Comments on Things That Inspire: Seeking bathtub advice

I absolutely think it's an updated classic tha...

2009-12-06T22:49:15.392-05:00

I absolutely think it's an updated classic that is here to stay. If I had my choice, it would definitely be to have a free standing steel or copper tub, in a cozy little nook. With a beautiful inviting chair or ottoman nearby, and a beautiful old Book case - which would hold towels and soaps, and books..;-)

off I go to dream land..:-)

Vitania

Wow, I am laaaate to the comments on this one! I&...

2009-11-22T21:25:51.074-05:00

Wow, I am laaaate to the comments on this one! I'll put in my two cents worth, and sorry if I am repeating something aleady said in the 63 comments before me. You seem to keep saving images of the Empire Tub by Waterworks (my favorite, that I've used about 10 times now) and the Vintage Tub by Kohler. Both are stunning and I am never disappointed when I see them installed. Hope that's helpful.

I've always wanted to do the build-a-box, pop in a tub thing; but freestanding wins me over everytime.

I am currently remodeling a home we purchased. Th...

2009-11-18T13:40:26.676-05:00

I am currently remodeling a home we purchased. The home was only 8 years old, but there had been a leak in the shower and the entire floor of the bathroom was compromised, so the bathroom had to be gutted. It orignally had a built in jetted tub and seperate shower.

I chose to use a free standing pedestal tub. I love the look of those gorgeous mirrors behind the tubs in your post, but my bath came with a leaded glass window behind it. I am going to add white drapes like in the second picture in your post, for privacy. To see my bath here is a link:
http://thecomfortsofhome.blogspot.com/2009/11/its-starting-to-look-like-master.html

Penny

My vote is for a traditional free-standing tub in ...

2009-11-18T12:45:36.708-05:00

My vote is for a traditional free-standing tub in an alcove. I'd mirror the back wall the same shape and height as the tub so you will have a place for your books, bath salts, candles, etc. on a curved countertop. If you don't have a window, then frame in a large antique mirror.

I am a bath addict ...can't live without one. ...

2009-11-18T03:18:42.269-05:00

I am a bath addict ...can't live without one. All of these images do the bathtub proud but my vote, if you have the space, is for the free standing style. A bathroom is just that, a room so I always consider the bath a piece of furniture. Good luck choosing....xv

TTI! While I do love the look of a freestanding tu...

2009-11-17T20:22:14.820-05:00

TTI!
While I do love the look of a freestanding tub, I like to feel the coziness of walls surrounding me, and I like it to be more private. If I could choose from all that you displayed, I would go with the Image from Velvet and Linen. I do adore those shutters. Lovely. Currently, I have a drop in with the finished rim.
Good things to ponder.

Another amazing roundup- I'm so ready to redo...

2009-11-17T04:46:45.432-05:00

Another amazing roundup- I'm so ready to redo both the bathrooms in my house, I just bookmarked this post so when the time comes I can refer to it for inspiration!!! Thnx

Great post! I love a freestanding tub - no questio...

2009-11-17T00:55:24.190-05:00

Great post! I love a freestanding tub - no question. But when presented with the issue in my own home renovation I went with a built-in. Why? It really worked better in the space and was more practical for the room. Plus in the end I couldn't justify the extra money. I think mine was $700 and the free-standing would have been at least $2500. Plus the faucet and additional plumbing fixtures would have been well over $1000. It was over my budget so I had to pass. Maybe in the next house!!!!

I love this post - thanks for introducing me to so...

2009-11-16T21:48:53.728-05:00

I love this post - thanks for introducing me to some new designers too. I love Amy Morris' design with that gorgeous oversized mirror. Perfection.

xo,
cristin

My parents have a free standing tub in their new h...

2009-11-16T19:25:56.944-05:00

My parents have a free standing tub in their new house and it definitely makes the bathroom from an aesthetics standpoint. And according to my mom (dad doesn't use a bathtub, as most men don't), it's also quite comfortable.

I do think freestanding tubs are popular right now, but I wouldn't call them trendy. After all, how long have clawfoot tubs been around? I think this one is pretty trend-proof.

That is gorgeous. I had a friend who had an old h...

2009-11-16T17:46:24.374-05:00

That is gorgeous. I had a friend who had an old house with claw foot tubs. SO PRETTY

Cheri

Hi My vote is for free standing with a beautiful t...

2009-11-16T15:09:06.920-05:00

Hi My vote is for free standing with a beautiful table,stool or chair to lay your books and magazines. I think a deck can become just another place to have to decorate and then it can become contrived. You love good art,design and architecture so enjoying the site of your tub will be as equally important to you as the bathing process. Look at the tub as sculpture and you will come up with just the right answer. I love the way Sarah Richardson mixes the mondern with the antique so interesting. Keep the space visually open and clean and sculptural, that is what I like. kathysue

Oh my goodness! I'm sorry it has taken me so...

2009-11-16T12:59:35.778-05:00

Oh my goodness! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond, because I have a HUGE opinion. I LOVE TUBS! I literally take a bath every night. Bath salts and French soaps are two of my largest expenses! I, too, spent my very young adulthood in a house with a roommate where we shared a antique bathtub/shower. I had always dreamed of having one. Like literally, it was in my dreams... I thought it would be great, but there were some problems with it. 1. I was sharing the bathroom, so I was always afraid she would walk in. 2. I HATED TAKING SHOWERS THERE!!! The shower curtain stuck to me, there was no place to shave my legs, and I usually felt grosser getting out that when I got in 3. (this was actually a shocker for me) The bathtub is my #1 place to read interior design magazines, but in the antique tub the ledge was so high I couldn't rest the magazine on the side, and it's hard to read just holding it up ... also, if you finished one it was impossible to grab another one off the floor because the tub was so high...

