Toilet Replacement

I have been spending some time looking at new toilets, trying to find something that might be appropriate for use in a mid-century bathroom.  I am perfectly happy with the pink Universal Rundle in my bathroom, but I am aware that some people would probably like the efficiency of a new model toilet with a design appropriate for a mid-century bath.  Pam over at Retro Renovation (see the link in my blogroll) has done several toilet posts in the past.

Today, while looking at new toilets online, I found that, in my opinion, new toilets are hideous.  Almost every model that I saw was overly curvy, with rounded tanks that all looked the same.  No individuality there.  The toilets that I found that were vintage styled were all Victorian type styles, also not appropriate.  My goal in this search: find a new toilet with a square shaped tank that had visual proportions to balance out the bowl.  In all of my searching I found one toilet that I feel may be appropriate.

Meet the Eljer Savoy.  I feel like the lines of this toilet would work well for a mid-century feeling.  At least I don't think it would stick out like a sore thumb.  It doesn't have a lot of detailing, which made toilets from the 1950s and 1960s so interesting, but it also lacks a rounded tank and has a simple, clean design. 

According to the Eljer website it has the following features:

• 1.6 Gallons (6 Liters) of Water Per Flush

• Available in Elongated-Rim and Plain-Rim

• Close-Coupled, Two-Piece Toilet

• Siphon Vortex Bowl and Shelf-Top Tank

• Fully Glazed 2" Trapway

• 12" Rough-In

My favorite feature?  The estimated list price is $138 - $168.  You can see Eljer's website and more pictures of it here.

The toilet really reminds me of the American Standard pictured below.  American Standard must have made this toilet for many years, as I see it in homes from the 1960s, 1970s, and my 1981 mobile home that I owned in college before buying the Cul-de-sac Shack even had a toilet like this in it.

My Favorite Mid-Century Cars

Long before I had any interest in mid-century architecture and house design, I was in love with the car.  I must have 3 or 4 paper boxes (you know, the kind that multiple reams of paper are shipped in) full of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars.  I am still to this day fascinated with cars.

My absolute favorite car of all times, from as early as I can remember, to this day, is the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.  I loved it all, the expansive grill, the sleek lines, and the amazing tail fins.  I still dream of one day owning one of these cars.  I would really like a 2 door hardtop, but I would be perfectly happy with a plain 4 door post.

Being a car fanatic from an early age (my grandfather was a mechanic in his younger days and a shop manager for the local GM dealership in his older days), I was obsessed.  We could be driving down the road at night and I could identify almost any car by it's tail lights.

I also have always wanted an original Volkswagen Beetle.  I loved this little car from the time that I got hooked on the Walt Disney Herbie movies, The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, and Herbie Goes Bananas.  With a personality like that, who wouldn't want one?

As I was approaching my sixteenth birthday back in the mid-late 1990's, I began looking for a vintage car for my first vehicle.  What I found was a 1970 Chevrolet Caprice 4 door hardtop (no post between the windows in the front and back door, so that when the windows were rolled down, you had a complete open space from the A pillar to the C pillar).  This car was owned by the second owner, who purchased it when it was only one year old.  This Gobi Beige beauty had around 60,000 original miles, a dark gold vinyl roof, brocade cloth interior in gold, and fender skirts (the ultimate sign of luxury).  She also sported a 400 cubic inch Chevrolet small block V8 (remember when engine displacement was listed in cubic inches instead of this ridiculous idea of liters?) with a Turbo Hydramatic 400 transmission.   I bought it from the son of the second owner, who was selling it because his mother had Alzheimer's and so the family took the car away from her.  I even named her - Grizelda, from the Monkees' song "Your Auntie Grizelda."  

I still have this car, but it has been sitting for a few years, and I am beginning to think that I may just need to sell her to someone who can love her and enjoy her.

Sorry for the light post today, it has been a really hectic few days for me, and it may be that way for a few more days.  Hopefully tomorrow will have a more in-depth post.

Post Topics

I have a list of numerous topics to cover on the blog, from things I own, to things that were important in mid-century design, but occasionally I come up blank.  The things on the list in front of me don't interest me at the moment.  Sometimes I would like to know what you, my readers, are interested in, so that I may occasionally post on a topic you have requested.  If you have a topic that you would like me to post on, please add it in the comments below.  I won't make any guarantees that I will make a post on your topic, but if it strikes my interest, you never know.

Plastic Wall Tile

While I was working on replacing the tub surround in my bathroom back in September, I discovered the imprint from the back of the wall tile was still on the wall on the old adhesive that was never removed.  I learned that my house originally had plastic wall tile in the bathroom, with the name "Monarch" on them.  I know from previous residents of my house that these tiles were pink to match the fixtures.  Since making this discovery, I have been searching, but have yet to find a company which is still manufacturing this tile in the US.  I have, however, found a company that makes plastic wall tile panels, unfortunately they are located in the UK, and I have no idea if they ship internationally.

