Yellow is sunshine. It is a warm color that, like red, has conflicting symbolism. On the one hand it denotes happiness and joy. but on the other hand yellow is the color of cowardice and deceit. Yellow is one of the more popular colors being used on iron beds back in the 1800’s. Because of the high visibility…
This was not a new idea – the Romans used beds, which they could fold and carry easily – but for some unknown reason the fashion never caught on until the 1851 Great Exhibition. A’ French’ double iron bed from Birmingham was selling at the rate of 400 per week in 1849, and shot up…
In history, there was a definite “transition period” where the design of iron beds changed radically from the ornate, detailed castings, and scrolled Victorian lines…….. to a much more “stream-lined” less decorative. Three of the more distinct “innovations” to help usher in the Industrial Revolution, and that were closely linked to it, were Textiles and…
The use of the symbolic meaning of flowers on iron beds and particularly in their detailed castings to represent emotions was developed to a high degree during Victorian times. Due to the strict protocol of the times, emotions, wishes and thoughts were not openly expressed between men and women. Instead, subtle things like bed designs…
Over the years I have been very fortunate, largely because of where we are locate, to have come in contact with quite a few people in the entertainment industry. In that period of time we have sold iron beds to more celebrities than I can remember. The fun thing about watching the Oscars is seeing…
Over the years I have found more of my beds appear on Yahoo than I could have possibly believed . It amazes me where the photo’s come from or how they get indexed. But every time I do a random “search” for iron beds or antique iron beds, I find photo’s of beds I’ve done…
Where do we start when it comes to converting an antique iron bed from it’s original double size to a bed with today’s modern king size dimensions? Well we first start with an iron bed that has good king conversion potential. What does that mean? A bed should have the design symmetry that when…
For the longest time the most requested style of iron beds I received was for Scrolled Victorian. That was for close to 30 years. For the past three to five years the most requested styles have been Austere/ Craftsman style. So why all of a sudden have peoples taste in antique iron beds styles changed?…
Most people are aware that Pineapples carry the connotation of “welcome” and “friendship”. Over the years I’ve had numerous antique iron beds that had Pineapple castings on them in some shape or form. Some more subtle than others and then some much more obvious and pronounced. Their symbolism started in the Hawaiian Islands and is…
Why Manhattan? What would make this city the consistently largest antique iron bed market in the nation. Is the sophisticated tastes of its people? Or is there a much more practical reason behind the “iron bed” capital of the world. For close to 40 years I’ve been selling New York designers beds in record numbers…