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 fell out of favor with the owner and was relegated to the basement, attic or garage.
The one day, while looking at a catalog of some popular designer, the owner of the bed realizes it must have some value or it wouldn’t have been used in the catalog or ad campaign.
Next thing you know, that old bed is being dragged out and refinished. Have you ever had a car you wanted to sell, so you put some time into cleaning it up, maybe even putting new tires on it or a few other things you’d been putting off, to make it more desirable to buy……… only to find you like it so much after the clean up process, that you were having second thoughts about getting rid of it. Well that’s what I hear every day from people wanting to refinish their bed. I literally get 2 to 3 emails a day asking for advice, or just wanting to share how pleased they are after refinishing their bed and finding out, all over again, how much they liked it in the first place.
Something most people can’t put words to about their bed, is the character that is intrinsic to any old piece. They’ve soaked up the history they’ve been through, inanimate as they are…….. they still bring something to the table no newly made reproduction can………character and a past.
I’ve always felt a certain strength in iron beds. Their construction is practically rock solid. It takes a lot to break down one of them. I’ve even had beds that have been exposed to the elements for decades, only to come back to life after being restored.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
I also invite you to take a look at our company Face Book page for multiple photo albums on Custom Finishes, Canopy Conversions and a comprehensive “Before & After” King Conversions album.
