This Woodworker Uses His Background In Shipbuilding To Create Stunning Wooden Bathtubs

The NK Woodworking & Design studio, created by craftsperson Nathie Katzoff, is known for its intricate and award-winning staircases—however, other items it creates are gaining popularity among home design enthusiasts. The studio is making headlines with its one-of-a-kind bathtubs. The most unique thing about them is the medium they are made from. Apparently, Katzoff has perfected a technique that allows him to make stunning bathtubs out of wood. The methods developed by the studio allow these bathtubs to keep water warmer for much longer than regular porcelain or metal tubs.

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The tubs are made out of sustainable domestic and exotic hardwood and built in Seattle, Washington. "My favorite to use, visually, as a composition, is walnut and a mahogany called sapele," Katzoff told Bored Panda. The process of making them is quite lengthy.

"With every bath being different, it varies on complexity. However, it often takes us three or four months to make a bath. The most extreme custom bath (no public photos available) we made took almost a year to create," the creator said. The tubs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with some of them looking like giant bowls and others resembling little vessels.

If you're interested in having one of these in your home, be prepared for a hefty price tag. While the studio didn't reveal the exact price range, it is known that the price starts at $30,000. As Katzoff described it: "These are art-level pieces priced similarly to nice cars and handmade high-end art furniture."

When asked how he became interested in woodworking, Katzoff said that it all began when he was 5 years old and started playing with Lego and painting artistic landscapes.

"At sixteen, I got my first carpentry job building a composite timber frame home in New England, and at eighteen, went to a boat building school in Maine to continue my path in expertise of craft. After working as a wooden boat builder for many years, in 2011, I decided to start my own business based around my love of fine wood furniture and fine woodwork. My goal was to merge my interests of art and nature along with my honed appreciation for the fine craft of woodworking. Over the last nine years, we ended up winning many awards and getting recognized worldwide for our sculptural curved stairways along with our sculptural baths," he said.

The artist says that inspiration for his creations comes from nature. "The unique geometry and forms that are created are present everywhere if we only pay attention. As a designer and artist who works with wood and glass, my goal in my work is to emulate or celebrate the natural materials and natural forms found in the world and bring them to the built environments."

Nathie Katzoff revealed that he has plenty of exciting plans for the future. "Although wood is my favorite medium, I have started doing some very exciting projects with bronze and glass and look forward to sharing more of these with the world in the coming years."