23 Responses to “Claw Foot Tub with Shelves Around”

1. erin
   January 14th, 2010 @ 4:05 pm

   we didn’t have a clawfoot tub in our old place, but our tub was tiny, and with no shelves or corners big enough for shampoo bottles. we kept our bottles on the window sill in the bathroom (within arms-reach from the tub). it was a very good excuse to buy shampoo in pretty bottles, and helped me to feel not quite so anal as a i carefully removed ugly stickers from tubs of body scrub.

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2. nole
   January 14th, 2010 @ 4:17 pm

   I love that idea! It looks particularly nice with the wood walls – I’m wondering if it would also work with a tile wall next to a bath?

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3. Kate F.
   January 14th, 2010 @ 4:39 pm

   We literally ordered from clawfootsupply.com (hee, amazing, right?) when we first moved in. We bought two baskets that screw onto the upright pipe and each hold a few things. I screwed the swiveling soap dishes tight so they are shallow shelves instead of flipping around all the time. I think it was this one:
   http://www.signaturehardware.com/product5136

   With two we are able to hold a bar of soap, razors, two shaving cream containers, 1 all-in-one shampoo bottle and face wash. They aren’t huge but they work for us. (Our access is from the back of the tub, so we couldn’t use one of the over-the-side baskets without tripping!)

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4. Kate F.
   January 14th, 2010 @ 4:39 pm

   (Um, looks like Clawfoot Supply got bought by Signature Harware. Weird!)

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5. wishful nals
   January 14th, 2010 @ 4:50 pm

   delightful! i love claw foot tubs.

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6. Katy Elliott
   January 14th, 2010 @ 6:31 pm

   Great idea Kate F.

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7. Mina
   January 14th, 2010 @ 6:39 pm

   We have two claw foot tubs, the most functional one has a high shelf running along the wall in two directions as shown, about 6 feet high where the faux bead board stops. They are great. We place all of our bathing accoutrements there. I only wish it wasn’t so high as I am unable to reach the shelf when I am not standing in the tub. When we tear out the plastic stuff we are going to hang 2 small shelves spaced about 12 inches apart on the wall. I wouldn’t recommend the bench as shown in this pic though, I imagine it would get very soggy after repeated showers…

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8. StacyStyle
   January 14th, 2010 @ 9:27 pm

   Love it; wish I woulda done it. I have two clawfoot tubs in my house and I think I could get this to work in one of them. Love the idea. Thanks for sharing.

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9. Pamela
   January 15th, 2010 @ 12:09 am

   Love claw foot tubs! Wish I had one. I don’t like the showers built to accommodate them, though. Keep your shower elsewhere so the tub doesn’t have the curtain hiding it. I love the wall shelves, beadboard and tile floor to go with it!

   -Pam

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10. Katy Elliott
    January 15th, 2010 @ 12:13 am

    I agree I’m not the biggest fan of tubs with shower curtains. I do like the option to have one.
    This bathroom will be a kids bathroom so hopefully (i don’t have kids yet) we will use the bath when they are little and put in a shower ring when they are older.

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11. The Designer Insider
    January 15th, 2010 @ 7:12 am

    Just discovered your blog! Love the content and will check back soon. I love the bath with the wood walls and how the bamboo stool anchors all the white.

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12. Nancy Gail Ring
    January 15th, 2010 @ 8:40 am

    Hi Katy

    I have a claw-foot tub and adore it. I wanted one since I was a child and it was a happy day when I finally got one of my own. There is a claw-foot tub shelf that they sell that is removeable, just google over-the-tub shelf for clawfoot and you’ll see several. We solved the storage problem by putting a low cabinet right next to the tub. It looked nicer than any other solution and holds a lot of things. Good luck.

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13. Mopar
    January 15th, 2010 @ 10:36 am

    Wow, does this bathroom look great. We bought an old-fashioned metal thing from Moon River Chattel that hangs over the tub rim. It holds everything: shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, razors, soap. For a shower, you’d have to get a caddy that hangs from the showerhead. No way you could reach outside the curtain. You’d get water everywhere. If you have a shower like this, use three overlapping curtains so no water escapes.

