10 Clawfoot Tub Ideas to Elevate Your Bathroom

Add a Separate Shower

While a clawfoot tub is beautiful, it’s not always practical for everyday living, particularly if you prefer to shower. When there’s room, adding a separate shower is ideal.

“In this bathroom, we created a walk-in shower by eliminating the linen closet and made the new clawfoot tub into the focal point,” says Dana Arazi, principal and creative director of Arazi Levine.

To avoid breaking up the bathroom too much, use the same floor tile in the shower and beneath the tub.

Use a Telephone Tub Faucet

A clawfoot tub can feel current and vintage at the same time. This tub features details, such as the telephone faucet, that are glamorous and antique, but the overall look of the bathroom is updated in the most timeless way. “This early 1900s Victorian New England home underwent a full renovation,” says Lindsey Hanson, owner of Lindsey Hanson Design. “Clients wanted the primary bathroom to feel current while also aligning with the original character of the home.”

Give It a Monochromatic Matte Finish

Rather than paint the tub in the traditional glossy finish, a matte look can make it feel more sleek and modern, particularly when it’s part of an overall monochromatic look. “Keeping the legs the same color as the tub itself was the more modern approach, and I love the black-on-black look of the tub and the walls of the curved bay,” Kristine Irving, creative director of Koo de Kir. 

Add a Beadboard Backdrop

Beadboard and a clawfoot tub are a match made in heaven, particularly in older homes with vintage appeal. Add wallpaper, and you have the most charming bathroom moment. “Beadboard offers a period-appropriate backdrop while not-too-frilly wallpaper adds movement that echoes the lines of the curved bathing fixture,” says Roisin Giese, owner and principal designer of Twelve Chairs Interiors.

Paint the Tub

A vintage cast-iron clawfoot tub is as sturdy and storied as they come. These tubs last forever, and they’re the loveliest addition to an old home. But what do you do if the condition is great, but the aesthetic leaves something to be desired? Paint it!

“I secured this vintage cast iron tub for just $200; the price was so fair I didn’t haggle,” says Mattye Dewhirst, owner and interior designer at Mattye Dewhirst Interior Design. “We customized it with Behr Mosaic Blue paint, which looks so fresh and clean paired with the white.”

Outfit It With Brass Fixtures

“I love working on historic homes that have character and charm,” says Hannah Oravec, owner at Lawless Design, who uses the clawfoot tub as another way to introduce a vintage element. Outfitting it with brass fixtures, especially when it’s a warm, aged brass, furthers that vintage-inspired look.

Put It In Front of a Window

A clawfoot tub is an inherently indulgent feature in a bathroom, but when put in front of a window, it elevates the look even more. This whimsical bathroom features a black clawfoot tub that anchors the vivid color palette and looks out on the greenery just outside.

“We had this clawfoot tub custom-painted for our delightful 89-year-old client who proudly insisted on having it because she could still climb in and out of it every day,” says Joann Kandrac, co-founder of Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc.

Use a Clear Shower Curtain

While having a separate shower is ideal when you have a clawfoot tub, that’s not always possible, particularly in smaller bathrooms. In those spaces, you have to find a way to make the clawfoot tub practical for showers without detracting from the design.

“In old houses, space is often limited, so I love a clear shower curtain on an oval curtain rod so as not to obscure the view of the surrounding tile, beadboard, wallpaper, and the rest of the décor,” says Dewhirst.

Give it a Clean and Classic Palette

Clawfoot tubs are often thought of as retro or vintage-inspired design details that call for an equally ornate backdrop. But installing a clawfoot tub into a bathroom that feels clean, classic, and minimalist can be a gorgeous choice. “A clean, simple aesthetic that lets the clawfoot tub shine as the true star of the space,” says Maria Ripepi Diven, founder and principal designer of La Storia Design.

Put a Tub in the Bedroom

Who doesn’t want their home to feel like a high-end hotel? If you have the space (and the plumbing!), a clawfoot tub in the bedroom can feel like a luxurious moment that only happens in the most glamorous of hotel rooms.

“A cast-iron claw-foot soaking tub was selected and purposefully placed in the corner of this primary bedroom to elicit the feeling of staying in a boutique hotel,” explains Alexandra Peck, owner of Alexandra Peck Design. It’s carefully placed in a corner, right next to a fireplace, for the most chic spot to unwind.