Green Avocado Bathrooms – Why they’re a new trend Posted on July 25, 2022September 8, 2024 By Becky Okay. I have a confession to make. My name is Becky and I’m actually the biggest fan of avocado green bathrooms. Why you may ask? So much so, that when we were thinking about how to design the new en-suite bathroom in our loft room several years ago, I found myself Googling ‘avocado green bathroom suites for sale’, and scouring the Ebay listings for them (you’ll be surprised, or maybe, unsurprised, at just how many there are out there, and all going for a relatively reasonable price!). Liking a challenge, and thinking outside the box a bit when it came to our new bathroom design, I saw no reason why we perhaps couldn’t make one work, and not just work, but make it totally super-stylish too. In fact, the only reasons we didn’t go for an avocado suite in the end, is a combination of time (we had a wedding to plan and no time to go and physically investigate and check out the quality of any online finds), and practicality (we had a small, very specific space to play with, and our builders said it would be quite complicated to measure up and fit well). Of course you’re likely to have seen an avocado suite in maybe a grandparent’s old house, (or maybe even owned one when you’ve been lucky enough to have purchased or inherited a ‘do-er upper’ property). The distinctive dark, avocado shades were all the rage in the 1960s and ’70s, as part of the larger mid-century modern style that pervaded home décor, fashion and pop culture of the era. After the predominantly sterile and white bathrooms of the 1930s and ’40s, this bolder, earthier, nature-inspired take on home décor was a refreshing shift in tone. In the bathroom, this meant avocado green sinks, toilets, bathtubs and tiles. Other colours in this vein – harvest gold, burnt orange, pink – became commonly used in bathroom décor and for coloured suites. Decades later, as interior design tastes changed, avocado bathrooms (among other remnants of this style) fell out of favour. To many, they seemed like nothing more than an outdated – albeit tolerable – relic from the ’60s and ’70s. However, in today’s increasingly popular retro aesthetic, avocado bathrooms with their fetching green toilet, bath and basin, are an unexpectedly popular nostalgic touch. Home renovators and decorators in the 2020s are embracing retro mid-century modern style, but also paying homage to these classic fixtures that symbolise the era. Don’t get me wrong, these avocado bathroom suites, in a beige tile and carpet floor setting MING (there’s a lot to be said for leaving some elements of the 70s behind), but if you look objectively, why shouldn’t such a coloured bathroom suite, complete with avocado basins, work in a new bathroom with slick subway tiles, modern toilet seats, carefully chosen accessories, and more modern, neutral flooring? Why should everything be white, white, white? And it’s not just a modern avocado green bathroom that I rather like- there are some great, retro-inspired (and reclaimed) bright pink bathrooms about. Quite possibly one of my favourite website names ever, Brokenbog.com, stocks a plethora of long-forgotten retro beauties just waiting to be given their chance to shine once more. “Combined with pastel colours alongside simple, bronze bathroom fixtures, green tiles or white tiles and fittings, these bathrooms can often show a look of timelessness whilst still being unique,” comments Ruban Selvanayagam of RICS surveying quotes provider Property Solvers. I did a little browsing of the coloured and avocado bathroom options available of the internet, and with that in mind, here are some of my favourite retro-bathroom looks- all hail the people brave enough to really ‘go for it’ when it comes to championing the ugly duckling of the bathroom world, avocado bathroom suites! What do you think? Do you reckon you could ever use a retro suite and turn it into a modern avocado green bathroom suite for your home?! Liked looking at avocado bathroom suites? See some more of my home and interiors posts here! Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestTumblrEmailPrintLinkedIn Interiors Advice avocadoavocado bathrooms
Interiors Advice My Home Style – Edition 7 Posted on June 8, 2015August 29, 2023 Morning! Today, as a special treat, I have a bumper crop of fabulous home inspiration from that time wasting-vortex that is Instagram! Due to being so busy (you can read my mind dump on this if you wish!), I have been off Instagram more than is usual, so imagine my… Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestTumblrEmailPrintLinkedIn Read More
Interiors Advice Ideas for Boosting Your Home’s Kerb Appeal Posted on February 1, 2024July 29, 2024 Boosting your home’s kerb appeal is not just about making a good first impression; it’s about creating a lasting one. Whether you’re looking to sell your property or simply want to be the envy of your neighborhood, enhancing the exterior of your home can significantly increase its value and aesthetic… Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestTumblrEmailPrintLinkedIn Read More
DIY The Importance of Having a Professionally Sealed Bathroom Posted on September 9, 2024 When it comes to maintaining a clean and functional home, the bathroom is one of the most critical areas to focus on. A professionally sealed bathroom is not just about aesthetics; it’s crucial for preventing damage and ensuring long-term durability. Here’s why investing in professional sealing is essential for your… Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestTumblrEmailPrintLinkedIn Read More
Nooooooooo!!! I love your style but nothing you can say can convince me this is a good idea 😉 Walk away from your laptop, Becky, walk away. Reply
