By Clyde Noel
When people remodel their bathroom, they usually start with the tub. It sets the tone for style and the type of materials they are going to use.
Simon Scott and Rebecca Trimpi, co-owners of Vintage Bath, have a long-standing passion for the sculptural beauty of old bathtubs and sinks. The Los Altos store doesn’t deal in the latest bathtubs but in old-fashioned tubs that are aesthetically pleasing and fit into small spaces.
“In this high-tech world we live in, people want to go home to a bathtub that feels secure and comfortable in a vintage or traditional style,” Scott said. “Homeowners are opting for a physically larger bathroom through an addition or internal remodeling and are turning an extra bedroom into extra space for a bathroom. The result is more room for a free-standing tub.”
Scott said he advertises Vintage Bath as a specialized store featuring vintage items, and he has customers from San Francisco to Monterey.
“After four-and-a-half years in Los Altos, we have a niche operation selling bathroom fixtures and accessories to homeowners,” Scott said. “They’re the ones who find us first. Then they bring in their contractor to make sure the fixtures will fit.”
Scott doesn’t reveal his source of supply to others, especially contractors and developers. They’d go direct to the manufacturer, leaving him out in the cold.
It’s different with gift items, such as imported soaps and lotions.
The biggest-selling items in the store are towel rods and mirrors. The busy walls of the store are filled with all kinds of drawer pulls and faucets.
There are six or seven tubs on the floor at Vintage Bath, most of them from the turn of the century to the late 1930s. Tubs at that time were made of cast iron, but later, with the war effort, they were made of different materials.
Reproductions of classic tubs and sinks cost $1,500 and up. Genuine antiques run much higher depending on their age and uniqueness.
In the showroom, the American Standard from 1910, with massive lion paws for feet, retails for $8,600. According to Scott, it’s a rare tub and an antique.
Old-fashioned tubs are aesthetically pleasing and add character to a bathroom. “We always have one or two on the floor because they add flavor to conversation and people ask about them,” Scott said.
A customer in the store looking for a small gift item said a bathroom is a place where you can go on your own. It’s a place to relax and think your own thoughts and get away from the stress and pressing things of the day.
Anyone looking to do a period bathroom for a remodel should check out the wall space in Vintage Bath. It’s loaded with all sorts of accessories.
There are other luxurious amenities available in the store, such as chartreuse shantung silk slippers and super-thick terry cloth bathrobes and towels.
Vintage Bath is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday.
Vintage Bath is located at 351 Main St., Los Altos. For more information, call 948-3147.
