Standing in one of these bathrooms, you realize that you are contemplating a Gesamtkunstwerka total work of art. The other fixtures, those necessary accessories – the soap dish, the cup holder, the towel holder, the toilet paper holder – are also glazed.
![toilet paper holder stand toilet paper holder stand](https://media.kingstonbrass.com/wp-content/uploads/20171118014535/CC2015-1.jpg)
But in some bathrooms, the tiling extends from surface to surface, covering the walls and floor, allowing the bathroom itself to stretch out, a stand-alone shower to separate from the tub, each with its own arched tiled niches. There is usually only a tiled counter and a tub. Bathrooms often come in colors you no longer see – a quirky pop of pink or mint – with contrasting trim and sometimes even a few hand-painted pieces in the mix. The specific character of these historic Los Angeles bathrooms shines through in the features – what has been preserved.
#Toilet paper holder stand series#
Mine was part of its “Skyscraper” series from the 1930s, a time in design when even wall-mounted heaters could have Art Deco aspirations. Wall-mounted heaters of this variety were first introduced by Thermador in the 1920s. The bathroom had the same thin, horizontal tile detail that looks both completely superfluous yet very intentional, the same antique recessed wall heater with exposed electric coils that looks like a safety hazard but works like a charm. The second time I saw such a bathroom was in what would become my own apartment – this time, peach tile with gray borders.
![toilet paper holder stand toilet paper holder stand](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/afcd0f82-55ee-4fe9-b300-7e4b4bf4c9e2_1.049c307264d90f77379858c3ce0f9825.jpeg)
“The bathroom is the second most remodeled room in a home after the kitchen, so it’s always a surprise - and a thrill - to find an untouched historic bathroom,” writes Krystal Chang. With its pale yellow tiling and shiny black trim, an old mirrored medicine cabinet with a slot to toss razor blades in the back, it seemed to be sui generisidiosyncratic and perfectly suited to my intense but cold Scorpio sister. It was the first one I had ever seen that I didn’t know existed after growing up in a country house in the Valley (818 forever!), a place with this kind of history and character belonged to another world.
![toilet paper holder stand toilet paper holder stand](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0205/6572/products/Toliet_Paper_Holder_Stand_With_Storage1_1024x1024@2x.jpg)
My sister’s bathroom is one of those mid-century ceramic tile relics, the kind that still exist all over Los Angeles, hiding inside stucco apartments and modest bungalows, in Spanish-style villas and Hollywood Regency mansions. And yet, the bathroom is the second most remodeled room in a home after the kitchen, so it’s always a surprise – and a thrill – to find an untouched historic bathroom. An essential place of unspeakable – in many ways its purpose is clear, unchanging. Read the whole issue here.Īn original bathroom is a rare species. This story is part of Image issue 11, “Renovation”, where we explore the architecture of everyday life – and what it would be like to tear it all down.