Copper Tubs and Silver Baths

A freestanding tub can serve as a focal point in a bathroom. The graceful curves recall sculpture, and metal basins act like jewelry for a space. A handcrafted copper vessel truly is a work of art. Its patina adds tension and warmth to an elegant marble room, just as the natural, rustic beauty of shells or wood balances the sleek luster of a silvery tub. The old world elegance of the basins pictured below invites the bather not merely to step back in time but to step out of time altogether and relax. 

"In the Sonoma County, California, home of interior designers Andrew Fisher and Jeffry Weisman, a shell-encrusted chandelier crafted by the designers also acts as a tub filler for the freestanding Candide bathtub by Waterworks. Laser-cut birch window panels designed by Fisher and Weisman filter the light, and the Regency-style table is vintage."

Interior design by Andrew Fisher and Jeffry Weisman.

Photography by Grey Crawford.

"The Best Luxury Bathtubs" by Helen Yun.

Elle Decor.

'In the wife's bedroom, a tub by Urban Archaeology has fittings by Waterworks."
Interior design by Michael S. Smith.
Renovation by Oscar Shamamian of Ferguson and Shamamian Architects.
Photography by Simon Upton.
"An Elegant Retreat in Malibu" by Marshall Heyman.
Elle Decor (October 2009).

"Freestanding tubs are a thing of beauty. I am not big on decorative tile and prefer the simplicity of using beautiful natural materials so I often pick bath fixtures that work as sculptures. If you have a great tub in the middle of the room, that's where your eye wants to go. Bathworks is a company out of England that refurbishes old tubs, and the pewter tub, pictured here, is really stunning with a great finish."
Interior design by Brooke Giannetti, Giannetti Home.
Photography by Steve Giannetti.
"Well-Advised: Brooke Giannetti" by Catherine Lee Davis.
Veranda.

"An airy bathroom embraces the natural beauty of its Napa Valley landscape. Tub, the Water Monopoly. Lantern, Dennis and Leen."

Interior design by Richard Hallberg.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.

"36 Bathroom Design Ideas" by the editors of Veranda.

Image originally appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of Veranda.

"Paneling is often thought of in libraries and the more formal rooms, but I love to include paneling in bathrooms. These classical moldings add richness and balance to the room. Also more elegant in my view is the free-standing tub in lieu of a platform tub. In other words, the bathroom should express the mood and tenor of the rest of the architecture of the house. It is not necessary to have an ultra-modern bathroom in a house that expresses a traditional style or is from an earlier time."

"Decorating and Design Tips from Mary Douglas Drysdale"

Veranda.

"Gleaming silver tones enhance the room's old-world elegance. An antique mirror propped behind the burnished cast-iron Candide tub from Waterworks reflects a vintage pharmacy cabinet. Étoile tub filler, Waterworks."
Designer Betty Lou Phillips's Dallas, Texas, home.
Photography by Nathan Schroder.
"A Grand, Parisian Hotel-Inspired Guest Bathroom" by Julia Lewis.
House Beautiful (March 2011).

"The master bath, with walls sheathed in book-matched Burma-teak marble, includes a Waterworks tub with P. E. Guerin fittings; the petrified-wood stool is from Hudson Furniture, and the floor is a mosaic of Burma-teak marble."

Design by William Sofield, Studio Sofield, in collaboration with Studio B Architects.

Photography by Scott Frances.

Text by Mayer Rus.

"A Rustic and Refined Aspen Getaway" produced by Carlos Mota.

Architectural Digest (January 2013).

"The master bath's nickel-and-brass tub is 19th century, and the chair is by Honore Paris from Galerie Yves Gastou; the wall stripes are painted."
Paris apartment of Marco Scarani and Jamie Creel.
Photography by Roger Davies.
"Paris Match" by Ian Phillips.
Elle Decor (December 2008).

"The centerpiece of this master bath retreat is a hand-hammered copper tub designed by artisan Robert Kuo, backed by a custom-designed glass-tile mural designed by tilemaker and artist Erin Adams. The mural, inspired by a waterfall design on an antique Japanese screen, was installed in three panels reminiscent of a folding screen. Adams also designed the woven-pattern tiles installed below the mural-creating a grass-cloth-like weave but on a larger scale."

"Stunning Master Bathrooms"

Traditional Home.

“Get the look of a copper bathtub for less. Instead of purchasing a copper bathtub, paint expert Annie Sloan covered the outside of her enamel roll-top bath in copper leaf. Copper is a very warm, rich color and emits plenty of light because of its shiny quality. To soften its appearance, Sloan used Florence — a coppery green paint— underneath.”

Photography by Christopher Drake.

Source: Color Recipes for Painted Furniture and More (2013 Cico Books) by Annie Sloan.

“Copper Leaf Tub”

Canadian House and Home.

"Bianchi loves sitting in neck-high water in her 1860s zinc-lined copper tub. A vintage Chinese birdcage hung from the ceiling adds another element of quirkiness."

Designer Penelope Bianchi's house in Santa Barbara, California.

Photography by Victoria Pearson.

"A Mediterranean-Style Home with a Well-Worn Patina" by Mimi Read.

House Beautiful (September 2010).

"A pair of mahogany Jacob chairs flanks a copper tub in a bathroom."

Paris apartment decorated by Frederic Mechiche.

Photography by Jean-Francois Jaussaud.

"The Gilded Age"

Elle Decor (January/February 2012).

"A bathroom's copper tub and fittings are by Herbeau, the 1940s chair is by Jansen, and the linen for the curtains is by Chelsea Textiles."
18th-century manor house in Bordeaux wine region - home of Paris-based designer Michael Coorengel and his partner, Jean-Pierre Calvagrac.
Photography by William Waldron.
Text by Ian Phillips.
"Crowning Achievement" produced by Cynthia Frank.
Elle Decor.

"In the master bedroom, an antique copper tub with Waterworks fittings is accompanied by a ’50s Baguès trolley."

Interior design by Robert Couturier.

Photography by Joshua McHugh.

Text by Christopher Mason.

"Jay McInerney and Anne Hearst's Sunny Greenwich Village Apartment" produced by Robert Rufino.

Architectural Digest (March 2013). 

Clothilde Freestanding Oval Copper Bathtub by Waterworks.

"Clothilde pedigree is rooted in the high sloping French copper tubs of the 19th century, but the grand scale speaks to a new era of luxuriousness in the bath. Completely handmade. Lined with tin to protect the purity of the water. Double ended."

Photo via Waterworks website.

"Medicis Copper Bathtub" by Herbeau.

Shown in Pewter with Weathered Copper Exterior. Also available with Polished Copper Interior.
"The result of hundreds of hours of handiwork by Herbeau artisans. Generously sized for two."
Photo via Herbeau website.