Nearly all of the custom antique faux’ finishes that we do here at Cathouse Beds, came about as a result of customers, decorators and clients that happen to have something they wanted their antique iron beds “finish”, to blend with. The most common items are material swatches from items like dust ruffles, blankets, pillows or…
I’ve always been a bit of a “purist” when it comes to antique iron beds and “reproductions”. There have been a few companies that go above and beyond in their efforts to maintain the exact duplication of the original iron beds they’re copying. This can be difficult for numerous reasons, the least of which are…
When iron beds were at their Zenith in the mid 1800’s, many manufacturers were constructing a very rudimentary metal spring unit to hold the feather mattresses of the day. These metal spring units would later be refined and become known as a “box spring”. Today’s box springs are tightly wrapped iron coils that resemble a metal…
Dust Ruffle or No Dust Ruffle……That is the question. If you’re looking for authenticity and historic value, then you have to opt out of the dust ruffle. Back in the 1800’s, one of the main reasons people were attracted to iron beds was the elimination of rodents in their beds because the iron side poles…
Over the years, the way people dress and appoint their iron beds has changed considerably. One of those major alterations has been the use of pillows. Back in the 1800’s a bed was strictly used to sleep in. There were no TVs to watch and people rarely ever read in bed. With that said…..pillows were…
I bought my first antique iron bed, or I should say acquired it, back in 1969. It was given to me by a farmer in the backwoods of Central Pennsylvania. I’ve been asked how I got into this business and recounted the story about how I came across it so many times, I posted the…
The major thing that give metal beds their distinction from any other type of bed, are the cast iron castings that are the decorative pieces that are poured around all the “joints” of rods and tubing in the design of the iron beds. They are the “fingerprint’ of the foundry that has designed them ,…
Great beds come in all shapes and sizes. Here are but a few of the many antique beds we’ve come across. There were thousands of differet styles being made and to this day yet unseen styles and designs still are surfacing.Please note the uniqueness of all of these individual designs. Some are pure Victorian and…
It’s unfortunate that a number of people have the opinion that metal beds can only go into a Victorian or elaborately fanciful setting. That school of thought couldn’t be farther from the truth. Any antique iron bed can be adapted to the setting by it’s surroundings and the way the owner chooses to dress it.…
Throughout history how we dress, where we live and the homes we live in, flect the attitude of that period. So it should come as no surprise that iron beds were also a direct reflection of the times they were designed and built in. The rigid conservatism of Victorian England fostered beds that spoke volumes…