So why all of  a sudden have peoples taste in antique iron beds styles changed? Could it be the economy. The straighter line iron beds are on the lower end of the price scale. The more elaborate scrolled Victorian iron bed styles have always brought premium prices. The prices on the fancier iron beds haven’t gone down. It just seems that currently more people are searching for the more simple less frilly style iron bed.

I have to believe the change is not purely economic. Where many antique’s have experienced a slight leveling out on their prices……iron beds have continued to hold their own and with regard to some unique seldom seen styles, have even gone up.

Scarcity and demand have always been a determining factor in iron bed popularity and pricing. A number of years ago the straighter line iron beds that are now experiencing tremendous popularity, could be purchased at flea markets for next to nothing. I can’t tell you how many straight line institutional iron beds I passed up……and for next to nothing. Those same plain iron eds are now bringing much stronger prices and experiencing a popularity that use to be only held for the fancier model iron beds.

So if you’re of a mind to get yourself a plainer, straighter iron bed…….best get off the couch and start looking. They’re not going to be around much longer…….not at the rate they’re getting bought up.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

But what many people aren’t aware of is a similar item……no considered a fruit…..but a vegetable that carries with it a similar positive message. The Artichoke.

On the little twin size antique iron bed, I have in this photograph, you’ll notice the “heart” shape in the middle and then four posters. On the end of the posts are “artichoke” castings. It’s rather surprising how many iron beds I’ve come across throughout the years that have incorporated the “artichoke” in their castings. Once again….some larger and more pronounced and the others more subtle and less noticeable.

So why the “artichoke”. Iron beds , from the 1800′s , have always been a vehicle for their designers to subtly display certain known symbolism and beliefs of their time. The “artichoke” symbolized hope….. I would think when someone bought an iron bed back in the 1800′s that symbolism wasn’t lost when the salesman was pitching certain designs to prospective customers looking for a new iron bed. This particular twin size iron bed has two symbols that might seem rather unrelated. Yet when considered a little more thoroughly, they become totally related………. The “heart”, which was used extensively in iron bed designs, was obviously the symbol of love and prosperous future relationships. That an iron bed designer would incorporate both the “heart” and the “artichoke” meant they obviously felt them to have some type of connection…… and it does. The “artichoke” symbolizes hope for a prosperous future, and at the core of an artichoke is what? Exactly…….a heart. So the meaning of both ties perfectly……..love and hope for successful future relationships.

Throughout their history, iron beds have always displayed castings that tell a story. Many iron beds have beautiful floral castings. Due to the strict protocol of the Victorian era, emotions, wishes and thoughts were not openly expressed between men and women. Instead, an elaborate language based on flower symbolism was developed. Gifts of either single flowers or bouquets conveyed clear messages to the recipient. During the Victorian era, flowers adorned nearly everything–hair, clothing, jewelry, home decor, china plates, stationary, wallpaper, furniture and even iron beds.

So the next time you look at an iron bed…….look a little closer. Take a look at the castings. Some iron beds actually have castings of “urns” with flowers arranged in them. Other iron beds might only have a very simplistic single flower casting. I would venture to say nearly half of all the iron beds I’ve seen, incorporate some form of floral castings.

Iron beds were a perfect means with which to offer the thoughts, hopes and dreams of a growing nation.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

For close to 40 years I’ve been selling New York designers iron beds in record numbers for the clients in Manhattan and as far away as Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket……..not to mention clients with second homes as remote as Australia and Greece.

New York Interior Designers seem to have a much more discerning clientele who would perish the thought of a reproduction or modern made iron bed. One client I had spoken with put it very succinctly when she said the last thing I want is to walk in to a friends home and see the same piece of furniture I have in mine. She likened it to going to a cocktail party and running into a friend with a dress exactly like the one she had on.

With original old antique iron beds, the likelihood of you ever seeing another one lie what you have, is extremely rare. There just weren’t that many of them made, and even fewer of them survived.

I’ve actually had a couple of very good clients with really outstanding residences, come to me after a few years of owning an iron bed I sold them, and want to trade it in on a different one. One told me she had seen an iron bed like the one I’d sold her, in a magazine. Because her house was  going to be photographed for a decorating magazine, she anted to make sure her iron bed wasn’t going to be the same as the one she saw. We went to great lengths finding an antique iron bed that I’d never seen before, that she wouldn’t have to be concerned with photo’s of it popping up before the magazine spread came out on her home.

