apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Please leave the originals! Why does everyone have to renovate everything. Can't we just restore? I would kill for an orinal 1930s bathroom.

I completely agree. Improve it but don't ruin it.

I get upset when I see people distroying the character of 1930's bathrooms and kitchens but I guess as a homeowner, that's your choice.

The tile thing is completely your choice. I don't know your personal style so I can't tell you what is right.

Marble and glass would be very sleek and shiney. Is that your style?

I like the look of a rougher stone like travertine with glass tile. The contrast of texture is nice and softens it up a bit.

Again, it's your house. You can't go wrong if you like it.

I agree that you should try to keep the originals. It makes me sad whenever I go to an old house and see renovations that destroy the character of the home. Maybe at the very least you could save the tiles you rip out so someone else or future homeowners could use them?

Maybe his 80 year old bathroom isn't in the greatest condition and restoring it would be more cost than updating it?

I really like the green mosaic. I've seen Marble and glass together before and it looks really sharp. However, the marble was more tumbled than polished. Not sure if that's the look you're going for.

I am all for preservation in certain situations, but do not find it sad that someone wants to update a very old bathroom. For all we know the 1930's update was a remodel itself, and this home is not historical.

I like the marble and glass tiles, however a photo of the specific bathroom would be most helpful to say if it would work or not. Best of luck!

Pooja, good luck on your bathroom renovation, I envy you! And I think most people would agree that just because it's original doesn't mean it was thoughtfully designed or executed well. And like you there are some color-schemes I could never live with, original or no. I live in a rather cheaply made 1960s townhouse and there certainly isn't anything worth preserving here, even though the floor plan and kitchen units are definitely original.

We have a half bath that we are anxious to re-do, although it's going to be a while. Pedestal sinks are our preference but we are sorely lacking in storage so we would have to have a vanity, albeit a shallow one. If you don't need storage I would say go for the pedestal sink. I think your choice of marble for the floors is great, and if I were to add glass I think I might stick to the same color family for longevity.

If you are going to do marble on the floor, my advice would be make sure it's not super polished and slippery. Think about a more honed finish to prevent falls.

Since it's small and is a shower only, what about a "wet room" with pebble tile, or teak deck flooring. no lip to the shower, just the drainage.

Agree with 20/21...it doesn't make sense to have a monolithic reverence for all things "vintage," without much context.

I do like the teak idea...What were you thinking in terms of walls, outside of a tiled border?

ChristineBadina, Rachel Abrams, I do appreciate your thoughts, but it's just not our style. lhedden21, I do like your idea of giving the tiles/fixtures to someone who might be able to use them in their home/apartment.

Thanga, not sure yet. I have been browsing the web and flipping through design magazines for inspiration. I fear that in such a small bathroom--5'x7'--marble tiles up the walls and into the shower might be too much. But I am really not sure, which is why I threw the question out here. This is our first rennovation ever and we want to get it right (or at least to something we want to live with for 5 years).

if this isn't your final home i strongly suggest keeping it relatively simple. i know it isn't right to always think about resale as you have to use and love it while you are living there but while you will get a lot of the money you put in back with kitchen and bath renovations you won't get all of it if you go crazy with high end tile and whatnot. however, if you are ok with that then who cares and do whatever you love! i find that keeping simple with the things like tile really end up giving you more flexibility over the long haul because you can change paint colors and accessories and have a whole different feel but you aren't going to change the tile on a whim. i think the mosaic tile pictured above is beautiful and would give you a lot of options down the road. whatever you chose good luck!

We have a small bathroom. Our landlord redid it and put tiles everywhere...floor to walls going into the shower except the ceiling. It sure does keep it easy and very clean. What I don't like...I can't add any storage to the wall since it has tiles. So make sure if you do it, to put in towel bars and toothbrush holders and stuff before you tile the wall. Bathroom is not our style but I worked with the tile and it's the neatest, cleanest looking rental bathroom we ever lived in.

IIn my opinion, if you have a small bathroom I'd stick to either marble or glass mosaic. Together they remind me of all of those HGTV bathroom renovation shows.
It looks really cool when an entire small room is done in mosaic (although it's pretty expensive). On the other hand, if you like neutrals, I'd go for the marble.
If you house is from the 1930s, have you thought about subway tile? You could do it in all white to make it more modern, and it would be keeping with the style of the house. I live in Seattle, and realtors here always say to stick with the original style of the house because it's what people want to see. In the end, though, it's really what makes you happy.

Beadboard is nice with a pedestal sink--extend it to well above sink height and top it with a small shelf for toiletries. It may be painted any color, and provides a warm accent with all the masonry. Don't worry about marble floors being slippery, but anything acidic dulls the finish immediately. I'd do granite.

if you plan on reselling someday, I recommend to keep it neutral and stay away from mosaic tiles-- they can be a bit hard to clean and not everyone's style.

If it's an old bathroom with awkward floor design, large tiles on the floor in a cream, beige, or neutral grey might make the room bigger and cleaner looking. Also, less grout in hard to reach places is definitely a plus when it comes to cleaning. That's what I'm considering for mine. good luck!

Please keep in mind that the smaller the tiles, the more grout you'll have to clean. I think that mosaics are gorgeous, but if there's some kind of way to keep the mosaics in a place that they're going to give you more visual bang with less of the kind of wear and tear that can get them dirty, you'll be better off.

By the way, I love 1930's bathrooms, and actually have one, but I can certainly understand how you (as well as some of my fellow "cooperaters" in my building) might not like them.

The lesson to learn, though, from how it is right now, is that the more specific the colors, the less likely that someone else down the line will love it as much as you do. If you're planning on staying for a very long time, do it as tailored to your own tastes as you like. But if you suspect that you'll be inclined to sell pretty soon, stay neutral.