When considering a Southwestern Adobe Style for your bedroom, there are a few important things you’re going to want to address before selecting a bed. From many vintage photo’s that I’ve seen over the years, iron beds were used quite a bit in these early desert homes. The desert landscape and the bright colors of…
DetailsSo you’re asking yourself if antique iron beds are even appropriate for a boys room. Most of the time you see beautifully designed interior shots of girls rooms , master bed rooms and even guest rooms, that have great looking scrolled or curved iron beds. So I can understand you might be having a little…
DetailsHaving just written a blog regarding potential iron beds for the guest room, I thought it prudent to touch on similar things that should be considered when selecting a bed frame for your Master Bedroom. Obviously the first thing is size……… Most people that are looking for their Master bedroom are looking for either Queen…
DetailsYou love antique iron beds and are considering using one in your guest room. Are there any things to consider when making a selection? Absolutely……… You first have to ask yourself if you’re going for the “look” or for something “substantial”. The difference will be in the price and design. You can find iron beds…
DetailsWhat could old steam locomotives and antique iron beds possibly have in common? Well the first thing that comes to mind is they’re both made of cast iron. But how is it that their success was so intertwined ? The same foundry and smelting process that made iron beds possible, also brought us the iron…
DetailsAntique iron cribs are the least safe thing you cold ever buy. If your intentions are to actually use them for your new born. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has instituted new safety standard for cribs. Here are a few of the reasons why. No crib can be made or sold with traditional drop side…
DetailsThere are two “schools ofthought” when it comes to using a dust ruffle on antique iron beds. The first is that the true traditional iron beds of that period didn’t have dust ruffles. The reasoning behind that theory was that a dust ruffle would have negated one of the main reasons for the elevated stature…
DetailsSo you’ve finally found the bed of your dreams……… that’s just the beginning. Now you have to dress it. Easy you say………Well yes, to a degree it is. But consider this…….The way you dress and appoint your bed will determine how well it blends with the rest of your bedroom furniture. You don’t want your…
Details1800’s Antique Iron Military Quartermaster Beds, also known as “campaign beds“, opposed to many beliefs that these were just simple twin size iron beds, were used by military officers in the field. They were popular because of their ability to be disassembled and carted to a new location without much effort. Yet the enlisted “grunts”,…
DetailsAlthough I’ve posted more than one reference to the use of unnecessary force in assembling iron beds………it continues to be one of the major requests I get from people over my website on what to do “after” the damage has been done. Take a moment to read this so that “damage” doesn’t happen to your…
DetailsWhat do you do if your antique iron bed doesn’t have a pair of side rails ….. or the set that came with it doesn’t fit? Usually I’d tell an inquiry with such a dilemma that their goose is cooked. But in fact, you do have a couple of options open to you. Ebay has…
DetailsMany of the initial conversations I have with my customers involve their “likes” and “dislikes”, regarding the style of iron beds. I usually ask if the like the straighter line more Austere styles or are they more looking for something with more curves and fluid designs. That question usually prompts one of two responses…….almost universally.…
DetailsSo what is it that really elevates the value of an antique iron bed? Above all else……… it’s “rarity”. The fewer times I’ve seen a bed means it was probably not a practical design to continue to produce. That’s even the case with manufacturers of reproductions today. Their main concern is the bottom line and…
DetailsI’m often asked why some style iron beds are more plentiful than others? Sounds like a simple enough question, and should have a rather uncomplicated answer………. not the case. There are a couple of things that can effect how prolific one particular style bed is. One of those things is the size of the foundry…
DetailsFew iron beds, I’ve had in the past 40 years, have ever gotten the response that this one did after being used in a photo shoot with Halle Berry in People Magazine. We had always referred to that bed as the “Peacock” bed because of the similar shape and style of a peacocks feathers and…
DetailsHow is it that original old antique iron beds often have as many as a dozen or more layers of paint on them? In the early 1800’s iron beds came from the manufacturer with a good strong coating of lead base paint. As the bed went through normal use, after a few years, it would…
DetailsThe beginning of a large iron and steel industry in the Chicago region during the nineteenth century was a function of entrepreneurial effort and a geographical advantage. Mills could obtain raw materials from the vast iron ore deposits in the Lake Superior region relatively cheaply and easily. Because most of the iron ore used by…
DetailsWhat are the pro’s and cons of using an interior designer ?The profession of Interior Design is relatively new, constantly evolving, and often confusing to the public. The best way to know if you should be using a interior designer for any of your decorating needs is first to ask yourself what will they be…
DetailsOver the years we have continued to sell more and more antique iron beds to our neighbors to the north, Canada. You’d think those sales would have increased because of word of mouth, or the ones we shipped having been seen by friends or family members. Although we’ve been very fortunate to have always turned…
DetailsFew antique iron beds you’ll ever come across will have such a unique corner casting and design. This bed has always been referred to as the “Shepherds Staff”, for obvious reasons. We came across this bed in the Chicago area where foundries were nearly as plentiful as those in the Pittsburgh Pa area, back in…
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