All that being said, I love antique tubs, and if I ever get the chance to design my own home I WILL have one. I have a whirlpool tub/combo right now, and there is def. much to be desired! I know you will make an excellent choice!

Think about what you enjoy when bathing, in additi...

2009-11-16T11:42:51.420-05:00

Think about what you enjoy when bathing, in addition to a great view and lots of light. When bathing, I like the air in the room to get warm and toasty, so I like a small bathroom with a low ceiling. Make sure the shape fits you comfortably and that the bottom has enough traction to keep you from slipping. If you read in the tub, where will you store your reading material, if you use a free-standing tub? Are you legs long enough to get in and out of the tub easily? Is it also easy to keep your tub clean? Make sure the tub holds enough water under its overflow drain. Where will you wash your hair?

Have fun deciding!

Oops, I forgot to mention that I also use a circul...

2009-11-16T11:20:23.505-05:00

Oops, I forgot to mention that I also use a circular chrome & glass end table from Z Gallerie to corral all my magazines, etc. I place it next to the tub - even in our teeny bathrooms, there is room. So, that could be a solution if your only hesitation about a free-standing tub is where to place candles, etc.

I live in a city apartment, but have always wanted...

2009-11-16T11:14:18.146-05:00

I live in a city apartment, but have always wanted a clawfoot tub. So, when we renovated our place last year I searched high and low for one that would fit our teeny bathrooms (just under 5' wide). I found this one (hope the link works) at Plumbers Surplus online:
American Bath Factory B1-2540-WW-NH-M2-15-CH-C1-LH Jester Traditional Clawfoot Bathtub in White, Ball and Claw Feet in Chrome, No Faucet Holes, Champagne Blower Left. It looks like a traditional clawfoot, but is made of a lighter material and includes air jets. And, I love it! So relaxing. Of course, if you have more room than we do, there are several larger models (I can only dream of those! Especially the slipper style ones that wouldn't fit in our place). Also, for faucets, etc., we used NeedPlumbingSupplies.com, which seemed to have better customer service than PlumbersSurplus.com. Hope this helps! Good luck.

The freestanding tubs are so classic and love the...

2009-11-16T09:15:15.027-05:00

The freestanding tubs are so classic and love the design lines of them. One day I will do this. It would be a major project at this time!

Beautiful post. I love the elegance of the free s...

2009-11-15T23:45:02.931-05:00

Beautiful post. I love the elegance of the free standing tub, but like others have concerns over where you put all your "bath accessories." If you find a lovely table to put near the tub and it does not bother you to have to reach for your things than I would go for a freestanding tub. Otherwise, choose a built in tub, set into a pretty alcove a la Gil Schafer.

I vote for a built-in tub in an alcove. The frees...

2009-11-15T22:07:47.835-05:00

I vote for a built-in tub in an alcove. The freestanding are beautiful, though. One thing, those big mirrors look gorgeous behind the tubs, but personally I am not looking to see myself in a mirror whilst getting out of the tub! Yikes.

I love both! For me, it really depends on the spa...

2009-11-15T20:44:31.298-05:00

I love both! For me, it really depends on the space and what is feasable, not forced. If you have the space for it, go for it. I had a freestanding, only thing I didn't like was no place for towels, soaps, candles (glass of wine) and what not. So the front would get a bit cluttered with a little side table, a chair or even a bench.

Good luck! I'm sure whichever you choose will be stunning.

Tina

One thing I like about free standing tubs is that ...

2009-11-15T19:16:47.352-05:00

One thing I like about free standing tubs is that it can create the illusion of more space because the floor continues all the way to the edge of the bottom of the tub. If you do a built in the floor stops at the box built for the tub to sit in/under which is usually bigger than the tub itself. I also like how the free standing tub eliminates all the clutter that generally gets put on the deck.

I prefer the bathroom to appear as a regular room ...

2009-11-15T18:48:22.460-05:00

I prefer the bathroom to appear as a regular room that just happens to have plumbing fixtures. Although there are some good looking free-standing tubs available today, a built-in is more luxurious in my mind for the Master Bath. (A child's bathroom could have a free-standing tub). Drop-in tubs fall into the same category as recessed downlights -- they can be dealt with if necessary, but best avoided. A template must be correctly made for a marble deck with an undermounted tub; if correctly executed, there is no discomfort at all. Of course, one would want a regularlly-shaped tub -- none of those bobsleds! And it goes without saying that the material of a new tub should be cast-iron and not acrylic!

Before reading all of these comments, I never thou...

2009-11-15T17:38:27.292-05:00

Before reading all of these comments, I never thought about the fact that an undermount tub would probably not be the most comfortable for soaking because of where the stone meets the tub. Maybe this is the kind of tub that looks great, but it is form over function. Since this tub will be used frequently, I think it has to be the freestanding or the drop in style. I might have to do some bathtub shopping tomorrow, which is so premature but sounds like fun. At the very least I will be able to tell the builder what the expect in the master bathroom budget.

Had I not posted on this, I would have probably ended up with a pretty but extremely uncomfortable tub! Thank you, and keep the comments coming. I am enjoying reading each and every one!

I say go with a freestanding tub-- it is classic a...

2009-11-15T17:01:00.289-05:00

I say go with a freestanding tub-- it is classic and won't go out of style. I would pick one that has sides that don't angle greatly, as that would lessen the standing room of the actual tub if you also use it as a shower. Love the pics!

This was absolutly enlighting all those beautiful ...

2009-11-15T15:11:50.095-05:00

This was absolutly enlighting
all those beautiful tubs.
I am a tub person too. It blows my mind as I drive by farms here that have claw foot tubs for the cows water.