Cristalplant®, Corian®, Cristalmood®, LivingTec®, Tecnoril®, Korakril™, just to name a few. The search for new materials for sanitary ware has never been as rich in experimentation as in the last decade. Lighter, satin-finished and warmer, “softer” to the touch, sometimes in unexpected colours, the bathtub has updated its appearance, re-launching a season of rediscovery which, not by chance, has gone hand in hand with the rise in popularity of freestanding models, which are now also commonly found in the bedroom.
The essentials: 20 of the best bathtubs
Let’s retrace the design history of a piece of furniture poised between functionality and wellbeing that over the last decade has gone through a phase rich in experimentation thanks to the evolution of materials.
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- Giulia Zappa
- 28 February 2022
Now that the bathtub is taking centre stage again, the most luxurious models do not coincide with the highest technological performance, although such models do exist. Domotics, chromotherapy, and programmable hydro-massages are all part of the latest high-end options. Yet, true luxury seems to prefer the inescapable concreteness of the material, its weight and texture: the number and options in the field of stone bathtubs have also grown in recent years as if to testify to a return to a primordial taste for the role and ritual of taking a bath in a tub.
Throughout history, our relationship with the bathtub has been fickle. From being an essential habit of cleanliness and wellbeing for the Romans and many others, the habit of taking a bath fell into disgrace when people wrongly started to believe that water was a germ vehicle. It was only when this belief was overturned – Pasteur’s discoveries and the construction of sewage systems played a key role in it – that taking a bath became a form of personal hygiene.
Today, the bathtub has certainly transcended its mere “functional” dimension to take on a role of comfort and complicity among all the beauty rituals. It is a “place where you put your thoughts in order”, according to a phrase attributed to Ettore Sottsass, a small “room of one’s own” amidst steam and bathroom tiles.
Filled by hand with buckets of water heated over a fire, zinc bathtubs were among the first popular models to mark the comeback of the habit of personal hygiene. Little more than a simple tub, in the poorer models, or equipped with decorated feet and rounded edges, they were generally characterized by a slightly raised headrest.
A historic New York company – rumor has it that Duchamp used one of their designs for his famous Fountain – mass-producing bathtubs and washbasins, J.L. Mott Iron Works became the symbol of the new levels of comfort that the bathroom of the early 20th century had reached. In its numerous advertisements, it was among the first to praise the hygienic benefits of porcelain and how easy it was to clean.
For the bathroom of Jeanne Lanvin, fashion designer and founder of the Lanvin brand, the interior decorator Armand-Albert Rateau used the bathtub in a dramatic and majestic way. Made of marble, it was set in a stucco-covered niche and surrounded by furniture and accessories, providing a new idea of luxury and comfort in the Paris of the 1920s.
The famous blue bathroom at the Vittoriale – Gabriele D’Annunzio’s museum house overlooking Lake Garda – is best known for the 900 objects stored in that very room. And yet, in the crowded composition that distinguishes it, it is the intense shade of the sanitary ware that inspired its name.
The first whirlpool bath invented by Roy Jacuzzi was not the result of formidable business intuition, but rather a way to cure his son’s rheumatoid arthritis. Jacuzzi placed in the bathtub a pump mechanism capable of generating water jets and bubbles. The era of mechanised massage, in which Jacuzzi is still the leader today, had just begun. Having become a fashion phenomenon, the jacuzzi takes on hedonistic connotations and flirts with kitsch, creating improbable and sometimes hilarious models. This is the case of Champagne Glass, a high-altitude love alcove that, amidst the splendour of bubbles, plays with shine and a sense of hyperbole.
This unusual and in some ways curious corner bathtub manages to renew the language of sanitary ware – in terms of colour and ergonomics – as Antonia Campi has done so many times throughout her research. The shape, similar to that of a tub, is characterized by a wide opening and an unexpected porthole. The seat, which is too high to be used when taking a bath, is instead perfect for footbaths.
