If you are looking for a luxurious bathroom space, one of the most effective ways to give your design a boutique-inspired look is to install a feature bath. A freestanding roll-top or cast-iron slipper bath is very often used in top hotels because it says to the user; this space is here for you to spend plenty of time in… indulge yourself and relax. Baths are all about letting go of the day and making time for you, plus adding a comfortable upholstered chair nearby means that a companion can sit and chat to you at the same time.
Lots of the designs that have come out of The Brighton Bathroom Company Design Studio have featured beautiful statement baths such as the sleek Ashton & Bentley Zeus Correro bath in Chuck Hatch, East Sussex, their Aegean metallic bath in Lower Beeding, West Sussex or the small roll top bath in cast iron called the Lyon bath from Hurlingham in Brighton. It’s worth noting here that the latter bathroom was recently nominated for an award at the Designer Kitchen & Bathroom Awards 2016.
Placing the bath centre stage, perhaps with floor mounted taps as we did in this luxurious master ensuite with bronze fittings gives a really elegant and warm feel to a bathroom, plus is very on-trend at the moment. Some of our clients however have preferred a sunken bath below a window or in front of a centralised shower scheme, which can then be framed with patterned tiles. We used encaustic tiles in both these bathrooms in Sussex which give a lovely rustic, chalky, Moroccan-look to the rooms and make the baths the focal point.
Some of our favourite traditional freestanding bath suppliers are JIG and Hurlingham which can be painted in any colour to coordinate with the rest of the room, however they aren’t light (!) and may need floor reinforcement. If this presents an issue structurally, we also use bcdesigns’ acrylic baths which are lighter in weight but can also be painted in any colour you choose. Burlington also do good value, acrylic freestanding baths which can be painted and come with selection of feet.
On the contemporary side, long established manufacturers Ashton & Bentley also make some stunning, architecturally-led contemporary freestanding baths that are popular with clients. If you’re after a high-quality steel bath then Bette and Kaldewei are good options and for music-lovers they can even be fitted with built-in speaker systems. The high-backed, ceramic Palomba by Laufen is stunning, taking its design from nature and is therefore soft and organic-looking. If you are however after something more spa-like, then we recommend clients consider Duravit’s for Spa Baths or the Phoenix for Whirlpool Baths which is reasonably priced.
We’ve put together a Pinterest board to inspire you further on the choice out there for freestanding baths that are guaranteed to make your new bathroom look incredible and will feel super-luxurious to use in the finished space.
