Dutch designer Maren Hartveld presented a soft bathtub at the Design Academy Eindhoven graduate show in the Netherlands earlier this month.
“Bringing a new meaning to sinking into one’s tub,” says Hartveld. “A free-standing soft bathtub made from polyurethene coated foam rubber; not cold and hard like the average bathtub, but soft and warm, and comfortable like a sofa”.
Above image by Marjan Holmer.
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Posted by Matylda Krzykowski
October 31st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Good idea. It must be safer than fiberglass bathtubes.
But it must be difficult to clean.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Design Academy clearly going down the drain…
October 31st, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Original concept, but why the corners ?
October 31st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
if there was ever an excuse for a gratuitous display of flesh, this is it. not even a picture of it filled with water?
October 31st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
really cool, now that it exist, it was so obvious, great design!
October 31st, 2008 at 2:53 pm
yes, I can’t imagine it cleaning well, or wearing well after many cleanings…
October 31st, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Those corners… auch! If you have an accident and fall, say goodbye to your life… or at least one eye!
October 31st, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Don’t worry about the corner’s Even I thought that remember”polyurethene coated foam rubber”.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Once again: could we please see a photo of the item in use? Dezeen shows too many photos of shoes without feet, chairs with nobody sitting in them. Radical rethinking of everyday objects is the very point of high-end design; but too much of the stuff looks completely non-functional. If this is a piece of conceptual art designed to make us think about the nature of the bathtub then fine. But if you’re going to call it a bathtub, then it has to work.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:24 pm
cute concept, but polyurethene coated foam rubber tears easily and it would become stained by dirt very quickly. Plain old bathtubs last for generations…sorry to be so boring but this is reality.
October 31st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
A nice nano coating and this baby becomes resilient and self cleaning. A soft tub is practical for so many people:
From the visually impaired to the physically impaired. From toddlers to the very elderly.
The real trick is designing a hybrid tub that can be used in many standard bathroom configurations that balances form and a cohesive style appearance.
I enjoy this concept as an object, now we need to see some fixtures. This could be extremely marketable.
October 31st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
yeah, why the sharp corners? They don’t look tender.
But if the material is really soft, it should be ok.
October 31st, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Come on folks.
Is no-one allowed to create/produce ‘concepts’ anymore? Everything has to be finalised/justified/engineered perfections?
So the material may not be exactly perfect, there’s no ‘working’ prototype images. So what! Surely we can all see the value of this as a concept/discussion piece/visualisation……. or have people lost the ability to imagine/ponder/think creatively (god forbid).
As for me - I’m with JC, I think it’s a great concept, and I’m rather enamored with the form too. Well done.
October 31st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I LOVE this idea - living in a period property with no built-in heating in the bathroom I could REALLY use one of these!
I agree with Yung about the corners looking a bit too sharp, they seem a bit out of place to me… But even so, where can I get one?
October 31st, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Bravo RH. Well said!
November 1st, 2008 at 5:34 am
lovely bath!
November 1st, 2008 at 11:31 am
really nice concept; finally I’m enable to take nice and soft bath. Of course the concept needs some investigation in material and finetuning in design, but very well done! Also like the layers.
November 1st, 2008 at 11:37 am
interesting soft and warm material but the drawing to be eye catching and differential has too dangerous corners in a bathroom …
November 1st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I think it is a very interesting idea. The contrast between the hard look (like poured-in-place concrete because of the layers of foam) and the soft feel is well done. Only problem I can think of is when you sit or lean on the edge of the tub the water will pour out. Good starting point.
November 1st, 2008 at 3:49 pm
where goes my glass of champagne? …
November 1st, 2008 at 5:10 pm
those sharp edges look really scaring…
November 1st, 2008 at 5:37 pm
nice bath, just don’t slip on the soap
November 1st, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Concept has existed for years and was produced as a softtub. It even had a drain to let the water out. But especially important was its medical relevance as there are people with a skin disease that are harmed by a hard tub. As a former salesperson in the plumbing industry we sold them until they were discontinued years ago.
November 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 am
Would be nice if it was longer. It’s hard to take a bath in a short tub.
November 2nd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I think the justaposition of the hard angles and soft material is brilliant!
The corners aren’t hard people - read the script - I would imagine they are the softest, most deformable points of the bath, and hence, not dangerous!!
Great execution and realisation of the concept, and as RH Michael and JC say - more work required, sure, but this has real merit and will no doubt inspire more resolved and practical versions.
Whether it is actually comfy is another question, you might get stuck if the rubber matches the body form too well creating a suction pocket, and you may have to peel yourself off…. lol.
Great work
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Thanks Randy. its strange how people see this as a new exciting concept. or something of beauty for that matter. Also why is it so hard for people to pick up on th fact that this tub has SOFT corners.? its meant to look like you have sunken into a solid block. jeez!
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 am
Why nobody has thought of it before?
Will there be a soft toilet bowl in the future?
It sure will be very comfy during the winter.
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:07 am
love it
it looks usuable and as if it might be an improvement on plain old bathtubs - for the visually imparied etc…as long as the rubber wear’s well
November 4th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
To IAMREPLY. I’m just wondering what it is that you do. Can you give me a website/weblog. I like to check it out. It must be wonderfull with really well thought about products and ideas.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Hey, you may not like the look but at least it’s not a wall of books. It makes a design statment and is functional. I happen to like the little points and the more muted texture of this material verus the typical porceline. Bathtubs have this cold look to them usually and this one looks warmer. I wonder how soft it is.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I want it
November 8th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Good idea but;
How it drains?
February 7th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
This is an awsome concept! I am graduating this summer from Industrial design and I guess our grad projects have a similar problem: bathtubs are uncomfortable!! Thats cool…great minds think alike.
February 24th, 2009 at 3:48 am
Too Good Maren Hartveld, Keep it Up.
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:35 am
I think Comfort is more important than the look. The above design may give more comfort than a normal bath tub.
April 18th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Awesome concept!
June 21st, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Beautifully, I love all white and simple))
June 27th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Bathtubs are usually a weekend affairs. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bathtub which could lowered on need basis and hoist it above headroom in the rest of the week?
July 1st, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Where can i take the plunge and buy one?