in my previous old, long and narrow san francisco apartment with wainscoting on the walls, a lovely freestanding claw foot tub stood stoically in the bathroom and since then, regular built-in baths/showers have taken the fun out of bath-time. stepping into a freestanding tub produces a sense of old world grandeur and romance, no matter how modern the bathroom is surrounding it.
images courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com
someday i will have a freestanding claw-foot tub in my bathroom again. someday.