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All About Four-poster Beds

American Cherry Collection: Featured furniture is the Bridgeport Pencil Post Queen Bed.

One of the most famous British icons when it comes to elegance and style is the four-poster bed. For many centuries, this bed represented wealth, style, even power. Since the 14th century, though it is believed to have come from Austria, the noblemen exported and propagated the concept to the whole of England. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Before the Industrial era in Britain, castles and homes alike were often cold. These were places that did not have central heating. Though the four poster bed now represents opulence, it was originally born out of need.

The tester (as it was known back then) or canopy allowed for curtains to be draped or hung all around the bed. These did a wonderful job of keeping the cold air while keeping the sleeping royals warm as they slept throughout the night.

It is no wonder that this cold nation immediately embraced the idea of a four poster bed since it did not just provide warmth but also offered privacy. To royalty, this was, of course, most essential especially since bedrooms back then were shared spaces where servants also sleep in the same room with the lord or the lady. This is so they are ready to serve them the moment the royalty awoke.

Medieval England showed a development in the four poster bed in terms of being a representation of social status. The wealthiest were able to specify their bed requirements and, pretty soon, this bed became a statement of royalty and luxury.

Only the most talented men were asked to carve the four-poster beds for royalty and the noblemen. These beds were detailed and they even showed symbols such as the family’s coat of arms. The heavier and the bigger the bed was, and the more intricately carved, the better. There were even exotic materials that were added such as colorful paintings as well as hunting scenes, knights, and monsters.

Four Poster Bed Types

Traditionally, as the name pretty much states, four-poster beds have four posts. There is a post on each corner and these connected to a top panel which served as the canopy. The English referred to the canopy as the roof of their bed. There were even posts that stood away from the frame of the bed and made their way to the floor. A few posts were 18” in diameter.

During the Tudor era, four-poster beds were mainly heavy and very large. These beds were often attached to wall paneling because their weight needed extra support. Curtains were hung and draped around the bed for privacy and even for protection against insects.

As heating methods were developed, there was no longer any use for the canopy. There are now four-poster beds that are just connected to the mainframe and hanging curtains became optional.

The modern era welcomed a sleeker and less ornate four poster bed and beech wood became fashionable.

Four Poster Bed Functions

In most Tudor households, the ladies also used their bedroom as their living room, therefore, it was not uncommon for them to host social gatherings there. When a nobleman dies, he usually left his bed to his widow.

The four-poster bed holds a lot of memories for royalty especially when this became a husband’s deathbed. It is also possible that this same bed was the bed where she gave birth to all of her children.

The four-poster bed also is worth a huge deal of money so it is a lot more than mere sentimental inheritance.

Today, the story is no different. The four-poster bed still exudes elegance and beauty and it still can be made into a precious heirloom passed on from generation to generation.

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 9th, 2018 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Bedroom Design, Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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