Vintage?

It is sometimes hard to decipher if an item that is original to an older home is something integral to its character, or just plain ugly. Our decisions about an item can change over time, too. Something we find hideously offensive at one point in time, a decade later can be appealing and stylish. Pair the item with something from another decade and of poor quality...like let's say an 80's faux wood grain vanity... and one can be all the more ready to throw out the baby with the bath tile.

I knew when we were making the initial decisions about the scope of work on our project house, that less is more. Less disturbed is less money needlessly spent. Also, items that were in keeping with the style and era of the 1950's structure should be kept in place. The bathroom above's tile was original, and thankfully it was in great shape. Could it be paired with new items that would make it look intentional and beautiful in a house that needed to appeal to a 2011 buyer?

After taking out all the vinyl and particle board, one still had to wonder....

I guess it can be said it is all about the company we keep. With a new ceramic tile floor that brightened the room and made sense with the era of the house, a wall color that resonates and complements, charming new fixtures and hardware,  the vintage mid-century tile now can shine.

AND I could not believe my luck when I found the PERFECT shower curtain to compliment the room at HomeGoods. Wow.

I am happy to know that the a piece of the original history of the house will remain intact....hopefully for another 61 years or more.