Another Bathroom Bites The Dust

[pulltostart]

This bathroom can't be very old - certainly not old enough to qualify as "vintage" - but it's all for sale, so I guess someone is "upgrading" the bathroom.  Really high-end Kohler fixtures, although I'm not fond of the color, but it does look nice with the black tile.

 

$800

 

Pensacola, FL

 

lawrence

http://https//pensacola.craigslist.org/app/d/kohler-bathroom-sink-toilet/6493075137.html

 

[rp2813]

Those faucet knobs look like space-age spurs!

 

I'm getting too old for a low-boy commode.  ADA height is more my speed these days.

 

[circlew]

The color appears to be "Mexican Sand", which is a current offering, but has been available since 1970. I imagine the bathroom is from the 80's.

 

[funktionalart]

I'm one of those who covets Kohler fixtures of the 60s through 80s. Grew up with the stuff. Pricey and always attractive. Now if this set was in Kohler's Tiger Lily glaze (reddish orange), I'd be running after it all!

 

[vacerator]

Yep,

it's Mexican sand. Discontinued I think, early last decade. Not sure. The toilet is a Kohler Rialto or San Raphael, still available only in white I think, and pricey.
They have a less costly one piece low tank similar in all colors called the San Soucci.
No flush assist bladder to go bad either.
The tub is a Kohler Mendota in cast iron. I put one in my first house in tender grey. Weighed about 300 lbs. Now also only comes in white or almond. That and the Villager are their only apron cast iron models now.
The sink is the "chardonay" also hisotry, as are the "Bravura" faucets. I always liked those. Remind me of gears. Ceramic disk valving and solid brass construction.
I had the "Alterna" square faucets like in the magazine add photo. I did that bath in 1990, so this one could even be from the 80's.
We have all newer Kohler in our house again, except the kitchen sink. It's a Franke quarts from the UK. The Elkay I had ordered never came in. We got tired of waiting to have the counter tops fabricated.

 

[philcobendixduo]

I recognized that tub....

....as the "Mendota" model as we had one (except L.H. drain) in a new home my parents had built in Minnesota in 1969. It was a turquoise color along with the toilet and sink and the counter top and tile was black. Very striking color combination but it was hard keeping the black water spot free - especially with the mineral-laden well water that we had.

Coincidentally, we moved into the new home from a rental in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

Sadly, no pictures of the bathroom except in my memory....

 

[funktionalart]

Kohler's Turquoise...

Bill, In a house I'm looking at buying, is a Kohler Rochelle toilet and matching tub in what might be the same colour you mention. It's called New Orleans Blue...circa 1969-early 80s. Long, long discontinued....

 

[vacerator]

Mexican sand

is still available.
Yes, the Rochelle toilet was a 70's contemporary model made through the 90's I think. My sister in laws 70's built house had raspberry puree ones, and a yellow Kohler Trieste kitchen sink, The disposer was between the two main basins.
Also yellow Frigidaire GM wall ovens and cook top. Dark Mediteranian cabinets with door gong pulls. You'd never imagine it looked that way today. They gutted it in the 90's and put in Shrock maple cabinets and black appliances, a hardwood floor and eliminated the formal dining room for an open concept with a large island.

 

[circlew]

Yes, Mexican Sand is available on selected products, but I don't think on any cast iron items any longer. However, there may be un-cataloged items. When I worked at an Eljer distributor in the early 90's we could get certain "no longer listed" items by contacting the factory rep. For example, my co-worker sold a kitchen sink to someone (a well-known Cincinnati Bengal, no less) in a color that was only for bath fixtures. We called the rep, and he contacted the factory, and they were able to do a "special", as the sinks were enameled in the same plant as the cast iron tubs and bath sinks. There was a hefty upcharge involved, but the customer agreed to it.

 

[pulltostart]

Another Kohler

Ft. Walton Beach, FL  $20

 

Not Tiger Lily, but definitely a bold color.