Another more practical reason New York designers use iron beds in their decorating schemes is because of their light airy designs. Wooden and upholstered headboards tend to take up a tremendous amount of “visual” space that an iron bed doesn’t. Iron beds are light and airy permitting your vision and light to pass through. In a small Manhattan apartment that can make a world of difference in a small room where the headboard might only be able to go on one wall and that wall has a window that allows in the only daytime light the room gets. An iron bed will allow that light to come in and a persons vision through it.

Antique iron beds also have a much lighter less cumbersome look…….. another necessity when considering small intimate bedroom spaces.

With a population of over a million and a half residence, spread over a 23 square mile area, I think it will be a while before I saturate this great city with my iron beds.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

It seems the thinner gauge iron beds had more pronounced “heart ” shaped designs than the larger tube iron beds which seemed to have more subdued heart designs. Some were so subtle they resembled a “Rorschach” test that was open to interpretation.

It is thought that the masculine nature of a antique iron bed was tempered to appeal more to the feminine half of a household by incorporating designs like “heart” and floral castings. The “floral urn” was a very popular casting used on iron beds. Most of the small independently owned iron bed foundries had their own version of floral castings……..some being far more intricate and detailed than others. It was an easy barometer for the quality of an iron bed foundry by the intricacy of their castings. The manner in which they tied their designs in to the overall shape of their iron beds was the other tell tale point.

It would be curious to learn if the “heart” shaped iron beds that were made back in the 1800′s were primarily introduced around Valentines Day, or if they were a consistent theme and were offered all year long. As a spring line of clothes are only offered in the spring, yet worn all year. Iron beds could easily have been offered at Valentines Day…….once a year. But then obviously used throughout the year.

As antique iron beds keep popping up with the “heart” shaped theme, it would seem as though every small independently owned foundry had their own version……….or………every year they would come out with a new and fresh “heart” design in their iron bed catalog.

Here are but a few of the fun antique iron bed designs I’ve come across.

 I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

There is one particularly iron bed with a very pleasing design, we refer to as the “Tulip”. Over the years I’ve come across no fewer than four distinct “Tulip” iron beds, with uniquely different side rail hitches, which is a distinction all foundries had their own molds for. So corporate espionage is not just a modern day phenomenon ………… it’s something that’s been around ever since man couldn’t come up with his own good original idea and decided to steal someone who could.

My reason for writing this blog was actually to thank all my customers who continue to be considerate enough to email me photo’s of the iron beds we sell them, after their iron beds are set up and dressed appropriately.

The iron beds in these two photo’s come to me from a very good customer in Lakeland Florida. She selected a beautiful iron bed from us and then we did one of our more popular custom antique “Two Tone Crackle” finishes on it. From the design and colors of the room it’s set up in, she really did a great job in working both the style iron bed and colors with the surroundings. Great job………..

And thank you again for the photo’s. It made my day.

For the hundreds, I should say thousands of customers that we’ve sold iron beds to…….. if you get the time, we’d love to see what your bed looks like in it’s new home. Send us a photo.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

Here are two perfect examples.

A Fort Worth Texas client purchased these two beautiful iron beds and asked that they both be converted to accommodate her king size mattresses. One of them is a bed that we consider a “slam dunk” when it comes to the appropriate design for conversion. Only an extension of the short horizontal tubes at the top need to be elongated and then additional interior verticals, to match the existing  ones will be welded in. The other iron bed she selected is a beautiful “art panel” bed with the original art work from back in the early 1800′s. The options for converting this iron bed to king size were numerous and open to many possibilities. But in the end…….it made more sense to try and mimic the original design……. not really changing it. This design made the most snse and looks the most natural.

As you may already know, the largest size iron bed being made back in the early 1800′s was a double size. So when someone wants a king size iron bed, we convert whatever original double they select from our inventory into a king size. That’s done by cutting the iron bed apart in integral places and adding additional tubing to increase the width of the headboard and footboard. We also take molds of the original castings so when additional vertical rods are needed, we’re then able to pour those needed castings in our foundry. When we convert a antique iron bed to king size it’s been done in the same manner in which that iron bed was originally put together close to 200 years ago.
When it comes to Queen conversions, none of the above is necessary. The reason being, the difference in width between the antique double iron bed and the modern queen is negligible…. It’s only a couple of inches on both sides. So a width conversion isn’t necessary like that with a king. The way we accommodate the old antique double iron bed,  to hold the queen mattress ,is by welding the siderails, that hold the headboard and footboard together lengthwise, longer by 5″. Once put together the box spring and mattress will set on top of the siderails and extend over a couple of inches. Once the iron bed is appropriately dressed, that width difference is not noticeable.

