Further blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living, pushing the boundaries of living space and design, garden baths seem a natural progression from alfresco living rooms and outdoor kitchens. Unlike the more high-tech, high-energy and admittedly somewhat garish world of hot tubs, an old fashioned, garden bath provides a slower, more sensory route to relaxation.
Be it inspired by the Cotswold-set, Babington House or Soho Farmhouse (Oxfordshire and Ibiza), outdoors baths are fast becoming the new summer, garden status symbol. According to an article in The Times by Victoria Brzezinski, garden bathers are wholeheartedly embracing the new “lo-fi” garden bathing experience, be it to cool off from the omnipresent heat waves, a hot soak on colder days or for the brave, to take a dip in iced water.
Hidden to ensure total privacy, bath tubs should be positioned within the garden to ensure the plants, flowers, views and wildlife are very much part of the sanctuary experience. Some take positioning their baths further explains Brzezinski such as architect, Mark Shaw who opted for more of an infinity design with a sunken outdoor bath for his house in Walthamstow, London – inspired by hotels in Thailand and Japanese onsens.
Hot tubs (and swimming pools) are notorious to maintain and costly to run, requiring filtration, chemicals and a constant heat supply – making them less than green in an eco-conscious world. Bath tubs on the other hand are low maintenance, require relatively simple plumbing and inexpensive to run. As an added bonus, especially for gardeners, the bath water can subsequently be drained into or used to water the garden.
Companies, such as William Holland, sell handsome (copper) tubs designed especially for outdoor use, but re-used, recycled options in the form of beautiful Victorian, cast iron, roll-tops can easily be purchased from auctions, eBay or Etsy – at a fraction of the price.
A new way to unwind from a hard day’s gardening and be immersed in nature, will you be taking the plunge in your gardens?
