibe of the rest of our house. I’m so glad we kept the tile intact.

The hallway bathroom though??? That space will be getting a complete redo.

Sources

• vanity
• mirror – vintage
• wallpaper
• faucet
• vanity light
• stool – vintage
• toilet paper holder
• mini cordless black lamp