These ideas will make a splash
After a long day, there’s nothing like soaking all your worries away in a beautiful bubble bath. Add some candles and relaxing music, and you will emerge renewed. However, if your tub is looking a little more grub than gorgeous, it’s probably time to start making your bathtub dreams a reality.
Relax, and let these 11 unbelievably beautiful bathtubs and bathroom designs soak in.
You’ve heard of a statement necklace, but have you considered a statement bath? Make your bathtub the focal point of the room by choosing a style and a color that draws attention.
The Fontenelle 67 Cast Iron Tub from Penhaglion is a great example. Inspired by a clawfoot tub design from 1850s France, the black finish highlights the beautiful chrome feet, a classic element with a modern twist. High-quality soaker bathtubs like these are built to last, and since luxury soaker tubs are a bathroom remodeling trend that isn’t going away any time soon, it’s well worth it.
Where you place your tub matters just as much as what kind of tub you choose. The South Causey Inn in the Beamish Valley, U.K., positioned the bathtub (image captured by DJM Photography) in this room so that guests can truly unwind while bathing by gazing into the sky and watching the clouds roll by or counting stars.
Depending on the size of your bathroom, you can consider this type of layout, too. Floating candles and rose petals don’t hurt, either.
When remodeling your bathroom, consider natural light sources. Melissa Marcus of Melissa Marcus Designs says, “It’s nice to center a soaking tub under a window which makes more sense than a shower or a toilet.”
Placing the soaker tub under the bank of windows not only allows you to see outside while bathing, but it also offers a low enough profile so it won’t obstruct the windows. Hanging a pendant light centered over a tub is another trick to making your beautiful tub your focal point, as seen in Melissa’s design, photographed by Keyanna Bowen.
Deep blue has been trending for kitchen islands for the past couple of years, but adding the color to a tub is both unexpected and refreshing, particularly with a soaking tub set in a bathroom of an otherwise neutral color palette.
And if a royal blue slipper tub isn’t enough to satisfy the sovereign in you, opt for a bold tub with some added features. For example, the Mallory from MTI Baths, pictured above, comes as either a soaking tub with high insulation to keep the water warmer longer or as an air bath with 20 nearly invisible air jets for a spa-at-home experience.
Bathroom space is tight for many homeowners, but you can still have the luxurious look you crave using that same square footage. Not every beautiful tub has to be a freestanding soaker tub. Use a deep tub that acts much like a soaker but also doubles as the shower, as in this bathroom by Mariah Shaw Designs. This layout gives the best of both worlds in a smaller space.
Additionally, by mixing materials and patterns but keeping them in the same color palette, the entire room looks cohesive, and as a result, bigger.
If your bathroom is spacious enough to install a soaker tub, that soaker tub can and should be the centerpiece of the room. Be sure the tub can play a starring role by leaving as much open space as possible around the tub and minimizing clutter.
If you’re opting for something like this bathtub from Penhaglion, the Furness-66-VC with a Pure Metal Verdigris Copper Exterior, you’ll definitely want to show it off. The exterior finish on this iron tub involves a multi-step, by-hand process of applying molten copper and custom patina to order.
Although the elements of this bathroom are minimalistic at heart, when combined, they create an opulent atmosphere. Adding gold accents, such as with a tub’s faucet, paired with high-end materials such as white marble, go a long way in giving off that luxury vibe. Add to that a bathtub that is entirely uncommon, and you’ve created a place fit for a rockstar.
This designer tub from MTI Baths is appropriately named The Bowie. Opting for a chic, textured bathtub like this one can only help play up the other luxury features in your bathroom and can pull the whole room together.
When you can’t beat the view, let the view dictate the design. Drawing upon the natural world will influence not only the colors you use but the materials as well. Alexey Gulesha of Sivak + Partners designed the bathtub at this beach hotel with the forces of nature in mind.
“It grows smoothly from the surface of the floor and is very similar to a small pool that arose in the floor under the influence of natural forces,” says Gulesha.
While you may not be able to create a tub that appears carved from the earth itself, you can replicate the soothing atmosphere in a bathroom of your own by opting for earthy colors that mimic clay colors (think dusty oranges, deep khakis, sienna browns) and using natural accessories such as a bamboo bath mat or bath tray.
While gold is often synonymous with opulence, copper offers both understated luxury and soft warmth, making it the perfect material for a beautiful, luxurious bathtub. This guest bath at the South Causey Inn (captured by DJM Photography) centers around the showpiece copper tub, enhanced by high-end tiles and flooring in neutral colors that actually absorb and reflect the coppery candlelight.
When considering where to put your soaker tub, don’t assume it needs to be flush against a wall. With this bathroom by West Coast Design, the tub was set at an angle, allowing for both a freestanding soaker tub and a large walk-in shower. The shower floor is extended under the tub, visually connecting the tub and shower while assuring that neither feature feels crowded.
No matter the size or shape of your tub, your tub accessories matter. A beautiful bathtub should be usable, and a bath tray that allows you to read or watch a movie while in the tub is a luxury item born of necessity.
This DIY rustic barn wood tray does the trick, or opt for a store-bought bamboo model that comes with a wine glass holder. Adding plants near your bathtub not only lets you connect with nature while you're bathing, but it’s also great for your plants: most houseplants thrive in humidity.
If you’re finally ready to ditch that 1980s all-in-one tub and shower combo with something more elegant, the replacement cost for a bathtub ranges from $1,400 to $7,000, with an average of around $4,000.
If you’re simply swapping like for like, the cost will be closer to $200, but if you’ve got your sights on a luxury soaker tub, expect to pay as much as $10,000. Remember, bathtubs are heavy and involve plumbing so when you’re done pinning all the gorgeous tubs in this article to your board, contact a local bathroom remodeler for an estimate.
