Many of the antique beds available are French, from the last half of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20th century. Generally, they fall into 6 broad styles described below.

Louis Style

A beautifully curvaceous, very feminine bed, heavily carved cartouche and cabriole legs. Generally in walnut, sometimes rosewood and very rarely, larger than 4'6" wide.

Henri Style

A very square looking bed but very often, round side columns are used to give a softer appearance. Head and foot boards are usually paneled. A very broad range of timbers were used to construct these beds - walnut, chestnut, fruit-wood and mahogany being the most common. Sizes range from 4'6" to 5', rarely larger.

Empire

Empire revival style. This style goes by a number of different names and includes the Edwardian style beds of the late 19th century and early 20th. Square with veneered panels and superb inlays often in ebony and decorated with ormolu mounts. The advantage of this style is that they are big - we have them up to 5'6" and sometimes larger.

Upholstered

The name given to this style is fairly self-explanatory. The earlier examples with scroll ends are rarer but obviously more desirable. The later beds are lighter weight and often have curved foot boards. These are mostly around 5' wide but go much larger - up to 7'6" in our experience!

Cane or Bergere

Although these come in several different styles, the main focus is on the cane. The frame is often gilt with fantastic carving, sometimes plain old polished wood or a painted finish. The shape is similar to the upholstered beds and the sizes are also around 5'.
Tip: always check the cane has a good spring to it and is not rotten. Replacing cane is a very expensive job.

Painted Beds

Again, a somewhat generic name rather than a particular style, sometimes fairly large and in a stunning French blue/grey.

Bateau Lit and Wall beds

Bateau Lit is a style of French bed that everybody wants 5' plus wide - forget it! They are larger singles only - up to 4' wide. Head and foot boards are identical. They are beautiful beds in any setting. They can be known as bachelor beds - plenty of room for one and cosy for two ! Wall beds are very similar but the head and foot boards are upright and therefore, fit very nicely into a corner. We sell these beds complete with bases and mattresses as they come in some very odd sizes making it very difficult to get mattresses and bases to fit.

Four Posters

The range we stock are mainly oak or cherry reproduction of excellent quality. We do have a small selection of originals - all at 5'. The reproduction examples we stock go up to 6'6" wide and can be made to the customer's own specification and design - this can be very useful if, for example, your ceiling is particularly high and a normal height bed would be dwarfed.

Finally, remember first and foremost, a bed must be functional and comfortable. Many will need to be lengthened - this is fine providing it's done properly. However, beware of alterations - replacing wooden rails with metal is becoming more and more common. Check to see if delivery includes assembling the bed and not just leaving it in your hall ! Also, check that the base of your bed is specially handmade and therefore fitted properly.
If you have any more questions or seek any more advice, please give us a call or mail us.