when i see an old clawfoot cast iron tub, i am immediately taken back to my childhood....i grew up in a 100+ yr old house that my parent's renovated themselves. all of the bathrooms, except for my brother's, had clawfoot tubs. they were great for taking baths- super deep so the water could get really high w/ out overflowing (except for the one time i fell asleep w/ the water on...the library ceiling unfortunately paid for that mistake). my mom painted all of the bottoms of the tubs. mine was (and still is) red. it matched an accent bird on a vintage scalamandre wallpaper that the previous owner's had in the bathroom. i hope that one day i can have a clawfoot tub in our house....and i, like my mom, would have to paint the bottom a fun accent color!
*images courtesy domino/amanda peet, apartment therapy, jessica helgerson interiors, flickr/sarahleead, kathryn ireland