Hi -
My next door neighbor has gutted the bathroom of his 1931 Spanish Colonial home and while he has every intention of keeping period-appropriate, he doesn't know where to start and asked me for some help (he knows I'm an old-house freak). I'd never been in his bathroom but I'm assuming it'd been remodeled through the years before he bought it.

I showed him my collection of bungalow books, but (and like my home), they are more of the 1910-era Craftsman homes - not Spanish. I know I've seen coffee table books on Spanish-Colonial homes but one with lots of photos doesn't come to mind. I also know Diane Keaton (along with some authors) just released a large book on this, but I'd like to know if there are any some of you might highly recommmend?

Thanks!

The only bathroom book I'd recommend, and I'm not sure if it's the right book for Spanish style, is Jane Powell's Bungalow Bathrooms.

Thanks. That's actually one of the books I lent him but didn't know if there was a better resource out there.

I'd recommend Casa California- the tile work is all pretty grand, but there are loads of good ideas. Another good resource is to visit some of the sites of the tile companies that are reproducing California Art Tile, such as Catalina, Taylor, etc.

I have a copy of Red Tile Style. I bought it after my living room was done, but there is a picture in it with the exact same feel and look as mine.
The bathrooms have a lot of obviously Spanish looking tiles in them. Unfortunately, I don't know what the original main bathroom in my Spanish house looked like. The master bath was done a few years after the house was built and had hex tiles on the floor and subway tiles in the (leaky)shower.

I have seen other Spanish houses that have very deco bathrooms. A fun website is for Spanish homes is http://www.character-homes.com/ a real estate site which has pictures of the homes' interiors.

Most of the original interiors of all the Spanish Eclectic homes that I have been in including my own 1928 really don't differ too much from other Arts & Crafts homes of the era. Typically one would find less wood ornamentation and more detailed plaster work. The exception would be the large landmark homes featured in such books already mentioned where an Addison Mizner or George Washington Smith European detailing may have been incorporated. As far as bathrooms go using tile work to suggest and enhance architectural details like columns, pilasters and arches is a good way to go. Choose an excellent field tile and use decorative liners and insets to set off different elements. Also I think that some of the tile work can be a more matte finish yet still be decorative to evoke a more old-world style.