we have similar in a dark brown floor tiles that were first laid in 1981! our tiles are such great quality and in such good condition that we kept them for our reno and were also able to relocate some tiles to patch a bare space when a wall was moved and then installed plain white wall tiles, skirting boards, architraves and doors and replaced the old laundry tub with a custom cabinet with new counter and drop in sink...only problem could be that it used to be standard practice to not have tiles under or behind cabinets but you could patch any gaps by using the old wall tiles and modernise the look with new skirting and enjoy your modern vintage laundry

Thank you! I hadn’t thought about the patching but there is a panel of tiles about the sink we could relocate. They are in surprisingly good condition. Were told the house was built in 1974! Would you mind sending a photo of your laundry? Thanks!

I think the colours are a nice neutral that will give you lots of options with paint, fixtures and fittings. Choosing a lighter grout in the main colour of the tile is a way to modernise and make the floor work more as a whole rather than lots of small squares but still keep the original vibe. Removing them from the bottom of the wall will also modernise and help the ceiling look taller. You could replace the wall edge with a tile that matches the wall paint colour you choose or tile the whole wall.

Depends if you like the colour. I’m not in favour but it is a personal choice

I would leave the tiles in place. They are a good tile and seen throughout lots of 1970 homes in Perth. Cabinets in a sage green or light blue would look wonderful, with a white bench.

Thanks everyone. You’ve given me some take great things to think about. Especially the sage green cabinetry, regrouting and removing tiles from the wall. OkLouise - thanks for the pic. In love the pattern of the tiling. Great decision. Much appreciated all!

I like them. They're just the right amount of retro and the colour is easy to work with.

Just one question, I think grouts and adhesives of that era sometimes contained asbestos, so if you are thinking of relocating a section I suggest you get it tested first.

I would definetely keep them. I also like retro/mcm vibe. They look like they are in good nick so why rip it out? Easy to update cabinetry to modernise. And it's not like you are entertaining in there, practical is what a laundry needs to be.

To me , you are looking at things the wrong way around -- essentially you are asking can I keep the aesthetic but go for a more contemporary vibe ( basically , can I go more modern but keep the tiles ) ; I think you should be asking will these tiles work with something more contemporary , or will you just be making compromises ?

Basically , if you are going for a clean 60's vibe like dreamers 2 pics , it will wotk , but to go with modern cabinetry , appliances , fittings , lighting and the like -- you run the very real possibility of making a mess IMO .

I have a blue version in laundry, they were installed at my workplace toilet, and a relatives
Swimming pool is lined with them. I see them everywhere.
They r dreadful..

Personally, just old, however I have seen people make them work. They bring to mind pee and when it gets wet it looks like a puddle of it.

I have just replaced same tiles in my laundry as mine had chocolate brown grout and looked hideous!  The cost of regrouting was just under the cost of replacing them with a fresh, modern colour tile of the same size.

I think the idea is fun and if it's about saving money then it's fine.  But it will always look like an old laundry and the significant fall in old laundries will be the giveaway.

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. We’re keeping them for now and just doing a very basic update to improve storage. At some point in the future we’ll do a proper renovation and replace them at that point.