“Lay Lady Lay…..Lay Across My Big Brass Bed”. Does this song ring a familiar note? Listen to the words. Back in the very early 70’s I had just started selling brass beds. I use to play it in my store in Georgetown , Washington DC. Iron beds had yet to come into their own and brass…
In 1971 I was going to GW in Washington DC, when the Disney movie Bednobs and Broomsticks came out. I had just start dealing in brass beds and iron beds. I can distinctly remember the day the movie was released. I started getting calls from people looking for brass beds. I wasn’t aware of it,…
By far, my best repeat customers for my antique iron beds have always been my B&B patrons. It is customary for a B&B owner to start out with bed…….see how they like it and the response they get from their guests, and then consider getting more. What I always tell the owners of B&B’s is…
In the forty some years I’ve been buying and selling antique iron beds, I’ve never come across a bed like this with “mermaids” and a “crown” . There is also a beautifully detailed Victorian woman’s face and the “crown” sets above her head. In researching where this bed came from and it’s background, I learned…
Today we call Fed Exp., United Parcel or any one of a dozen freight carriers and they’ll come to your home pick up whatever you want to ship and have it at it’s desired destination the following day…………not so back in the 1800’s when iron beds were being built. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs,…
We here at Cathouse Antique Iron Beds have been refining the art of refinishing and adapting old original double size iron bed frame’s to accommodate today’s modern Queen and King size mattress’s for close to 40 years. Converting an old antique double size iron bed, to a modern king size requires we strive to maintain…
Few iron beds that have been photographed in the movies have ever received the attention as the one used in the movie “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” with Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. It was an incredibly scrolled Victorian piece that really highlighted the mood and personalities of the actors and story. What many…
Many years ago I had a group of you girls buy a bed from me for a sorority sister who was getting married. The idea for such a gift had come from one of their grandmothers who had quilted a beautiful “double wedding ring” quilt for the bride. She had recounted, to her granddaughter how,…
One of the most unique and collectible casting , used on antique iron beds, was the “hollow wreath” casting. Generally speaking, if a bed has one of these type castings……. there’s a pretty good chance it’s a good bed. When foundries poured castings to complete the process of building iron beds, it’s done by hand…
A few years ago I got a email from a gentleman back in Central Pennsylvanos. He was looking for an Austere iron bed. He was quite specific on the style and design he wanted. He sent me sketches of the bed, that he’d drawn after actually having a dream about it. We discussed finishes etc. and as…