Retro Bathroom Blue & Yellow Tiles Makeover Ideas

Create a new look for your vintage bathroom.

The retro look of bold brights and colorful pastels that dotted the mid-20th century design landscape may feel outdated in the contemporary home. Makeover a vintage color palette such as blue and yellow tile with a few simple touches to modernize the room and make the most of your existing decor.

Add White Accents

Adding a fresh coat of white paint to the spaces around your bold blues and yellows creates an updated, modern look. If you are looking to makeover your retro bathroom without spending the time or money to remove all of the vintage tile-work, choose a pale shade of white in a glossy sheen to create contrast. Accent your paint with a set of white hand towels and other decorative bathroom items such as porcelain cups, toothbrush holders or soap dishes.

Keep it Vintage

Making over your retro bathroom does not have to mean that you completely give up on the vintage feel the room already has. Embrace a mid-century blue and yellow tile scheme and create a space that complements the colors in a period way. The 1950s were a time of bold shades and bright hues. Instead of hiding your bold blues and canary yellows, keep them as a central focus and swap out some of the older decor. Paint the walls a slightly different hue that picks up one of the colors in your tile. For example, choose a baby blue or mellow yellow. Add in a funky vintage-inspired shower curtain with a retro pattern and a shag bath mat to complete the look. For a truly retro look, look for matching colors of blue or yellow fixtures.

Dramatic Contrasts

Create a sense of drama in your retro-style bathroom by adding contrasting colors to your blue and yellow tile scheme. Makeover your room in a few simple steps by adding a bold paint color, new fixtures and cool accents. Instead of an overly matching blue or yellow paint, opt for an outrageous orange or ruby red to make a theatrical statement. Choose fixtures that are equally as bold, such as a sleek black sink or even a decorated toilet. Some fixture manufacturers design decorator tanks with colorful patterns, pictures and designs that make an eclectic statement.

Tile Patterns

Although it may be tempting to completely makeover your bathroom with a fresh look or color palette, try building on the existing design. If you have simple blue and yellow tiles on the walls or inside a shower stall, add a punch to the room with patterned flooring. Choose matching blues and yellows and create a geometric mosaic or alternating pattern. Look for other stand-out design options, such as a decorative mosaic border using glass tiles along the existing ones, or add a third color for visual interest and contrast.