Tour of the Bathroom

Eastlake Victorian is a very small house, under 1200 sq. ft. And we only have one bathroom! Unless you count this monstrosity in the basement:

Our bathroom was added onto the house probably around the turn of the 20th century. It's 7' x 7-1/2'. The bathroom is attached to our parlor and has 3 exterior walls, and a full basement underneath.

For the most part, I like our bathroom. It's good enough for the two of us. I also like the fact that it's white, because the rest of the first floor is going to be darker. The Victorians liked white bathrooms because it gave a sanitary appearance.

Eventually, I'll remove the peel-and-stick flooring. I would love a hardwood floor, but I don't know if that's practical for a bathroom. And it depends what kind of floor is beneath the vinyl. If it's in bad shape, I might want to use those little hexagon floor tiles.

The sink and toilet are in good shape. I recently put a new fixture on the sink. The tub is another story! It's an acrylic jetted tub with a shower, but the surround is plastic and is all cracked. I'm not going to show you, it's so gross! I'll need to tear out the wallboard because the plastic is glued to it. Then I would like to tile those walls, probably using white subway tiles. I've already purchased the fixtures. What I would REALLY want would be an iron claw foot tub, but that's just not practical. The tub needs to be a shower, too, and I don't want to run a shower curtain all the way around the tub.

I purchased our washstand several years ago. I think it's just perfect for the bathroom! I found the pitcher and matching bowl years later. Washstands like these were typically found in bedrooms, where people washed up. The large door at the bottom held the chamber pot. This piece of furniture is also known as a commode, but we prefer to call it a washstand. It's great for extra storage.

On the washstand is a photo of my great-grandma, taken in 1911. She's the one on the right, with one of her sisters on the left. She died when I was 15.

The bathroom used to have a cheap plastic medicine cabinet over the sink, but I replaced it with a beautiful Eastlake mirror. I think the mirror adds a lot to the room!

I also love this pretty latticed shelf. We usually decorate it with items for whatever holiday is coming up. A mustache cup sits on top, while pretty boxes and other knick-knacks fill the two shelves.

The walls are decorated with pictures and other decorative items.

I decided a couple years ago that the bathroom would be a great showcase for some of the beautiful antique cat photographs I've collected! I think they look sweet in the white frames.

Somebody made this little shelf out of an old Eastlake piece and painted it off-white. I think it fits right in!

I decided I needed an enclosed area to display some of my antique packaging and old glass bottles, so I bought this hinged glass box at Hobby Lobby and added a shelf in the middle. I think it looks a bit like a medicine cabinet. The back is lined with padded canvas, so I can pin things up inside, too!



On the back of the toilet sits my fairy candle holder, clock and off-white vase. In the summer, I like to cut fragrant flowers from the garden for use in the bathroom, like this rugosa rose!

The bathroom also contains a linen closet, not shown. Other than the floor and the tub surround (and possibly a new tub), I am happy with my bathroom. I would probably like a window that opens. And I'll definitely replace the door with a solid oak one someday. I was also kicking around the idea of white beadboard halfway up the walls. Also, if I had my way, the bathroom would be down a hallway and not right off the living quarters. But we have no hallways, foyers or vestibules in the house! It's a very strange layout for sure.

Thank you for coming along on the tour. Any suggestions are welcome!