 

lawrence

http://https//okaloosa.craigslist.org/app/d/porcelain-sink/6510597899.html

 

[vacerator]

That is the

Ladies lavatory basin. The hole on the left is for a spray head for shampooing hair. A slightly larger men's Lavatory was also made, no spray head hole.
There is a new man's Lav. made today, cast iron, either as a self rimming, or under mount.
According to my 2017 Kohler full line counter catalogue, there is no pinkish color currently. I think that one was called "innocent blush". They also had a deep red, as well as the raspberry puree.
However, more than two cast iron bath tubs are still made. Belweather, Birthday bath claw foot, Dynametric- it's very retro mid century, Iron works, Highbridge, Memoirs, tea for two, a "soisson's" drop in, Seaforth, mendota, vintage, and villager. A few can even be jetted.
In addition to their acrylic tubs, choices abound in the Kohler tradition.
We removed our master bath tub, and got a Kohler Salient cast iron shower base.
It also has the etched in non slip surface. Depth of color in cast iron is better than acrylic, or even vitreous china. Cast iron also keeps bath water warmer.

 

[philcobendixduo]

Allen - the Kohler fixtures....

.....were more like this color. So long ago, I don't remember what it was called. Wish I still had the Kohler catalog that it was selected from.

The other bathroom in that house had avocado green toilet and sink (no tub in that bathroom).

 

[vacerator]

seafoam green, or turquoise?

Farmington lav basin or Larkspur.
They have a similar shaded color called vapour green today.

 

[circlew]

The Lady Vanity lav shown is probably in "Pink Champagne", which was in their color selection from '73 -'79.

 

[twintubdexter]

I'm going to eventually run out of all my stories...

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">Those Kohler one piece toilets were very pricey. The Orchard Supply Hardware stores had a number of them in stock when California changed the state law...and it was very wise move for the state...where retailers could no longer sell toilets that used more than 1.6 gallons per flush.  The Kohler Rialto one-piece did. The tank actually included the hallow part around the bowl. We took markdowns which brought the price to about $20 bucks in order to liquidate them before the law came into effect. I kind of remember at the end most of what was left was black.</span>

 

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">And Ralph, I hear you about getting too old to practically sit on the floor to use the toilet. Back when I was a plumbing buyer at OSH, higher toilets weren't very popular, probably because they were universally called "handicapped". Today, "comfort" or "chair-height" sounds more pleasing.  </span>

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Something my ex-Brother-In-Law's too Heavy for, too!

If I'm not mistaken, my sister & what's now my ex-brother-inlaw's house had that toilet as well as the sink and even a shower cabinet in their own private bathroom, right in the bedroom, done in a light gray...

One thing the toilet was not immune to was cracks along the inner-front of the bowl from the top to down where the drain around there begins (prompting us wondering what could have been "dumped" in there?) so a replacement which was a conventional toilet in white (and actually via the Hebrew Free Loan) and later updating the sink & even modernizing the shower, which did away with the tiki design of the vanity & other accents in that bathroom, to a more 21st Century décor...

-- Dave

 

[spacepig]

Lawrence

Look at this beauty in Mobile. https://mobile.craigslist.org/for/d/green-bathroom-sink/6467856133.html

 

[tigerliliy]

What should I do with my tiger lily?

Hi, I have one of the sinks mentioned above, and which "functionalart" posted the Kohler advertisement of. It's in the photo, it's the Kohler mens lav grooming center in tiger lily. It has all the fixtures and brass "alterna" faucets.

I bought it from someone who had it in their attic. I was going to install it--now I'm not sure. It's almost an antique--and has never been installed.

What should I do with it? It's lovely, I don't want to waste it.

 

[kalanikaau1]

The toilet is definitely a Kohler San Rafael, when my Father remodeled the master bath in our home in '81 he wanted to match the existing American-Standard Neo-Angle bathtub finished in a hideous green with a new toilet, he was unsuccessful.

Instead I persuaded him to ditch the bathtub and to go with dark gray fixtures instead, as a result he bought a San Raphael one piece in what Kohler called "Storm" with a matching lavatory.

If I am not mistaken the toilet is a 3 gallon flush, it cost an obscene $800 back then and still is in use.

My 92 year old Mother still uses the bathroom, however I am looking to replace it with a "chair height" toilet instead, the only new "low flush" toilet I am considering is a Toto, all the other offerings, A/S and Kohler included are "crappy"...