If you follow history you probably are aware that iron beds were not as popular in the west in the 1800’s as they were east of the Mississippi. Transporting beds to the west back in the 1800’s was not easy. It was costly, time consuming and difficult to transport large heavy items. People moving west…
DetailsTake a look at this iron bed frame. It was made in the Pittsburgh Pa. back in the mid 1800’s. Yet it’s definite “Deco” design would not come into existence until it was introduced in Paris France in the 1920’s.
DetailsMany years ago, after opening my store in Santa Monica Ca., I had the distinct pleasure of selling the first of many subsequent iron beds to the one and only “Boss”, Bruce Springsteen. He and his wife Patti wondered into my store one afternoon and proceeded to select one of the best antique iron beds…
DetailsHere is a photo of an antique iron bed we converted from it’s original antique double size, to todays modern king size.
DetailsI’ve yet to encounter an iron bed that once converted to a canopy doesn’t look more impressive and regal. It’s a funny thing, but back in the 1800’s the people that were producing iron beds in this country didn’t make canopies. That was something only coming out of Europe. The British were big into canopies…
DetailsYea…..well people in hell want ice water to. Only kidding…..but that’s about how scarce a matching set of twin size iron beds are
DetailsThis photo is of a thin gauge iron bed I converted to a canopy and a modern king size.
DetailsOne day a rather small man walked into my store in Los Angeles and started asking me questions about iron beds.
DetailsI’ve yet to find an antique iron bed that didn’t look better after a canopy conversion. The photo of this one shows how even a bed that has soft sloping sides can still be converted. It isn’t necessary the bed has a flat top and corner castings. If you have the foundry facilities and an…
DetailsIt’s very easy to tell the popularity and collectability of an item by the number of reproduction of that item you see in the market place.
DetailsFor all of you wine connoisseurs and vineyard owners…….here’s one of the more unique and collectible antique iron beds I”ve come across.
DetailsFew iron beds have the bells and whistles this one does. Made by the E. Simmons Co., that today makes a top line of mattresses. Iron beds of that time were in strong competition with the more expensive brass bed market.
DetailsA number of years ago I received a call from a “stylist” who said she was in need of a iron bed for an advertisement in a log cabin setting.
DetailsBy far, the most popular antique faux’ finish we put on our iron beds is the Black Smyth.
DetailsHere is a “Before and After” king conversion photo of an iron bed we did for a client in Laguna Beach Ca. It was a bed we’d never seen before. So it must have been made in very limited numbers…..possibly only a few before the foundry decided not to make it any more ……or……it could…
DetailsThe Two Tone Crackle finish is one that gives you an original finish for your iron bed that was being done by the manufacturer nearly 200 years ago.
DetailsAs you may have learned form some of my earlier blogs, Pittsburgh was the center of steel production in tis country back in the 1800’s.
DetailsMost people have an image of large manufacturing companies that employed dozens, even hundreds of men, that produced iron beds back in the 1800’s.
DetailsAs you may have read in my 2nd Blog entitled Origins of Cathouse Antique Iron Beds, the first iron beds I ever had, came in to my possession from a couple of farmers up in Pennsylvania.
DetailsIt was a strange thing that some designers of iron beds did back in the early 1800’s when selecting a certain theme for their iron beds.
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