10 Vintage Bathroom Ideas for Renters
Give a plain rental bathroom old-house charm without touching the tile: a floral curtain, a Persian-style runner, brass that stands, amber glass and antique prints.
Most rental bathrooms are builder-plain: white tile, chrome, a mirror glued to the wall. Vintage style suits them because it comes from loose things — a floral curtain, a faded Persian-style runner, brass, glass jars, old botanical prints — and none of it needs a drill.
Where a vintage bathroom would normally screw brass to the wall, the brass here stands on the floor or the vanity instead, so the old-house feel goes with you when you leave.
- Most versatileSacred Artisans Washable Turkish-Style Runner, 2 × 5
- Small-space pickKingston Brass Vintage Freestanding Toilet Paper Holder
Lovetar Vintage Rose Floral Fabric Shower Curtain, 72 × 72
- Removable
Wildflowers and roses in faded pinks and greens: the cottage-vintage curtain that does most of the work in a white bathroom.
Sacred Artisans Washable Turkish-Style Runner, 2 × 5
- Machine washable
A distressed Persian-style runner in sage green, along the tub or in front of the vanity: the vintage-rug look in a size made for bathrooms.
Kingston Brass Vintage Freestanding Towel Rack
- Freestanding
A brushed-brass towel stand with three swivel bars: old-fashioned brass, with no screws in the tile.
Kingston Brass Vintage Freestanding Toilet Paper Holder
- Freestanding
A polished-brass pedestal holder in the same family as the towel rack.
AA Importing Brass Tabletop Shield Mirror, 16in
- Freestanding
A 16in mirror in an antique-finish brass frame that stands on the vanity, the vintage accent against a plain glued-on mirror.
Bambüsi Expandable Bamboo Bathtub Tray
- Foldable
A wooden bridge across the tub for a book, a candle and a glass: the slow-bath ritual that suits a vintage bathroom.
Diamond Star Glass Apothecary Jars With Lids (Set of 3)
Three lidded glass jars in graduated heights for cotton balls, swabs and bath salts — the old chemist's-shop look.
Sunrise Amber Glass Soap Dispensers (2-Pack)
Thick amber-glass bottles with pumps that replace the plastic bottles at the sink.
Sandstone & Sage Vintage Botanical Prints, 8 × 10 (Set of 4)
Four reproductions of antique textbook botanical illustrations, for a small gallery above the towel rack.
SONGMICS Synthetic Rattan Laundry Hamper With Lid
- Foldable
A woven, lidded hamper that looks like old wicker but copes with a damp bathroom.
Vintage works best with one or two old-looking pieces against the plain bathroom, not a full period recreation. Brass, glass, a floral and a worn-looking rug are plenty.
For steam-proof ways to hang the prints, and other no-drill wall ideas, see rental-friendly wall decor ideas.
Keep reading
The room-by-room decorating checklist
Where to start, what to buy first, and what to skip entirely. One page per room.