No? Can I not convince even you?! I will walk away this house, but I would never say never if we ever moved! 😉 Reply
I don’t think many people are sure about the avocado to be honest! I don’t think I’m going to turn people! Reply
Becky, I’m with you! I just moved into a house with avocado bathroom fixtures( sink, tub, toilet)- the only thing missing is a toilet seat with lid. I KNOW there is a way to remodel it and celebrate those old fixtures in a style-y way! Reply
Not sure you’ve sold me on the avocado, but I can definitely get on board with that sea green number with the lovely taps! And I’m sure I’ve seen some retro pink baths that I’ve thought were actually pretty lovely too. I could be convinced I reckon! #HomeEtc Reply
I personally don’t like the avocado as I am not a green person, but I can see how it would work, but all hail the pale blue and the deco style, if I ever did a bathroom that is how I would do it – LOVE Reply
Haha, Love Rachel’s comment – and I’m with her on that! In all the photos they’ve done a grand job of making the coloured suites work – ish, but you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear now can you? (I was going to say you can’t polish a turd, but as it’s about bathrooms, thought that might be taking the metaphor in the wrong direction!) #HomeEtc Reply
Haha, that is brilliant Molly! And maybe you’re right, although I THINK I could maybe make it work! Reply
My parents still have an avocado suite. ???? It is hideously retro! But knowing your good styling I reckon you could really pull it off! Reply
Oh Becky this has me giggling out loud!! I’m totally with Rachel – those bathrooms you’ve found our great and quirky perhaps in a kind of retro hotel but no-one could convince me they belong in someone’s home 🙂 I DO agree with you about white. What is this weird obsession with covering everything with Tip-Ex?!?! Xx #HomeEtc Reply
Nooooooooo, I am not a fan of the avocado but mainly because it reminds me of my Granny and Grandad’s bathroom from when I was a kid. They had one of those toilet roll dolls too? Do you know the one I mean, with the big dress that hid the toilet roll. I am sure that you could make an avocado bathroom work though! I will be interested to see what you decide on 🙂 #HomeEtc Reply
Am I the only one that LOVES coloured bathroom suites? Everyone has white fittings which is pretty dull if you ask me! Green is one of my favourite colours so I am digging the avocado and teal options. Imagine an avocado suite with gold taps in a luxe mid-century style room. Yum! #HomeEtc Reply
I’m not sure about avocado, I grew up with one so a few too many memories, but I loved my grandmother’s house for its colour, she had a pale blue cloakroom a pink bathroom and a turquoise one and they were gorgeous!! Reply
Ooh the old houses are the best! My Nan had a pale pink suite too, which I thought was grim at the time, but now I think I could work with it! Reply
Hmmmm not to my taste 😀 But it could be worse! I quite like the duck blue and the green, but personally I prefer a much more modern style for bathrooms. I think you can make it work, if you go for something a bit more bright than the traditional avocado and pair it with neutral, maybe white, or a light bright colour as a background. I still wouldnt have it in my home 😀 #homeetc Reply
I love the sea green one with deco taps but apart from that — no. We had a sugar pink bathroom set at home until about 10 years ago. I couldn’t understand why my mum and dad were happy to keep it for so long — it definitely outstayed it’s welcome!! But not as long as the ‘pampas grass’ coloured loo and sink they STILL have in their downstairs loo!!!!! Aaargh, That’s just NEVER going to be replaced!!! Thanks so much for linking up with us chick 🙂 #HomeEtc Reply
I lived with my parents avocado one for most of my childhood life and so I have a real hatred for them…! White all the way for me! Plus it looks so much cleaner and newer!!!!!! 😉 Thanks for sharing & linking up again lovely, good to have you! #HomeEtc Jess xx Reply
I like the avocado/ orange combo in one of the photos but I don’t think I could convinced hubby to have them in our house lol #HomeEtc Reply
I’m not sure have converted me but I actually love the picture of the twin avocado sinks with the orange taps, looks really cool and quirky! xx Reply
I think it was Hey Natalie Jean who had a lovely pink bathroom suite in her last apartment? Or maybe it was avocado? Whichever, I really liked it!! Reply
Whenever I mention I’d like a coloured bathroom suite, people seem to gasp, it’s never a positive reaction. I think you can definitely have coloured porcelain and still have your bathroom look more modern and trendy than ever! Love this post! Reply
Reckon that 1st pic is PAMPAS not Avocado? – Got the exact same in my rented house, it’s a Khaki colour much less green than Avocado, I wondered what it’s official colour was & found it on an old advertising colour swatch. I always thought bath suites should be white but after looking at pics, I’m really warming to turquoise! – I realise they still made these colours, must be a demand! Why not; have whatever makes you happiest Becky! People can be so boring, frightened, with their homes, terrified it’s not trendy or exactly the same as someone else’s! – life’s just too short. Reply
Actually, I’m beginning to like the idea of a coloured bathroom just to be off-beat, they seem to really stir people! – Not dark or dismal colours tho’ colour, it’d have to pink or warm blue. We had 1 of the kid’s 4yr old friend’s burst into tears at the sight of a the khaki coloured Pampas toilet, that’s really not the type of reaction I’m after 🙁 Reply