Over the years we have continued to sell more and more antique iron beds to our neighbors to the north, Canada. You’d think those sales would have increased because of word of mouth, or the ones we shipped having been seen by friends or family members. Although w
e’ve been very fortunate to have always turned one sale in to multiple sales, the majority of our sales seem to be to totally unrelated customers all across the country from Quebec to British Columbia.
I have a sizable number of great decorators that use us for clients with every imaginable style home. You’d think we’d be limited to Victorian, Country French, or some less than formal cottage style. No so…….many of my beds go into extremely formal and sometimes even modern setting where the client wants the high contrast in styles fro ultra modern architecture to one or two accent antique pieces, Victorian style beds being one of them.
Back in the 1800’s most of the steel and iron that made its way into Canada was being minded and processed in foundries in Chicago and Pittsburgh. The growth of the Chicago Iron Works Foundry was as a direct result of the materials that were being exported up Lake Michigan to the Canadian border. A little farther east the steel mills of Pittsburgh shipped large containers north and across Lake Erie.
Although a good amount of raw materials found their way north of the border back in the 1800’s, metal beds were not manufactured that much in Canada and ones that were being used primarily came from this country.
It’s difficult to tell wether the majority of metal beds being used in Canada came from this country or were imports from France and England. There is a distinct difference in the ones that were important and the ones made in this country. When set along side of each other the difference can easily be noticed. Castings on European beds were far inferior to those with crisp detailing that were made in this country.
So to our customers North of the border…….Thank you for your continued patronage over the years. It’s a testament to your good taste in design.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
I also invite you to take a look at our company Face Book page for multiple photo albums on Custom Finishes, Canopy Conversions and a comprehensive “Before & After” King Conversions album.
