Bath Tub Face Panel Question

I'm remodeling our master bath. The tub will be an "undermount" with a marble lip mounted to the deck of the tub. I need a panel to cover the face of the tub. My problem lies with the existing base. It is 7" high and there is only 21 3/4" from the floor to the top of the 60" long tub. A small piece is visible on the right side of the image to give you an idea of proportions. I was considering a panel with a 9" bottom rail and 2" stiles and top rail. There would also be a 2" center stile. I would apply a piece of the base to the bottom of the front panel. I'm not sure about how all this would look aesthetically. Any input would be welcome.

Attachment 268717Attachment 268718

I would probably divide it into three panels, like this:

Attachment 268724
You could also consider changing the base at the tub to something smaller, letting the "room base" die into the tub wall and running a "tub base" across the face of the tub:

Attachment 268725

Jerry thanks for taking the time to reply and especially for the drawings. I really like the look of 3 panels with the center one being larger. When you say " letting the room base die into the tub wall", do you mean just cutting the room base so that the end is flush with the tub panel? This is what the existing base looks like. I believe it is a 2 piece unit. Would you suggest keeping the profiled top piece but setting it on top of a flat piece that isn't as tall as the room base?
Thanks gain for your help.

Attachment 268762

By " letting the room base die into the tub wall", I mean stopping the base at the tub. I'm suggesting you consider using a smaller base across the face of the tub (which could have the same, or a different base cap---the profiled piece at the top edge of the base):

Attachment 268781

But I think you really have enough room to run the full-height room base across the tub, and after looking at it a little harder, I think running the regular room base across the tub would be fine:

Attachment 268782

Jerry, again many thanks for the input. The SketchUp drawings make it so much easier to visualize things. I really need to get around to mastering it one of these days. :) I think what I'll do is make a mock up of a corner and see which one looks best.

Ken

I'd be concerned about water dribbling down the front of the tub and pooling on the bottom rail. Even non-sloppy people drip a big as they get out of the tub. And if there's a shower in the installation, there's even more chance of water down the front. Water pooling on the bottom rail is likely to make its way into the dado that holds the rail. At some point, the finish may fail. One possible fix is to change the design so you don't have a bottom rail. For instance, if the front were just one big panel, the water would dribble down the front, dribble off the panel, and go the floor. There would be much less chance of water-induced failures.

Jamie - there is no shower associated with this tub. This tub rarely gets any use - maybe once or twice a year. The marble surround will overhang the panel by about 3/4". I'm hopeful that this will minimize any water problems.