How to make dated tile work + two bathroom mood boards

February 24, 2022

When my parents asked me to help with updates for two of the bathrooms in their home (one upstairs, the other down) and shared that they’d be keeping their original 1960s tile and plumbing, our happy challenge became finding the right pieces to complement and even accentuate what seemed an eyesore.

Some older tile and plumbing are actually quite beautiful, but even my mom will admit that theirs aren’t quite there. The main floor bathroom features a brownish- maroon ceramic tile in the shower and peach-colored bathtub and toilet, and the upstairs, a forest green tile with turquoise tub and toilet.

The remaining elements are quite neutral or easily neutralized, but the tile and plumbing make quite a statement. Our job is to clarify what they’re saying. For situations like these, when we are working with limits (budget, existing space and features, rental rules, etc.), here are some steps to crafting a space that works.

Identify the “problem.”

These likely differ for some of us. We all have one or two little things that drive us batty, that we can’t see around. For my parents, it is their tile and plumbing. For others, it might be an ill-placed air vent. Try to discern what’s troubling you and separate it mentally from the space.

Mentally add it back into the space.

Give it some dignity. Acknowledge the good that it does (or tries to do).

Ask yourself—Can it become the center of your design?

This may be more or less possible depending on what it is. In our case, bright colored tile and plumbing can easily determine the other bathroom pieces and accessories. Smaller “problem pieces” may remain peripheral. Still, the goal is to find how it can contribute to the whole. For example, can the oddly placed air vent be recovered and included in a gallery wall?

Look for pieces that complement it (and that you love!).

Build the room.

My experience has its own limits, but it seems to me that oftentimes the ugly ducklings of a room are just birds who haven’t been given a home. If we’re not in a position to create something totally new, we can at least (maybe even preferably) give new life to what’s already here.

The designs for my parents’ bathrooms center around their dated finishes, making them the determiners of color scheme, textile, and mood. Using the color wheel as a guide, we paired the maroon tile of their downstairs bath with dark blue and accents of gold and green. Similarly, for upstairs, we paired the green finishes with apricot and accents of gold and black. The characteristics which seemed out of place now have a place to belong.

As fun as it is to design a room from scratch, working with existing elements can breed a whole other kind of creativity and a beauty that we couldn’t have planned for.

I look forward to sharing how these designs play out in real life. We’re likely to encounter a few obstacles as the pieces come together, but I’m hopeful! What do you think?