It should be mentioned that all of our iron bed conversions are done in the same manner foundries constructed their iron beds back in the early 1800’s. For this reason, our conversions never look like conversions…..

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

So what was it that all of a sudden brought iron beds into popularity?

It happened to be two primary things…………..

It is said that “necessity is the mother of invention”. That being the case, in the late 1700′s and early 1800′s man had grown increasingly unhappy with the wooden beds that had served him so well those first  300 years. His displeasure came in the form of a tiny little insect called a Termite. I also was accompanied by rats and rodents that infested many of the city dwelling apts. and homes. Iron beds seemed to be the answer to both of those problems. Foundries and manufacturers of iron beds made the higher off the ground to help eliminate the pesky little creatures. Termites automatically wanted nothing to do with the cast iron beds. When there was nothing for them to consume…… they moved on.

So why did it take three hundred years for man to start making iron beds. It was the process of acquiring the proper materials to be able to make iron beds. Cast iron was not being refined in the way that was needed until the early 1800′s. The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly. The process had also been used outside of Europe for hundreds of years, but not on an industrial scale. The key principle is removal of impurities from the iron by oxidation with air being blown through the molten iron. The oxidation also raises the temperature of the iron mass and keeps it molten.

The Steel Mills in Pittsburgh started turning out the highest grade of steel, anywhere in the world. This enables  people to start making steel tubing and pig iron, that could then be refined into cast iron and poured into molds to form the castings you see on iron beds today.

Had it not been for the Termite and the Bessemer Process ……… we may still be sleeping exclusively in wooden beds, and iron beds may yet to have been discovered.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

One of the nicer elements about converting a straighter line Craftsman style iron bed is that you don’t have to alter or tamper with the symmetry of the original double size iron bed. Which is not always the case when it comes to converting a Victorian or Art Nouveau style iron bed. Iron beds of that style and design quite often require new elongated curves be added to the original design. Although we are extremely good at keeping the same flow of the original design……… there’s no beating the transition from double size iron bed to king size iron bed, when it comes to the straight lines of Craftsman/Austere.

When trying to pigeon hole a true Austere style iron bed, it’s best to consider the fact that in the Depression Era most iron beds that were being manufactured had next to no “castings” to decorate the joints where the iron tubes were joined to one an other. So if we’re going by the strictest definition of Austere/Depression Era iron beds, the one I have here, although the right shape and design, could not formally be considered an iron bed from that era, because of the decorative castings it has. Even by the strictest definition of a Craftsman style iron bed……these castings were made during the Victorian Period for those people unable to afford the scrolled and curved beauties that were famous for the Victorian times.

During the 1800′s there happen to be a lot of overlapping of different periods of designs. Many of the iron beds that were being produced were actually front runners in style for the period of design that wouldn’t become popular or even classified until dozens of years later. Some iron beds I’ve had that I know were made in the early 1800′s are designs that wouldn’t become popular or prevalent until close to 100 years later. That’s why foundries really coveted the designers of their iron beds. Because they were offering styles and designs of iron beds that were not only on the “cutting edge”, but way before their time.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

The second thing that should be regarded when determining the size of the bed for your childs room is the “function” of the room. Does your child primarily use their room to play in? Or do you have other rooms in the house that their toys are in and that they typically play in? If they use their room to play in, you’ll now need to optimise the amount of space you can for playing. That will mean the bed should occupy the minimum amount of space possible in the room. You may want to think about a twin “daybed”.

The attractiveness of the daybed is that it doesn’t stick out into the room. As an alternative it is turned lengthwise and positioned flush against the wall and will allow much more floor space for your child to play. The other excellent thing about “daybeds” is their capacity to house a “pop-up trundle unit” underneath for sleepovers. So in the space of one bed…. you can actually have two. One of them being concealed during the day when not in use and only pulled out on those occasions when they are needed. Iron beds are very well-known for hiding pop-up trundles because they have the added height required for the trundle unit to be stored under. Double size antique iron beds will also avail you of the necessary height for a trundle unit. All iron beds made in the 1800′s have clearance of 13″, which is specifically what is needed to support trundle unit’s.

