Bathrooms
April 25, 2023
5+ Classic Clawfoot Tubs To Love
While luxe freestanding tubs have become a popular choice in modern homes, classic clawfoot tubs have graced bathroom floors since the 18th century. Today, designers are continuing to embrace this heritage look. Scroll down for a look at some of the best clawfoot tubs from the H&H archives.
In this basement bathroom designed by Ashley Montgomery, pretty fabrics and a vintage-look clawfoot tub layer in character. The homeowner added skirting to the shower curtain and sewed the café curtain; both textiles bring authenticity to the renovated space.
Chrome claw feet blend in with the shower fixtures in this country bathroom. “In a small bathroom, a custom shower curtain can add major impact without breaking the bank,” says designer Kyle Timothy Blood of his picturesque Prince Edward Island farmhouse.
To stay true to her house’s turn- of-the-century roots, designer Jennifer Worts installed a handsome cast-iron clawfoot tub with a floor-mount faucet into a principal bathroom. Leggy chrome-pipe apothecary sinks (one not shown) lend a European feel that reinforces the look.
H&H Deputy Editor Emma Reddington fell in love with this footed cast-iron tub when she first bought her former Toronto home. “The original clawfoot tub was one of the reasons I fell in love with this house. As someone who grew up on the West Coast in newer homes, I’d only ever seen this kind of look in London or New York,” she says.
To preserve the heritage of their 1920s west end Toronto home, these homeowners renovated their attic with classic elements, including an all-white V&A Cheshire claw foot tub. “With space at a premium, transforming the attic into a principal retreat while maintaining the original character of the home gave us the best of both worlds,” they said.
Mandy Milks reinvented her dated bathroom while staying true to the home’s historic roots. Dozens of trips were made to showrooms hunting for the “right” tub, before she settled on this model, which she had customized. She hand-painted the tub a rich, matte black and had the original stainless steel feet painted in an appropriately patinated brass. A linen shower curtain and dramatic brass rod give the clawfoot tub presence.
When Jackie Kai Ellis lived in her Paris pied-à-terre, she would slip into her clawfoot tub for a quiet afternoon soak almost everyday. The vintage-look tub blends in with the moody walls that are painted Studio Green by Farrow & Ball. Brass hardware adds to the romantic, Parisian vibe.