Save the pink bathrooms!
As I was putting together photos and text for our annual Best Bath Before & Afters reader remodels this year, I noticed more than a few before baths in that much-maligned hue pink. Insanely popular in the middle of the last century, these "Mamie Pink" baths are now a dying a breed with modern remodelers actively gutting them without hesitation. Honestly, I have trouble looking at these baths without cringing, but as an old house aficionado, I have to wonder, will we ever look at these relics of the past with nostalgia or even appreciation? After all, there was time when fireplaces and hardwood floors were covered up because they were considered old fashioned and dated, despite the fact both are now selling points. The Save the Pink Bathrooms blog has taken up this issue, urging people to preserve their pink baths and offering up tips for doing so. What do you think? Are these retro baths worth saving or should they all be left to the sledge hammer?
Posted by Jennifer Brite | Categories: Kitchen & Bath | Permalink
(1) Comments
Hi Jennifer!
I was so glad to read you comment -- I feel the same way! The first house we bought was a 1956 rambler with a pink bathroom. When I first saw it with the frilly pink shower curtains and window treatments, I thought it was horrible. But once all that was gone and we complemented the pink with blue and tan hues, it was nice. Then we had a 1950 bungalow with a really pretty pink bathroom, and I loved that. Same treatment -- and it was great. But I fear the current owners will rip all this out to put in some drab dark brown tile -- just to discover 10 years down the road that their bathroom is "dated"... Honestly, the whole concept of "dated" is all wrong. You cannot possibly remodel your whole house every 10 years to match the current fashion. When I first looked at our current house, I was put off by the colorful carpet in the basement...until I saw very similar rugs in the latest sales catalogs. Go figure!
So we decided to fix what needs fixing and paint what needs painting, but never mind the concept of "updating"...it is just temporary. I want permanent.