From House Beautiful
Of all the ultra-indulgent design trends, my favorite might have to be bedroom bathtubs. Some may call it impractical, but I call it convenient (who doesn’t want to go straight from tub to robe to bed again? The ol’ sleep-n-soak razzle dazzle). Some say it’s just plain weird, I say it’s ahead of the times. Some might think a bed-adjacent tub looks like a fish out of water, but I think, hey, at least the fish has somewhere to swim now. Well, now that I’ve exhausted that sentence structure, we can get back to what I came here for: Writing a love letter to all the bathtubs brave enough to break into new territories.
I first encountered this design trend while touring the NoMad Hotel, and, in this context, I think it makes total sense. Hotels are made for relaxing and romantic getaways and they also tend to present some spatial issues (i.e. there isn’t usually unlimited room, so creative layouts are essential). Within that same vein, a statement floating bedroom tub would be well-suited to a vacation home—or just a home where a soaking tub isn’t an option in the actual bathroom, but there is enough space to build one in the bedroom in lieu of an extra sitting area or workspace.
But, as with any convincing argument, I’d be remiss not to address the counterpoints. The biggest everyday caveats are privacy and puddles, both of which I’d argue are manageable as far as design caveats go. The key is to make sure you’re bedroom is actually optimized for bathing. And, of course, there’s more to it than just aesthetics and everyday qualms. So I asked Los Angeles-based designer Jenn Feldman to tell me what actually goes into prepping a bedroom for a soaking tub.
“Any great idea is only great if it’s executed properly,” she reminds me. And in the case of the bedroom bathtub, that execution requires a few things: “A good contractor that knows what they are doing and a plumber to know your subfloor situation, hot-mop levels, valve situation for water,” are essential, Feldman says. Basically, all those plumbing basics that you’d need to address if you were renovating an actual bathroom would also need to be addressed in a bedroom. The bottom line: This is no amateur DIY project—you can’t just fall in love with a clawfoot tub, order it online, and plop it in the middle of a bedroom.
But if your contractor told you your bathroom wasn’t spacious enough for walk-in shower and a bath, ask them about this alternative. After all, your bedroom is for relaxing and romance, so what could be more fitting than a bathtub (aside from a bed, of course)? Plus, there’s something about the cognitive dissonance of seeing something in a new or unexpected context that makes a space feel extra special and innovative.
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