Ugly House Photos

Design Through the Decades - Part 17

Bathrooms in the 1970s in Phoenix, Arizona.

Four significant changes to bathroom design in the 1970s: cultured marble counters, shower surrounds, sunken tubs, and dark brown vanities.

Let’s take a look at the changes, starting with this Phoenix bathroom from 1970.  Speckled tile counters carried over from the 1960s.  Frosted or opaque sliding shower doors were popular.

In 1971, Formica counters that stretched across the toilet were common.  Big mirrors too.  Shower surrounds instead of tiled walls caught on quickly (much easier for home builders to install).

Here’s a similar bathroom from 1974.

Some early 1970s bathrooms stayed with tiled shower walls, like this one from 1971.  Small 1/2″ mosaic tile shower floors were popular.

Sunken tubs or Roman tubs first emerged in Phoenix bathrooms in 1972.  They didn’t really catch on, but came back in the late 1970s.  Carpeting in bathrooms is still a bad idea (mildew and urine and carpet don’t mix well).

Patterned Formica counter tops were popular in the 1970s.  They looked like seashells or sliced stones or headcheese lunchmeat.  How about that groovy metallic wallpaper?

Here’s a photo of headcheese meat, gag.

In 1977, 4″ tile made a comeback, but on counter tops and with dark grout.  The tile was usually white or ivory and rounded/thicker than regular tile.  It was believed that the tile went nicely with dark stained cabinets.

Cultured marble is neither cultured or marble, but it sure was popular in the late 1970s in Phoenix.  This 1978 bathroom has integrated double sinks in a seashell or scallop design.

Another bathroom from 1978 with cultured marble counter.

Yet another bathroom from 1978 with really wild cultured marble counters.

Sunken tubs came back in the late 1970s, like this one in 1979, with speckled tile too.

A Roman tub or sunken tub with saltillo tile flooring, common in the Pointe neighborhoods near 7th Street & Peoria (Sunnyslope) and in Ahwatukee.  It’s not much fun to take a bath with 90-degree walls.  No wonder the Roman Empire failed. 

Crazy 1970s bathroom in Glendale, Arizona with mirror tile walls.