As you’re all probably aware, iron beds elevate the mattress and box spring off the ground an average of 8″ higher than a conventional modern bed frame. There were a number of reasons people back in the 1800’s choose to elevate their mattresses so high. They were certainly not for aesthetics ……… but instead were…
There are a number of different size iron bed tubing sizes. The two beds in this photo are the most prominent. They are the most traditional 1″ diameter thick wall tubing, the blue one, and the 2″ diameter thick wall tubing. The 1″ tubing was used on probably as much as 80% of all the…
99% of the queen conversions we do on our iron beds here at Cathouse are simple length conversions. As you may have read in a previous blog, the width difference between the antique double size bed, which was the largest size they made back in the 1800’s, and today’s modern queen, is only a couple…
This is one of the rarest twin size iron beds I’ve ever come across. It has large “Rams” head castings on the four corners. It’s easily the heaviest twin size bed I’ve ever encountered. That is due to the size and number of castings. Usually twin size beds are much more delicate and feminine. This…
Here is a photo of a slight adjustment we did to an iron bed finish we did for a client. We have made a habit of emailing our clients what we refer to as “final approval” photo’s, before we ship their bed. Because all of our antique “finishes” are hand applied to our beds, there…
Problematic Conversions……No Problem!!!!!Why? Because the largest size iron bed being made back in the 1800’s was a double/full size. Back then there were no queen or king sizes. So to accommodate those individuals with either a queen or king size mattress, it’s necessary to have us convert it. The conversion process our beds go through…
Actually a variation of Black. Regular Black can be a very dull lifeless color for anything, especially an iron bed or large piece of furniture. Yet with a few simple “tweak’s”, an otherwise lifeless color can come to life and have a rich organic look to it. Here are the steps that go into our…
One of the more popular custom antique faux’ finishes we do on our iron beds is the “Distressed Crackle” finish. It came about as a result of the response I continually got from my customers that would see old beds I’d get in, that had 150 to 200 years of paint that had crackle and…
Nearly 50% or more of all iron beds made back in the 1800’s had corner castings or “finials”. These are the decorative castings on the top of the corner of the head and foot board. They are as diverse in their style as the beds they go on. So what can be determined from corner…
One of the more enjoyable things about being in the antique iron bed business over the past 40 years, is having been able to see countless beds be “re-born”, in the refinishing process, after a “storied” past of close to 200 years. It really is like the rebirth of an old piece of furniture that…