bidcentury modern bathroom inspo header

Midcentury Mod Bathroom Ideas

Joe and I are working together for the first time (outside our own house) on a bathroom remodel. He’s done a handful of bathroom projects now, so I thought I’d lend a hand and get in on the action. He affectionately refers to me as his Project Manager. Which has quickly escalated to having allll the design ideas.

Current Bathroom

This client has a midcentury home in Minnetonka with a mother-in-law suite above the garage which they rent out. The main objective: Repair the rotting floor and subfloor to make this unit rentable again.

midecentury modern bathroom remodel mood board ideas DIY

green sink green toilet midecentury modern bathroom remodel mood board ideas DIY

midecentury modern bathroom remodel mood board ideas DIY green toilet

midecentury modern bathroom remodel mood board ideas DIY green tub

As you can see this bathroom is snug, so the challenge is to update it, make it flow efficiently and keep things simple and clean, in the words of the homeowner. Click for close-ups.

Design Inspiration Mood Board

We haven’t even begun yet; we’ve only gotten the green light to work on the bathroom so we’re still in the dreaming phase. Obviously we’ll be working with the homeowners as a team, but we’ve been tasked to quote out material costs, so we have been shopping around already and getting ideas. I feel like this space has been speaking to me, and here’s what it’s saying.

midecentury modern bathroom remodel mood board ideas DIY

Why Make a Mood Board?

Making a mood board can be a great way to get inspiration and curate a collection of your favorite styles. For me, it takes all the thoughts floating around and literally pins them down. I gathered ideas from Pinterest, bloglovin, Instagram and all across the interwebs. I didn’t search “midcentury modern vanities” or have any concrete notions at first, I just pulled together images that I was naturally drawn to for this space and the result is this midcentury modern feel. Inductive Design™. It can help put words and images to ideas. Sometimes you don’t know what you like until you see it, like a word on the tip of your tongue. And then ah ha! You start to see these common themes when you pull them together in a mood board. We’re going to bounce some of these ideas off the client and see what they have in mind. Maybe they will have the same ah-ha moment.

Wish List & Recommendations

So again, if Leah (that’s me, I don’t try to talk in the third person but it just happened) was promoted from Project Manager to Design Lead Extraordinaire, here’s what I’d have on my wishlist for this bathroom.

Subway Tile Shower ✔️ We already know they like this. It’s affordable, clean and classic.
Penny Tile Floor and/or backsplash – At $3.99 per square foot, it could be more affordable than laminate, plus it’s great for small spaces like this one.
Keep it Green – At least the tub, for now. I know there’s an easy way to paint these old cast iron tubs white, which is what the client may be leaning toward. That would look fantastic too, I’m just such a sap for this mint green. I say we try it first and it can always be painted later on.

That’s it! I would probably go with brass fixtures, but we’ll see how it flows. I also have strong feeling about mirror and lighting ideas from the mood board, but that’s the fun stuff for later. For now, we need to rip out the floor, get them a new energy-efficient toilet, remove the old vanity and gut the shower.

The Hunt

I’m also scouring stores for a perfect midcentury bathroom vanity. We may be able to custom make one from a dresser. Here’s what I’ve found so far:

vanity option metal rustic

Too farmhouse.

vanity

Could strip and restain. Too small?

sink

This could be very interesting with a custom-built vanity

penny tile

Close up of some penny tile (minus the grout).

Action Steps

It’s going to be a lot of work but I’m excited! It’s a great space with a ton of potential. We want to do a good job for this client and give them the renting income ability again. They mentioned wanting to rent it out to a single mother which would be so great. As a rental unit, you never know who will be living there. So I feel mid-century modern is 100% gender-neutral. But if they do decide on a woman renting there, we can glam it up in subtle ways. I feel these design choices are affordable, have clean lines, and will last for years to come. It fits the vibe and time-period of the home and neighborhood.

I’ll keep ya posted!

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