Here is a fine example of “soft shoulder” antique iron bed that we converted to a “Crown Canopy”. This one is headed for Australia, to a really nice couple outside of Sydney.
Most people believe that only straight line beds are good candidates for canopy conversion. This photo will hopefully dispel that notion. It takes a little more finesse to do the welds on a curved bed and maintain the arched top. But if done properly, a soft shoulder bed can look not only appropriate, but far more impressive.
Although this country never made canopy iron beds, had they done so, I’d like to think they would have been made in this manner.
The most important thing, when converting the bed to a canopy, is to maintain the original symmetry. If you tamper with the original design of your bed, you’re liable to end up with a design that isn’t as appealing and pleasant to the eye as the bed you started out with.
The shape of your Cathouse bed can also help you determine if you should do a “Square Traditional”, “Princess”, or “Crown” canopy. The canopy design should flow with your iron beds design. If straight……. then you should do a Traditional Straight canopy. But if your bed has flowing curved lines and scrolls……either the “Princess” or “Crown” canopy would be more appropriate.