Here’s another space factor that many people don’t make use of when designing their child’s room. That’s the forfeited space under the bed. Many iron beds have the space to house hidden drawers which have an abundance of space which can be used to store toys, or clothes etc. Consider the amount of space a iron bed takes up in a room……. now consider that same amount of space can be used for storage under that iron bed. It can solve a lot of problems you may encounter in trying to find needed storage.

Now that you’ve established the size bed that is most acceptable, and the placement of where it should be in the room, it’s time to  decide on the type.

Unique bed frames work better in certain size rooms. For instance……. if your child’s room is on the more compact side, you’re going to want to pick out a bed frame that doesn’t take up a lot of visual space, something that’s lighter and airier. Like an iron bed that allows air and light to pass through it.  Keep in mind the only time an upholstered or a large wooden bed frame is going to look appropriate is in a sizable room where space isn’t an issue. Also……if you’re restricted to one wall that the headboard can set on and it happens to have a window, an iron bed will allow the light in and view through it. That can’t be said for a wooden or upholstered headboard.

There are a lot of positive aspects to using iron beds in a smaller room. One, is their unique ability to mix with whatever the color scheme the room happens to have. Finishes can be applied to either look pristine and refreshing or distressed and vintage. If going into a boys room, a more geometric masculine design frame will be appropriate. Whereas flowing scrolled iron beds will work greater in a young girls room.

So whatever direction you take in designing your child’s room, be sure and start with the bed. Iron beds are a great idea.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my website

www.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts

Genuine 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 Woodrow Wilson announced our entry into the 1st World war, iron beds provided people the custom made craftsmanship and top quality these folks had come to expect from their era.

On April 6th 1917 the US entered the 1st World War, bringing to a close the production of iron bed frames due to our nations overwhelming necessity of all readily available iron for armaments and the war effort.

4 years later when the war ended, styles changed and production techniques were revolutionized… hence the Industrial Revolution. Hand produced “one of a kind” items, like iron beds, were no longer price “effective” and became a thing of the past. There have been quite a few modest foundries in the East around  Pittsburgh, Pa, Wheeling, West Virginia and as far west as Chicago, Il that took great pride in their own  original  designs.  At this time in history the majority of the iron ore being produced in this country was coming out of the Pittsburgh steel mills. It was very advantageous for the numerous small independently owned foundries to locate their businesses close to the source of materials needed to produce their iron beds. That way it wasn’t necessary to invest their limited capital to stockpile large amounts of raw materials. It was more prudent and cost effective to only purchase raw materials for those orders that were coming in. Being close to the source of these raw materials meant it was only a days ride by horse drawn wagon……not weeks waiting for them to be shipped, to secure the needed materials. Often using only a few people, these modest foundries could take days to generate one single iron bed.

Antique iron beds had castings that were hand poured from ladles into sand cast molds. The quality of an iron bed was often determined by the detailing the casting designers put into their molds. The more elaborate and finely detailed a casting was, usually followed suit with the overall caliber and popularity of the iron bed.  Finishes were varied and might range from uncomplicated white to several hues with detailed “gold guilding” on the castings. For these good reasons and the restricted quantities of iron bed frames built by these modest foundries, it is rare that you’ll uncover a similar iron bed more than once. Back in the mid 1800′s,   the iron being manufactured in The United States was far superior to that of Europes. Making iron beds  made in this  country  far superior to those being made anywhere else in the world.

Our tubing was thicker walled and the iron castings our artisans designed were much more detailed and fanciful than that of Victorian England. When brass was added, for contrast and ornamentation to the iron, ours was thick and durable. European brass, once again, was very thin and susceptible to cracking and denting. It is strongly suggested if you’re in the market for an antique iron bed frame, you make sure it was made in this country back in the mid 1800′s. Our antique iron bed frames range from  150 to 200 years old. Because of the top quality, materials employed, and craftsmanship, beds made in this country back in the 1800′s are far more collectible, desirable and valuable in contrast to any others in the world.

I hope you’ve found this blog informative. I invite you to revisit my websitewww.cathousebeds.com

to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.

I also invite you to take a look at the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our

company Facebook

at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398?ref=ts