One of the more popular custom antique faux’ finishes we do on our iron beds is the “Distressed Crackle” finish. It came about as a result of the response I continually got from my customers that would see old beds I’d get in, that had 150 to 200 years of paint that had crackle and…
Nearly 50% or more of all iron beds made back in the 1800’s had corner castings or “finials”. These are the decorative castings on the top of the corner of the head and foot board. They are as diverse in their style as the beds they go on. So what can be determined from corner…
One of the more enjoyable things about being in the antique iron bed business over the past 40 years, is having been able to see countless beds be “re-born”, in the refinishing process, after a “storied” past of close to 200 years. It really is like the rebirth of an old piece of furniture that…
What comes to mind when you hear the word iron bed. It can be as varied as those from the same Rorschach ink blot. Some people, mostly men, believe iron beds are pure femininity…….there’s nothing masculine about them. Other people feel they embody the Victorian romantic era and still others feel they were purely beds…
I’ve done numerous blogs in the past about “art display panel beds”. Many of them were actually made by a foundry/manufacturer in Chicago called the “Art Bed Co.” These particular beds had flat metal panels that served as canvases for different floral bouquet’s, pastoral scenes, or even abstract Victorian designs. But there were a select few…
Most all of the beds I sell, our customers have me put on an authentic antique finish. Because all our beds are original old antique iron beds…..not reproductions, our customers want to make sure the finish reflects their age and authenticity . That’s why we have so many old antique faux’ finishes in our repertoire.…
As most of you know…the largest size iron bed being made back in the 1800’s, was a double size. So when someone wants a larger size, and still wants to use an antique iron beds, it becomes necessary to convert that original double size in one of a couple different ways. When converting your bed…
Having been in the iron bed business for close to 40 years, I’ve seen most beds more than once. I have albums upon albums of different bed styles I’ve come across over that period. But it always amazes me when I get a bed in that I’ve had in the past that looks so uniquely…
Most people think of antique iron beds in one of two ways…….either ultra fancy and scrolled or plain and Austere. Although many of them do fall within those style parameters , there are many that have a subtle yet elegant understated look……..as is the case with the bed in this photo. True……there are many simple…
In the past forty years, I’ve never encountered a more prolific iron bed than that of the “Pagoda” . It’s name comes from the corner casting that resembles a oriental Pagoda. Coupled with Victorian scrolls, it’s a bed I’ve seen copied by at least half a dozen different foundries. Back in the 1800’s small independent…