Even though the tiles come in panels, they look like individual tiles.  Much like installing sheets of mosaic ceramic tile.  The price on them seems reasonable enough, once you convert from pounds to dollars, the price is in the $14.75 to $19.66 range, at today's exchange rate.  They come in either 4 or 6 sheets of tile per pack.

The company name is Neken and you can view their website here.  The following is an excerpt from their website:

"Fabriform Neken was founded in 1959 and the family business has been making their Unique Insulating Plastic Wall Tile Panel since 1964!

The tiles were first developed to answer the problems of walls running with condensation and they are still wholly manufactured in the UK.

With new metallic shades for the tiles and contemporary designs for the transfers and Tex Tiles the range has developed with each passing year to reflect fashions and consumers ideas.

Neken Tiles offer distinct advantages over traditional ceramic tiling for the DIY enthusiast. They are lightweight yet very durable, flexible and easy to cut with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife. The insulating back dramatically reduces condensation on the tiled surface and is always warm to the touch."

Here are some of their products, looks like they offer some colors that would be great for a mid-century bathroom.  I am especially fond of the marble patterned tile, and the pink shade looks perfect for that pink bathroom you might want to recreate.

 

Does anybody know of an American source for plastic wall tile?

Vintage Vacuums

I've been thinking a lot about vintage vacuums, not sure why.  I can think of three vacuums that were in my family growing up, and can see them clearly in my mind as I write this.

Above photo from Sew-Vac

My parents had, and still use a Rainbow model D4.  I loved watching the water swirl around in this thing when using it growing up.  The movement made it so much cooler to vacuum the floor.  Another plus with this system was that it didn't have a bag to mess with, and it really did do a good job getting all of that dog hair out of the carpet.  Apparently the water also filtered the air coming back out of it, as well.  Rainbow Vacuum

Above photo from Vintage Microwave

My grandma on my mother's side had an upright Hoover that must have been from the 1960's.  It was a big beige thing with a plastic or vinyl zippered sack for holding the bag, a real metal handle, and a heavy metal base / cleaning head.  It had a light on the front, I remember thinking that was so cool to see the light come on when the vacuum was turned on.  I must have been easily amused.  This thing weighed a ton.  Grandma eventually got rid of it to get something lighter and easier to use.  I'm not sure what ever happened to it, but I sure wish I had it today.  Grandma probably does too...she's gone through three or four upright vacuums since she stopped using that old Hoover.  They really don't make them like they used to.  Hoover

Above photo from Vacuum Service Center

My grandma on my father's side used a classic Electrolux canister vacuum.  It was really neat with the colored metal on the canister, it had such a neat shape also.  She eventually had to quit using it when a mouse got into her storage closet and chewed through the hose for it.  Electrolux

Above photo from GoodVac.com

My vacuum of choice is a Rainbow, much like I grew up with.  Mine is a little older than my parent's, it's the model before theirs, a D3.  It does an amazing job.  I got it at a garage sale of an older lady who said that it quit working, so she gave it to me for free...attachments and all.  She told me that she was sure that if her husband were still alive he could have fixed it, but she just bought a new vacuum and wanted to get rid of this one.  I took it home, took it apart, cleaned it up, reset the motor in the cleaning head, and it works like new!  The only part I needed to buy was a $6 clip that keeps the vacuum attached to the water canister.

So, what is your vintage vacuum of choice?

Please note that I have no affiliation with the above manufactures or businesses, and my mentioning of their brand names should not be taken as an endorsement in any way.  If you are interested in their products, please follow the links provided to see their product lines.

More Vintage Glasses

Here are the glasses that I found on my spur-of-the-moment antique / flea market shopping spree last week.  First is this set of six glasses.  They have a great mid-century feel to them and the bright colors really make them more fun and interesting.  Judging by the design, I would say they are mid-century, but they are in such great shape that the may be newer.  Maybe they were just a set that was put away and never got used.  Anyway, the tag on them called them "sea anemone" which I think is correct for the design.  I got all six glasses for $5.

Next, I found this pair of fun glasses, appropriate for this time of the year, with the falling leaf design.  The leaves are turquoise, white, and the bottom one is hard to see, but it is black.  Each glass has three frosted panels with three leaves on it.  I really like the way the glass is frosted around the leaves, it makes them stand out even more.  Two glasses for $1.50.

Last, but not least, is this fun glass that practically screams "mid-century!"  The atomic(?) design is so much fun, and the turquoise and gold really go well together.  This poor little guy was all by himself, the lone survivor.  He was the most expensive of them all, $1.

Happy Halloween!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Pam at Retro Renovation inspired me to create a great Monster Mash of my family.  See my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law and me do the Mash!