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(ARA) - In design, as in life, what goes around comes around. Every style follows a cycle: in, out and in again. Designs are revised, refined and updated with the latest technology. As each generation discovers the pleasures of the past, what’s old becomes new again. Bathroom design is no exception to this rule. Minimalism and eclecticism are popular. But the vintage look is also “in” for bathrooms, taking its style cues from the Art Deco era of the 1920s and 1930s. The Treasure Hunt: Creating Vintage Bathrooms
Creating period-style bathrooms poses its own set of challenges. Whether the bath of your dreams is Art Deco or another style, you must first find appropriate vintage fittings and fixtures, or those that look like the originals. Consider this first phase as the treasure hunt because you’ll be poking through salvage yards and searching the Internet for original elements such as tubs, sinks, mirrors and hardware. Once you’ve found them, most vintage fittings must be retrofitted to meet today’s codes and standards. In addition, you’ll probably want to refinish many of these pieces. Some signs of time’s passage may be appealing, but chipped enamel or yellowing porcelain is not.
New Fixtures, Vintage Look
Luckily, today’s homeowners have many options if they don’t want to spend the time and effort pursuing and upgrading vintage fixtures. Some companies have resurrected models first introduced in the 1920s and 1930s. Others, such as Porcher, offer designs that feature up-to-the-minute functional features wrapped in period-style packages. Porcher’s Calla II Suite features refined shapes and beveled edges recalling themes from the Art Deco style of the 1930s. Adding modern conveniences, the Calla 6-foot oval whirlpool features StayClean technology that helps reduce the time needed to clean and increases the time spent enjoying the relaxing experience.
A Splash of Art Deco Color
American bathrooms of the 1920s and 1930s reflected our growing obsession with cleanliness. Until late in the 1920s, bathroom walls were tiled with subway-style rectangular tiles in bright, glossy white. With the emergence of Art Deco, color flooded the bath. Square, smooth porcelain tiles with a high-gloss glaze in bright white, soft pink or a shade of green generally lined the walls, along with lavender, plum and everything in between. Black trim pieces added a thin accent line usually about halfway up the wall. Floor tiles, often featuring a black-and-white mosaic border or checkerboard pattern, were often hexagonal or octagonal rather than square. You’ll have no trouble finding tiles to meet your needs, and you can use more than the above-mentioned colors just like the Art Deco decorators. Just remember: Crisp corners and white grout are period-appropriate musts.
Fittings, Finishings and Furniture: The Final Touch
Beyond finding the right fixtures, colors and tiles, fittings are another important element in recreating an Art Deco bathroom. The common, garden variety of this era sported four arms; the fashionable, fancy version featured a five-pronged “star.” These styles remain popular, and models with updated inner workings are widely available in many finishes including chrome, porcelain and enamel.
Built-ins, such as storage and medicine chests, are another distinctive characteristic of the vintage bath, as are towel bars attached to the sink and ornamental ceiling fixtures and sconces in frosted glass or metals. Restored lighting fixtures and frosted glass reproductions provide many choices. And don’t forget light dimmers, which allow you to convert your everyday bath into a romantic retreat.
Bathroom furniture was created as early as the 18th century to help consumers hide the unmentionables in high style. If you’re working on a bath with an Art Deco feel, you might consider one or all of the pieces in Porcher’s Calla II Suite, which puts a modern spin on vintage furniture with a pedestal sink top built into a cherry-finish cabinet with pull-out drawer and shelf space.
Whether you’re restoring an old house or building a new home, any period styles provide a wonderful source of inspiration for designing the bath. If you want to create an authentic look, you can research, find and restore vintage pieces. You also can find vintage styles in new, at-the-ready bathroom fixtures. The resources are endless, and the rules are flexible. Either way, you won’t have a problem making what’s old new again in your bath.
Courtesy of ARA Content
