7 Bare Metal Bathtubs That Steal the Spotlight
Industrial, rustic, contemporary or antique – who knew metal tubs could fit so many styles?
That feed trough you’ve seen horses drinking from in a pasture can be a showstopper in your bathroom too.
Industrial-looking tubs in copper, tin and galvanised steel are an unexpected alternative to porcelain. These seven designers took ordinary feed troughs, industrial-inspired new tubs and antique baths and turned them into centrepieces. Check out how and why they did it.
Industrial-looking tubs in copper, tin and galvanised steel are an unexpected alternative to porcelain. These seven designers took ordinary feed troughs, industrial-inspired new tubs and antique baths and turned them into centrepieces. Check out how and why they did it.
A 7.5-centimetre metal hole saw was used to install a drain. Because the bottom was flat, though, water pooled rather than drained, so Guokas poured a sloped mortar bed.
Exposing the brick meant chipping all the plaster off the wall and cleaning it with a wire brush. Then Guokas applied two coats of a dry penetrating masonry sealer.
Guokas was happy with the result, but says it was just as much work as building a shower enclosure.
See more contemporary rustic bathrooms
Exposing the brick meant chipping all the plaster off the wall and cleaning it with a wire brush. Then Guokas applied two coats of a dry penetrating masonry sealer.
Guokas was happy with the result, but says it was just as much work as building a shower enclosure.
See more contemporary rustic bathrooms
2. A modern trough
If you don’t want to put in the labor to retrofit a feed basin, you can readily get a replica designed for bathing.
This tub is a modern interpretation of a feed trough, made of galvanised steel that’s been enamel-plated and painted flat black. The homeowner wanted something that reflected the property’s roots as a farm, says Jule Tsai, a designer with Turnbull Griffin Haesloop. The house is surrounded by pasture dotted with vintage feed troughs. This tub was a great way to invite that rustic feel inside.
If you don’t want to put in the labor to retrofit a feed basin, you can readily get a replica designed for bathing.
This tub is a modern interpretation of a feed trough, made of galvanised steel that’s been enamel-plated and painted flat black. The homeowner wanted something that reflected the property’s roots as a farm, says Jule Tsai, a designer with Turnbull Griffin Haesloop. The house is surrounded by pasture dotted with vintage feed troughs. This tub was a great way to invite that rustic feel inside.
3. Plated in tin
Steel, copper and brass tubs are lightweight and retain heat, says Designer Anne Webster, who picked this piece because it makes a statement in an otherwise austere bathroom.
The copper and brass tub is plated in tin and uncoated. It will need no special maintenance.
The metal sheets are hammered into shape in the manufacturer’s factory and finished to the client’s preference – either highly polished or naturally oxidised.
Steel, copper and brass tubs are lightweight and retain heat, says Designer Anne Webster, who picked this piece because it makes a statement in an otherwise austere bathroom.
The copper and brass tub is plated in tin and uncoated. It will need no special maintenance.
The metal sheets are hammered into shape in the manufacturer’s factory and finished to the client’s preference – either highly polished or naturally oxidised.
4. Hammered copper
This copper tub is also hammered and was chosen because it fit with the Arts and Crafts-style bathroom, says Christopher Brown, a principal at b Architecture Studio.
This copper tub is also hammered and was chosen because it fit with the Arts and Crafts-style bathroom, says Christopher Brown, a principal at b Architecture Studio.
In addition to holding heat well, it’s deep, making it the perfect soaking tub, something the homeowners desired. It does require a step, which the manufacturer provides to coordinate, Brown says.
5. Chic industrial
This tub matched the industrial, chic styling of the New York City loft, says Architect Jane Kim. It also is an easy installation, since the apron raises the bottom of the tub a couple of centimetres off the floor. That allows for the drain connection to be above the floor. In that way, it acts like a claw-foot tub but with a cleaner look, Kim says.
So your style is: industrial
This tub matched the industrial, chic styling of the New York City loft, says Architect Jane Kim. It also is an easy installation, since the apron raises the bottom of the tub a couple of centimetres off the floor. That allows for the drain connection to be above the floor. In that way, it acts like a claw-foot tub but with a cleaner look, Kim says.
So your style is: industrial
6. Retrofitted antique
A typical tub, even an antique claw-foot one, just didn’t seem right for this home, says Rebecca Kaufman, owner of rebaL Design. The owner wanted the 100-year-old cabin to feel like a family heirloom, so Kaufmann knew she had to find something special. After many hours of searching antique dealers, she stumbled across this 1880s Highback Galvanised Rock ’n’ Drain tub, the same style tub seen in the famous Clint Eastwood movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It became the home’s statement piece.
Kaufman tried to keep the tub intact, but some retrofitting was required for it to meet current code. The tub had to be anchored to the floor and the drain replaced.
The bottom of the tub has a wood sled base with a drain at the back. In its original use, you would uncork the drain and rock the tub to empty it. The foot of the tub has a small indentation for a bar of soap, and it even has a bullet hole. The tap is a 1920s Meyers hand pump.
A typical tub, even an antique claw-foot one, just didn’t seem right for this home, says Rebecca Kaufman, owner of rebaL Design. The owner wanted the 100-year-old cabin to feel like a family heirloom, so Kaufmann knew she had to find something special. After many hours of searching antique dealers, she stumbled across this 1880s Highback Galvanised Rock ’n’ Drain tub, the same style tub seen in the famous Clint Eastwood movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It became the home’s statement piece.
Kaufman tried to keep the tub intact, but some retrofitting was required for it to meet current code. The tub had to be anchored to the floor and the drain replaced.
The bottom of the tub has a wood sled base with a drain at the back. In its original use, you would uncork the drain and rock the tub to empty it. The foot of the tub has a small indentation for a bar of soap, and it even has a bullet hole. The tap is a 1920s Meyers hand pump.
7. Swedish find
An antique was the answer for this bathroom too. The clients purchased this vintage tub in Sweden, says Kimberly Eads, founder of the design firm Vital Habitats.
The tub has a burnished metal interior and oxidised green exterior, which complement the jade mosaics in the tile and the metal finish on the fixtures, Eads says.
An antique was the answer for this bathroom too. The clients purchased this vintage tub in Sweden, says Kimberly Eads, founder of the design firm Vital Habitats.
The tub has a burnished metal interior and oxidised green exterior, which complement the jade mosaics in the tile and the metal finish on the fixtures, Eads says.
An antique white porcelain tub would have worked here too, but Eads thought the rugged look of the whitewashed cedar called for a more natural, handcrafted element. It was also lightweight, so there was no need for structural modifications.
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Have a great metal tub? We’d love to hear its story in the Comments.
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Browse more fabulous freestanding baths
TELL US
Have a great metal tub? We’d love to hear its story in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more fabulous freestanding baths
Jayme Guokas, owner of the design-build firm Craftwork, thought a galvanised steel feed trough would make an unusual and easy shower in this bathroom.
Guokas ordered the 120-centimetre-diameter by 60-centimetre-high stock tank through a feed store and paid about US$250 for it.