In the bathrooms of the 1970s, when fully tiled walls, colour and crazy patterns reigned supreme, the bathtub was camouflaged by a tile frame. This solution is still extremely popular today, especially in small bathrooms. The photo shows the Starck acrylic built-in bathtub for Duravit.
Sottsass’s decade-long collaboration with the German brand has resulted in many models of sanitary ware, including bathtubs. One of the most original – and to some extent groundbreaking – results is certainly Centroform, with its rounded shape with a narrow base characterised by a metal band and an unusual use of colour.
An unprecedented combination of bathtub and shower, this 800 kg creation by Ugo La Pietra enhances the essence of the material by synesthetically restoring all the smoothness and sensuality of marble.
A great classic among outdoor baths, Dutchtub Original turns a domestic ritual into an experience magnified by contact with the open air and nature. It does not require any electricity, as it is wood-fired. Easily transportable, it is made of fibreglass and can accommodate up to four people, turning into a relaxing tool for collective enjoyment.
A veritable small bathroom architecture, SwimC works by subtraction, transforming its perimeter into a construction capable of sublimating the sense of emptiness and space. Available in four possible configurations – free-standing, peninsula, corner, built-in – in natural or white lacquered wood. The bathtub, featuring a double backrest, is made of Cristalplant®.
A reinterpretation of the old metal bathtub, Vieques sublimates the popular model from which it is inspired through its rounded symmetry and the parallel lines that animate its volume. Accessories include a shelf to be installed on the edge of the bathtub and a backrest, both in iroko wood.
Characterised by absolute forms, Sabbia finds expressiveness through the detail of its smooth edges, thus underlining the softness of the lines made only possible by the use of Cristalplant®.
A freestanding bathtub also available in two-tone versions, black-white and red-white, Morphing finds inspiration in the classic models of the old bathtubs with feet, and reinterprets their lines through a few essential details - the thinness of the bathtub rim jutting outwards, and the soft touch of Cristalplant®. Honourable Mention at the 2014 Compasso d’Oro.
The name itself is a tribute to an unforgettable type of bathtub of the Japanese tradition called Ofurò. Ofurò is inspired by the forms and rituals of the bath in the Land of the Rising Sun. Its unusual height allows you to immerse your whole body, multiplying the beneficial effects of hot water. The grains of solid larch wood from which it is made gives an impalpable decorative tone, helping to bring a warm note in the bathroom.
Giovanna Talocci’s deep understanding of the needs and technicalities of bathroom fixtures is unparalleled. She has been working in this field since the 1980s, and she has been awarded two Honorable Mentions at the Compasso d’Oro in the field of bathtubs. One of these was thanks to Paper, the result of yet another collaboration with Teuco. An unadorned parallelepiped, Paper transforms linearity into an opportunity to reinforce the presence of colour, which with this model enters the bathroom without any shyness.
Studio Nendo’s reinterpretation of the Japanese bathtub for Bisazza chooses the path of simplicity enhanced by the juxtaposition of parallelepipeds with edges softened by the warmth of larch wood. The containers can be used for storing objects or as a step to get in the tub more easily.
When Gric designed this bathtub made of Sentec, a solid surface material characterised by its low weight and pleasant feel, he focused on achieving an essential form, paying close attention to the thinness of the edges. In the same collection, the rectangular experiment with SaphirKeramik, a material with the same mechanical strength of ceramic, but half the weight.
An exercise in applying the sensibilities of clay to marble, as the Canadian designers of Yabu Pushelberg described it, the design of Anima is characterized by gentle curves in the central part of the tub evoking the effect of fingers pressing on clay. Available in Bianco Carrara, Crema d’Orcia, Pietra d’Avola and Gris du Marais®.
Borghi stands out among all freestanding bathtubs thanks to its unusual use of colour, which we might say is reminiscent of a precious stone. When we look more closely at it, the calibrated design contributes to defining its personality thanks to the narrow base. Made of Cristalmood, the first bathtub designed by Gumdesign Studio can be paired with the homonymous sink characterized by a cork base.