Siouxland Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 6 - version 2

Siouxland Magazine | EXPLORE / 51
Nan Wilson has turned this old tub into a garden focal point.
Turning a Clawfoot Vintage Tub into a Work of Art
By, Sandy Sabel
The vintage clawfoot tub had its origin in the
mid 18th century in Europe. The ball foot design
was initially created in Holland and then spread to
England, followed by the States. The epitome of the
historic bathroom tub is the clawfoot tub. The clawfoot
tub reached its popularity in the late 19th century. As
a child in Sioux City, I bathed in a porcelain tub with
claw feet. People who buy a home with a clawfoot tub
now want to restore it or get rid of it.
In 1973, a few months after my husband and I moved
into our new home, I received a call from an uncle,
who had purchased a Morningside home to fix up and
resell. It had an old porcelain tub with a claw foot. He
called and asked if I wanted this old tub as he knew I
liked old things. I told him I would love to have it, so
he brought it in the back of a pickup truck and put it
under our deck. I painted it red and planted flowers
in it. The last several years it has stood empty, as it sat
under our deck where we couldn’t enjoy it.
I wanted to refurbish it, so I called Nan Wilson, an
Art instructor at Briar Cliff University. Thankfully, she
accepted the challenge. I told her she could develop
any design and use any colors. It was truly a ‘labor of
love.’ The tub has the same design on both sides and
different designs on each end. She painted the inside
of the tub white. We then had it sprayed by Gordon
Body Shop to protect the finish and keep it from fading
in the sun.
It now has a special place in one of our flower beds,
which we can enjoy from any room in the back of
our home. Paul Sundquist, our gardener, suggested
I not plant directly in the tub but rather, use two big
plastic planters painted white. The flowers he planted
compliment beautifully the colors and the design of
the tub. It certainly is the focal point in our yard!
Sandy Sabel not only inspires us to reconnect with
treasures from the past in creative ways but also to
connect with those we appreciate in our present in
meaningful ways.
Up From The Earth exists to connect extra produce from
home gardens to people in need.
Photo Credit Sandy Sabel.