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Tile of the 1940s: Modernism, Economy, and New Materials The Evolution of Colored Bathroom Fixtures.During the Great Depression, subway tiling continued and often was paired with bold Art Deco-inspired geometric decorations like pencil borders, hexagonal accent tiles, or caps in a contrasting color.
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If your home is graced with these tiles, by all means work to save them, restore them, and honor them.Īn array of 3-D tiles made their debut during this time, too, and could feature wave patterns, rolls, or ridges, adding interest to finished walls. These tiles could be handmade, or just made to look so, and were often square, slightly irregular, and set with a wider grout line.Ī Tudor home of the 1930s might have a bathroom with tiles depicting Viking ships or goldfish, or a stunning Spanish-style frieze. In Bungalow Bathrooms, author Jane Powell points out that the use of art tiles in bathrooms was actually not found during the golden age of the Arts & Crafts movement (1900-1920), but became part of 1930s bath design. Many current owners will delight in having something interesting to preserve, while others find the color trends of past periods challenging as they contend with pink-, burgundy-, and lavender-tiled bathrooms.
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These decades brought color to bathrooms, with pastel subway tile making its debut in the late 1920s and bolder Art Deco-inspired colors arriving in the ’30s. Joseph Hilliard 1920s & 1930s: Colored and Textured Tile The clean lines and excellent materials from this first part of the 20th century are a classic design statement that still resonates today.Ī powder room in a 1930 Mediterranean Revival house makes a colorful tile statement. If your original tiles have long gone missing and you can’t pin down what first appeared on your walls, you can almost never go wrong with a plain white bathroom. White 3×6 subway tiles matched with a white pedestal or wall-mounted sink are period appropriate to any home built between 19 (6×6 tiles were sometimes used as well). White tiles made the dirt easier to see, and thus eradicate. The turn-of-the-century fad for all-white bathrooms was borne out of the Victorian notion that dirt harbored germs. The good news for anyone living in any style of home built in the early 20th century is that the current popularity of subway tiles, specifically white ones, fits your home. The master bath in A 1912 house designed by Addison Mizner sports a classic white subway tile wainscot. Isn’t that what old-house ownership is about? 1900-1920: Classic White Tile And for 10 years I’ve resisted, trying to better understand and appreciate my original bathrooms. For 10 years, everyone has told me to rip out all of the tile and put in something gorgeous, spa-like, contemporary, and sleek. My two 1940s bathrooms, which can only be described as “early gas station,” have white 4×4 square ceramic tile around each of their tubs-how boring can you get? But I’ve learned to love the simplicity of my white tiles, Art Deco tubs, and leaky snub-nosed sink. And as any devotee of old houses knows, tiles matched to the era of the house will never go out of style, unlike modern “updates” that are in fashion today but will appear dated 10 years from now.Ĭonsider original tile to be part of the bones of the house, and learn to appreciate what you’ve got. This is rash for bathrooms built during the 20th century, many of which are functional and quirkily attractive to this day. But some become insecure in the face of nonstop advice doled out by real-estate agents, renovation contractors, and even preservation societies-that bathrooms are fair game for updating, no matter what the time period of the house. Original bathroom tile should be a delight to the old-house enthusiast. A bathroom in a 1928 American Standard catalog is radiant with brightly colored tile.