Close to 40 years ago I started buying and selling antique brass beds. It was purely a part time hobby that turned in to a career I’ve been doing the better part of my life. Although I now specialize in iron beds from the same period of time in the 1800’s. I started in brass…
DetailsOne of the most utilitarian iron beds ever made was the “campaign bed”. “Campaign’s” derivation comes from a series of military operations intended to achieve a particular objective, confined to a particular area, or involving a specified type of fighting, an organized course of action to achieve a particular goal. These “campaigns” as they were…
DetailsYellow 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…
DetailsThis 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…
DetailsIn 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…
DetailsThe 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…
DetailsOver 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…
DetailsOver 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…
DetailsWhere 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…
DetailsFor 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?…
DetailsMost 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…
DetailsWhy 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…
DetailsAlthough Valentines Day comes but once a year. The recurring theme seems to have been something iron beds presented throughout the 1800’s. “Heart” shaped designs were extremely popular. Over the years I’ve lost track of the variety and number of beds that I’ve had. Some were extremely elaborate and fancy and others were quite sedate…
DetailsI’ve been in the antique iron bed business for close to 40 years. I’ve never lost the excitement I get at finding unique ones that I’ve never seen before . The longer I’m in the business I realize how many incredible designs must have been made for someone like me, who has seen and sold…
DetailsSo is there a right way and a wrong way to convert your antique iron bed to a king size? Yes and no………. Some iron beds lend themselves to a very common sense enlargement to a modern king size. Others have numerous possibilities, some far better than others. Here are two perfect examples. A Fort…
DetailsSince the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower, man had to come up with a way to elevate himself off the ground when he slept. The easiest way to do that in a world that had yet to be settled or cleared was with wood. Wooden bed frames were also what was being used in Europe…
DetailsWe convert nearly a third of all the iron beds I sell to the modern king size from the original old double size. Craftsman style beds have become more and more popular and are now exceeding the requests we get for the fancier scrolled Victorian styles. One of the nicer elements about converting a straighter…
DetailsAfter identifying what style bed your child wants, you’re now going to have to come to a decision on the size. This will be determined by a couple of factors. The most important one being the apparent size of their room…..can your child’s room handle any size bed you’d like them to have or because…
DetailsGenuine antique iron bed frames possess something which no recently produced piece of furniture can offer…. character and a past. From the days when Lincoln was in office and Billy the Kid roamed the wild west, to when two brothers called Wilbur and Orville took to the skies at Kitty Hawk, and when Chief executive…
DetailsAs you may already know, the largest size iron beds being made back in the early 1800’s was a double size . So when someone wants a king size , we convert whatever original double size bed they select from our inventory into a king size. That’s done by cutting the bed apart in integral…
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