Bungalow Bathrooms by Jane Powell and Linda Svendsen

After repeatedly reading about Jane Powell and Linda Svendsen's book  Bungalow Bathrooms I finally got a copy of the book. It should more accurately be called Period Bathrooms because it follows bathroom design from the late 1899's to the 1940's. The pictures show a variety of colorful bathrooms as well as your standard white bathrooms. The bathroom has not changed much over time hence which is why you can find these early bathrooms still in use today in many older homes in the United States. If you have one of these bathrooms keep them and embrace them. If you have a bathroom from the 1960's to 1990's I strongly encourage you to incorporate elements of period bathroom styles because they are classic, durable, attractive, easy to maintain.

Probably the largest money saving option you can do is to tile the shower/bath combination all the way up to the ceiling. Don't leave a wall watch of 12 to 24 inches above the wall tile, this will create two surfaces for you to maintain. When your shower head starts leaking and spraying all over you will be glad you did this. The shower won't know its only supposed to spray the tile. For this reason it is also a good idea to tile the ceiling of the shower and a few feet outside the shower.

Of course, the most tenant proof way would be to tile the entire bathroom the floor, baseboards, wall and ceiling. A good tile job can last a lifetime. This can save you hours of your time in painting and replacing damaged walls and damaged linoleum. It will cost money up front but save you time and money over the long run. Money you can get back, your time once used is gone forever. What do you want to spend your time doing? Wouldn't you rather be doing something you really enjoy rather than repairing ceilings, walls and floor in your bathroom? I sure would. Here are some examples of tiled shower ceilings. Most of these are probably more elaborate then needed but they provide inspiration. To make it appealing to more people I would stick with white subway tile and thin black trim accent pieces. Black, white and gray don't go out of style.