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14. Kate
    January 15th, 2010 @ 10:57 am

    Hi! I love your site. I have a claw foot tub and experienced the same dilemma when faced with storage issues. I don’t care for the shelves because you’ll end up getting water everywhere. I found this inexpensive caddy at The Container Store. http://www.containerstore.com/shop/bath/showerTub/caddies?productId=10015471 It hangs from hooks that fit nicely over the shower curtain rod. You can hang it on an angle to match the curve of the tub so it’s not in the way. Not the most beautiful solution but the most efficient.

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15. Katy Elliott
    January 15th, 2010 @ 12:22 pm

    All good tips and advice. Thanks guys. This not only helps me but all my great readers!

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16. melissa
    January 15th, 2010 @ 1:01 pm

    All of my houses/apartments have had clawfoot tubs. The surround shelves look nice but I worry, as many readers do, that they’ll get soggy. They also impede your ability to move the shower curtain outside of the tub when you want to take a bath instead of a shower. In our current guest bath, we have baskets installed on the shower hardware that hold shampoo, soap, and razors, and a stool tucked behind the tub for candles and the omnipresent bathtub glass of wine. There is a train rack on the wall for extra towels. With a medicine cabinet with storage, you should be fine!

    xo

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17. anne
    January 15th, 2010 @ 6:49 pm

    My bathroom is much like the one in the image, but instead of shelves, we actually have a 3″ deep ledger (chair rail) that runs around the entire room. It’s about 4′ from the floor, which makes it perfect for storage of bottles, etc.

    However, I must agree with the other comments on functionality. We get water everywhere, reaching out to grab a bottle from the ledger. And, as beautiful and romantic as our giant claw foot tub is, it’s not a comfortable place for a shower. You have to step into it and risk slipping, and I find rubbing up against the shower curtain to be quite unpleasant.

    If you have room to build in a dedicated shower stall in your most used bathroom, I’d say go for it and enjoy the claw foot tub for its beauty and for luxurious baths!!

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18. Jane
    January 15th, 2010 @ 8:14 pm

    I have clawfoot tub that has a single built in shelf at the back facing wall. I have a tray that I keep on top for my shampoo, etc. It does get wet and storage is still minimal, but it works fine. I have to say, on of my favorite parts about the tub is that it is easy to keep clean–no grout, no tile, or seams.

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19. maya
    January 15th, 2010 @ 9:49 pm

    Katy,
    We have a claw foot tub in our old farm house. The shower is in another bathroom. It’s nice to have a tub exclusively for bathing. You don’t need to cover it up with a curtain. We have a shelf (essentially an old plank)along the length of one side. Because it’s ledge is slightly over the tub we don’t have any water issues on the floor.I have a special claw foot tub wooden “tray” that contains a stand for mags and books, a wine glass holder and soap dish. What more could one want!

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20. the NEO-traditionalist
    January 18th, 2010 @ 6:32 pm

    Love the bright white of this bathroom! I had a claw foot tub in my studio in San Francisco and while it was very charming, it certainly lacked storage space. The shelf is the perfect solution!
    XX Kate

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21. mrs.
    January 19th, 2010 @ 6:44 pm

    We are renovating a tiny cottage, and lucky for us the bathroom is already done! However, the storage around the tub is a problem, and while I have no advice for you, I am totally taking this idea! Ours is just a summer home, so our challenge is not so great, but the advice is welcome! Thanks!

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22. jennifer @ fog city sparkle
    February 4th, 2010 @ 2:17 pm

    i love the clawfoot in my upstairs bath and had the same issue. while this photo is BEAUTIFUL, it looks impractical because this means that a lot of water will end up on the floor – and in an old house like mine (1880s) the floors are uneven meaning the water will pool and damage the baseboards on one wall.

    so, this is my new best friend. i hang it from the round curtain rail up top, on the side of the tub where the curtain is stationary (i have two curtains, completely encircling the tub to prevent water from hitting the floors.

    http://www.target.com/InterDesign-Cero-Over-the-Door-Shower-Caddy/dp/B0017LV3WK/ref=br_1_6?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=284422011&node=284422011&searchRank=salesrank&searchPage=1&searchSize=30&id=InterDesign%20Cero%20Over-the-Door%20Shower%20Caddy

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23. Tree
    March 13th, 2010 @ 2:04 am

    I found this on a similar discussion board at AT.

    http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=15220387&navAction=jump&isProduct=true&parentid=MORE%20IDEAS&isProduct=true&cross-sell=true&guide-bn=true

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