SOAK AWAY YOUR CARES AND WOES
Relaxing in a freestanding bathtub
The great thing about freestanding tubs is that you can put them anywhere you want. They are an excellent item to work with, and they really add some class to a bathroom.
VINCE VILONE
(Freestanding tubs are) more curvaceous, with a contemporary Zen look and lines that are soothing to look at. (They) are often combined with square faucets to counteract the curves. It makes for a peaceful atmosphere.
Tubs add an element of relaxation to our bathrooms, and today’s models are all about their streamlined good looks. For years the standards were alcove or three-sided bathtubs, as well as corner tubs with two walls, as they tucked neatly and unobtrusively into the perimeter of the space. But as bathtubs became more stylish, they also became the new centrepieces of contemporary bathrooms.
“People want the freedom of being able to go into the tub from any side,” said Vince Vilone, owner of Galileo Construction Inc. “And the great thing about freestanding tubs is that you can put them anywhere you want. They are an excellent item to work with, and they really add some class to a bathroom.”
Stand-alone bathtubs date back centuries. “This look originally comes from the old clawfoot tubs found in homes,” said Louisanne Bourgeois, senior product manager of freestanding bathtubs and wall solutions at MAAX. “We’re now transitioning to something very minimalist and going thinner and thinner. The market is shifting where everything is integrated so you don’t see any seams.”
A decade ago, freestanding tubs were considered more of a specialty product, said Mark Wolinsky, president of Wetstyle. But they are becoming more commonplace in modern homes because of their versatility.
“Freestanding bathtubs continue to be the lion’s share in terms of popularity, and they are made of all kinds of materials,” Wolinsky said. The main materials are composite, fibreglass and acrylic. “With composite, we can make a freestanding tub in one seamless piece, which has a much lower chance of leakage, and they have a wall thickness of one to two inches, which has a thermo-insulating effect and helps keep the water warmer for longer. Acrylic has a thinner wall that is seamed together, so it doesn’t have the same temperature retention but it’s usually less expensive.”
Audrey Tardif, communications co-ordinator at Bain Dépôt, pointed out that freestanding tubs can also come in more exotic materials, such as cast iron, stone and wood, but “those are all very expensive options and they are not nearly as flexible,” she said.
The designs of freestanding tubs are getting very shapely. “They are more curvaceous, with a contemporary Zen look and lines that are soothing to look at,” Tardif said. “These smooth shapes are often combined with square faucets to counteract the curves. It makes for a peaceful atmosphere.”
While designers were excited to experiment with colour in decades past, the tried-and-true tone for today’s bathrooms are almost always monochromatic, with white the go-to when it comes to tubs. “White is the No.1 choice after the catastrophe of the ’80s and ’90s with pastels,” Tardif joked. “People are hesitant to use colour. Some are into black trends and more willing to adopt them. But mostly, clients keep things neutral and can then still add colourful accents without fully committing to one colour. It adds some dynamic character.”
Wolinsky agreed: “White is still the dominant colour, and from time to time we do get requests for grey, charcoal or black, but it’s still a small percentage.”
Accent colours can be used to add a dash of personality to a bathtub. “We offer colours on the skirt of our two-piece freestanding tubs — we have a chart and can do crazy colours in blue and pink, but we don’t sell a lot of these,” Bourgeois said. “People like to match the trims of their bathtubs, such as the drains and overflow, but stay in white for the unit piece itself. These pieces stay put for 10 to 15 years, so it can be risky to put a coloured tub in your bathroom.”
Technology is playing a bigger and bigger role in home design, and this is especially true in bathrooms, particularly in showers where automation is being used. Bathtubs, however, are about going back to basics, and technological features are appearing less. For example, lighting and jets are definitely on the decline.
“Systems are going away with the freestanding trend, as it’s much harder to integrate a system since it needs to be remote from the tub,” Bourgeois said. “Homeowners used to have a big corner tub with a whirlpool, and now it’s about ripping them out and putting a freestanding tub there, and that will raise your home’s value.”
Tardif agreed, saying less is more when it comes to today’s tubs. But for those who want the luxury of a whirlpool, they have a model where the jets and motor are integrated right into the tub unit, thereby eliminating any exterior wires or connections. “Lighting is more of a dream than a plausible choice, too,” she added. “Pinterest inspired us to love the idea of lighting in the tub, but it is very expensive.”
Freestanding may be the most in-demand model of bathtubs, but there are others that are also beautiful as well as functional. “Given the layout of our bathrooms, there has been a rise in tub-showers,” Tardif pointed out. This is where you have a freestanding tub as well as shower, and two-in-one units make the most of limited space in a compact footprint. These tub solutions are evolving as people move into more modest spaces.
“Showers are increasing in popularity, and we still want the freestanding look but in smaller sizes,” Bourgeois explained.
“We used to see a lot of 60-inchlong freestanding tubs and now they’re smaller. The reason is, people want these freestanding looks so badly they’re ripping out their alcove tubs and want the freestanding ones in there in smaller configurations.”