The color gray in vintage bathrooms from 1927 to 1962

Last up in our six-part series reviewing the history and timeline transformations of the most common colors used for vintage bathroom fixtures: Let’s look at the variety of gray tubs, sinks and toilets offered by a variety of manufacturers reaching back as far as 1927. Along the way, we also get great ideas about how to decorate a gray bathroom — an eminently versatile color — without going all … monotone.  

American Standard: 1962 Platinum Gray

American Standard’s Platinum Gray looks fantastic when mixed with a creamy yellow and blue.

And here, they’ve mixed gray with beige, yellow and pink creating a cheery space.

Even this richer color combination of gray with avocado green, blue and cream is anything but boring.

Three images above: 1962 American-Standard catalog from the Building Technology Heritage Library.

Kohler: 1927 West Point Gray and the 1952-1967 Argent

Although Kohler was the first company to start making fixtures in color back in 1927, the ‘West Point Gray’ in their original color lineup.

‘Argent’ was Kohler’s 1950s gray. It appears to have been quite rich in depth. Shown (above) in a 1959 catalog in the Building Technology Heritage Library, the color gets a high-contrast decorator treatment.

In this 1961 catalog in the Building Technology Heritage Library, they pair it with 60s flower power colors — orange and green. Who’da thunk it!

Over on their extensive color timeline, Kohler says that Argent was in their lineup form 1952-1967.

Briggs: 1950s Pearl Gray

Brigg’s Pearl Gray seems to be a darker gray than the American Standard Platinum Gray, definitely more declaratively gray with less likelihood of reflecting and taking on the hue of adjacent strong colors. When combined with white tile and rosy pink floors and accents, it looks very nice indeed — pink and gray is one of Pam’s favorite color combinations in a vintage bathroom, whenever she sees one. The two images above show Pearl Gray from the 1950s Briggs Beautyware catalog from the Building Technology Heritage Library.

AllianceWare: 1950s Grey

Pam found this ad for AllianceWare bathroom fixtures that includes ‘Grey’ in a 1950s Small Homes Guide. Alliance Ware kinda makes us smile, because it seems they did not have a marketing person to name their colors!

See all our stories about vintage bathroom colors:

• Decorating a beige bathroom: Color history and ideas from six manufacturers from 1927 to 1962
• The color green in kitchens and bathrooms sinks, tubs and toilets from 1928 to 1962
• The color pink in bathroom sinks, tubs and toilets — from 1927 to 1962
• The color blue in bathroom sinks, tubs and toilets — from 1927 to 1962
• Decorating a yellow bathroom: Color history and ideas from five manufacturers from 1927 to 1962

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