Antique Bathroom Wall Designs

Designing an antique bathroom can be both exciting and challenging. If you are looking for an authentic vintage design, research old photographs for period wall designs might be your first stop.

Wall Paper

One of the wall designs that was popular in Victorian homes was the use of wall paper. Prior to the industrial revolution, wall paper was often handmade. However, with the advent of the ability to mechanically produce wall paper, this form of wall decoration became extremely popular as a way to decorate walls creatively.

Wainscoting

Wainscoting has been used for many, many years in bathrooms and other rooms. Wainscoting carpentry panels are set halfway up the wall and nailed in place and usually are completed with a chair rail to distinguish and complete the transition to the upper part of the wall, which was usually painted or covered with wall paper.

Paint

The standard for most walls is simple paint. In the past, paint colors did not usually vary very much and standard white walls were common because it was the most available paint color. White-washed walls over hand plaster were often livened with the use of beautiful wall pocket vases, light fixtures and mirrors.

Choosing a Design

The key to choosing an appropriate and beautiful wall design for your antique bathroom is to make sure that it complements the overall bathroom aesthetic. For example, if you are planning an art deco bathroom with clean lines reminiscent of the 1930s, you would not want to choose a glaringly contemporary modern wall paper with splashes of bright colors.

If available, look through old photographs or even old home decorating magazines from the period you are interested in duplicating in your own antique bathroom. If these sources are not available, then look at current magazines that specialize in the particular style you have in mind. For example, "Victoriana" is a magazine that focuses on decorating styles of the Victorian period. Often, you can conduct an Internet search on the antique period style and bathroom decorating ideas and find many sources for not only decorating ideas, but even the fixtures and other items you may need for your bathroom
remodeling project.

Putting Elements Together

An antique bathroom should have a cohesive design that includes all of the elements of the bathroom. This includes integrating fixtures like the toilet, shower and bathtub. Also, consider what kind of vanity and sink design will go with the antique design you have chosen. Lighting fixtures are often the piece that draws everything together and the wall design is integral to the lighting design. Accessories like towel racks, paper holders, shelving and other items also are details that will bring everything together.

Designing an antique bathroom means putting all of the appropriate elements together to create a cohesive design statement. When choosing a wall design, first picture the overall feeling you are attempting to create, then choose other elements like fixtures that will compliment the period, like tub, sink and other fixtures.