Tub trends: What’s new in bathtub styles?

The bathroom has evolved from a purely functional space to a spa-like retreat. Cabinetry looks like fine furniture. Vessel sinks paired with cascading waterfall faucet create a gentle, Zen appeal. Bathroom lighting ranges from simple lines to elegant chandeliers. Showers are now more spacious, elegant, and pampering with rainfall shower heads and body jets. Recently, we’re seeing more creativity in bathtub styles. And not just the look of the tub but the placement. With high design hitting the long-ignored tub, bathroom designers are making this fixture a focal point that doesn’t need to be tucked in a corner any more. “Bathrooms are often the only place where people regularly have time to themselves,” explains Australian interior designer Sarah Davison. Bathroom design, she says, should “create a refuge of serenity and personal luxury.”

Freestanding bathtubs are leading the list of tub trends. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) released its 2016 report on design trends, and 67 percent of the designers surveyed are specifying freestanding tubs; 39 percent of them said they expect to do more with these bathtubs in 2016. You can find a freestanding tub to fit any décor, from rustic to contemporary. Choose your desired shapes—oval or rectangular, or something more artsy. Then customize it with a faucet that reflects your style. You can even place a freestanding tub within a shower if you’re short on space. The familiar clawfoot bathtub has made a big comeback. Manufacturers have driven this bathroom design trend by refining and redefining the clawfoot tub’s shape, color, and material—like acrylic, cast iron, and copper.

Another popular tub trend is the Japanese soaking tub. The NKBA survey showed that 61 percent of the designers used a soaking tub in 2015, and 36 percent plan to use them more often in 2016. A soaking tub is designed for relaxation—a long, leisurely soak. A Japanese soaking tub takes up less space. They tend towards being more narrow and round, but deeper than a conventional bathtub. This soaking tub features a built-in seat, much like a hot tub, but without the jets. They reflect the Japanese custom of ritually cleansing the body and soul. In a soaking tub, you can submerge yourself comfortably up to your neck, because of the tub’s depth. Also known as “Ofuro” (Japanese for “bath”), this bathtub style is available in a wide variety of styles that allow it to fit well into your bathroom design.

For a truly unique bathroom design, consider an infinity bathtub. Picture that time you left the bathtub faucet running, and the water overflowed the edges—except in this case, you don’t need to panic! There’s a channel that collects the overflow and a pump that recirculates the water. If your bathroom has a window with a view, the infinity tub allows you to enjoy your soak while feeling like you’re outdoors in a stream. Your infinity tub can be elevated, like many bathtubs, or level with the floor, giving you the feeling of stepping into a lake.

With today’s bathtub styles, you forget about that tub hidden behind a shower curtain. Treat yourself to the joy of relaxing in a tub after a stressful day.