Clawfoot Shower Tubs/Bathroom Storage Ideas

[SoonerTexan]

So the new place we are renting was completely remodeled, except the owner kept the clawfoot tub and plans on converting it into a shower before we move it. Unfortunately the washer/dryer are also going to be stuffed in this tiny bathroom--I'm seeing issues ahead. It also has a (albeit brand new) pedestal sink and tiny medicine cabinet mirror, so no storage or countertop space. Picture attached.

Any recommendations?

After reading this on a forum where the topic of clawfoot tub showers, I'm a little horrified:

I suppose it's great if your idea of fun is to be intimately molested by moldy shower curtains. Friends of mine tried magnets, big curtains, different rods, tiebacks, velcro, rubber bands and everything short of replacing the curtains with cinder blocks. The curtains still wrapped around you like a giant squid.

As traumatic as this makes your morning shower, the good news is that you won't remember it when you slip upon exiting, as you inevitably will, and give yourself a concussion. Plus, if you do have pets, you can give them a little bit of fun watching you desperately and pointlessly clutch at air until your skull hits the porcelain.



If you don't have a clawfoot yet, and want to sample the experience for yourself, have someone wrap you naked in a wet bodybag and throw you from a moving pickup truck. Pretty similar.

[scarlett09]

I would definitely get one of those over-the-toilet storage units, kind of like these: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...70&KSKU=110260.

And I've seen on some of those home improvement/decorating shows on HGTV that people make a little curtain and put it around the pedestal sink to create hidden storage around the bottom. Kind of like this: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organ...90/page10.html.

I don't know anything about clawfoot tubs, but I have found an awesome shower curtain that is "eco-friendly" and hasn't gotten any mold on it. We've had it for nearly a year and neglected to clean our tub for a few months and it is still mold-free. Check it out here: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...16123196&RN=12 (I think this was it, I just remember it being an eco-friendly plastic that was mold-resistant.)

Good luck figuring out storage, your bathroom is really cute!

[scrub-jay]

Wow, those people really hated their claw foot tub. We had one in the last place we lived for 3+ years and the curtain NEVER wrapped around me at all. I had an inside curtain and an outside curtain. I loved that the claw foot tub was so deep for baths (I miss that great depth!! mmm!!) and the shower attachment never posed a problem. The curtain stuck to the side of the tub (mostly with good ol' hydrogen bonding - no magnets that I can remember). It was never a problem.

ETA: I highly recommend hookless shower curtains as they can be tossed in the washing machine if mold does develop at all! (Love the simplicity!!)

[SoonerTexan]

And I've seen on some of those home improvement/decorating shows on HGTV that people make a little curtain and put it around the pedestal sink to create hidden storage around the bottom. Kind of like this: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organ...90/page10.html.

Genius! I love the charm of this place, but you can tell a single man who doesn't cook renovated it--no counterspace or storage anywhere!

[scarlett09]

Genius! I love the charm of this place, but you can tell a single man who doesn't cook renovated it--no counterspace or storage anywhere!

That was our first apartment. You were cornered if you opened the diswasher while using the sink. And you couldn't open the oven door at the same time as the dishwasher. There was no counterspace in the bathroom either. I also once saw in another person's apartment a toilet paper holder that was directly opposite from the toilet. Like you had to really reach while sitting on the toilet to reach it. Obviously a man designed that!

[poky]

I used to have the "billowing around you" problem a LOT with my shower at our old place (standard tub/shower, not clawfoot), and what helped was:
1) two shower curtains, one inside the tub, one outside.
2) running the shower at less than full-on, and/or with more of a "rain" type shower head, rather than a standard one (lower speed water)
3) having less of a temperature differential between inside and outside the shower
4) having as much airflow as possible between inside and outside without spilling water all over outside the tub (not sure if this'll be harder in a clawfoot; may depend on the shower head and where the splits in the curtains is).

Don't be too worried about it; it's possible to take care of it, despite that person's experience.

[HouseofWool]

We had claw foot tubs in a couple of places and I loved it. Be sure that the shower curtain is a heavy one. A cheapie liner will billow around. And like Sandy said, there was a lot of interplay between the air temp/water temp/water flow rate.

[scrub-jay]

We had claw foot tubs in a couple of places and I loved it. Be sure that the shower curtain is a heavy one. A cheapie liner will billow around. And like Sandy said, there was a lot of interplay between the air temp/water temp/water flow rate.

Our inside liner was a heavy one, that may have been the reason that we never had a problem.

[SoonerTexan]

I found this and I'm hoping it will help: http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/produc...item_no=GB0984

It's big enough to go around the entire shower. As far as decorative curtains go, can I just cheat and put one on the front, or do I need two? (I already own one I really like, so I hope I can cheat with one and still have it look okay!)

Actually, the owner hasn't put up the curtain rod yet...we're going tomorrow to check the place out again--it might be a good idea to bring a curtain tomorrow and see if we can get him to put it at a good height!

[HouseofWool]

You should be fine with just one decorative curtain on the side that faces the room. Unless of course, like lots of old places, there is an actual window in the shower. I think I had at least 3 different apartments with that. Guess we always chose a specific vintage for places to live and since showering wasn't the norm, the bathroom window was above the tub.

[DCJenn]

I have a ginormous claw foot tub. I don't have a problem with the billowing- I have a super heavy shower curtain and it's got magnets at the bottom.

Jenn

[SuzySunshine]

No experience with the claw tub but we have an over the toilet storage like scarlett posted, ours looks almost exactly like that except the doors are glass. We got ours at Target and love it!

[L.Jane]

We had a storage issue too. We got an over the toilet storage thing like this: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uima...8bathroom4.jpg from target and then I went to the container store and got some baskets to put all my stuff in. I use one for brushes/dryer/straightener. I use another for all my smelly stuff/hair stuff and the third for misc stuff.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I do that kind of stuff all the time, Cassy!

[MrsK]

Aww, I saw this thread and got all excited about organizing a bathroom with a clawfoot tub.

For the record, I would have suggested shelves with a couple baskets for extra toilet tissue and larger items that aren't needed every day. In small spaces, sometimes those over-the-toilet cabinets/shelves can crowd the room.

I'd hang a hook like this http://www.potterybarn.com/products/...cet-_-Hooks-_- on the wall opposite the showerhead on which to hang a shower caddy since there is not a ledge on which to put your shampoo/conditioner/razor/soap in a clawfoot tub. That way you don't have to worry about bottles being too tall or interfering with the showerhead.

Hang hooks for towels/bathrobes just outside the tub.

An over the door shoe pocket organizer like this http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/...organizer.html for small toiletries (extra razors, toothpaste, soap, hairbands, cosmetics, etc.)

If you use a hairdryer in the bathroom often, a holder like this: http://www.organization-store.com/wa...ryer-rack.html can be attached to a wall. (Personally, I'd dry my hair elsewhere because the bathroom is bound to be humid.)

I'd keep the clothes hamper in the bedroom closet or just outside the bathroom. Also, some shelves or drawers just outside the bathroom for extra towels is nice too.