One of the more popular things interior designers like to do when selecting a finish for their clients iron bed, is to match the materials that are going to be on the bed.
Most of the antique iron beds I’ve done for the Ralph Lauren Co. over the years have been around specific material swatches that came from linens, quilts, pillows etc. that they were offering to the public. The Ralph Lauren Co have been using our beds for store displays and ad campaigns since the late 70’s. One of the reasons they keep coming back to us is no just our great selection of beds. But it also has to do with the distressed antique faux’ finishes we can do on them that will match or blend with whatever they want.
The one mistake amateur decorators make, is wanting their beds to match the exact color in their material. That can make the bed start looking like a reproduction that was specifically done to go with the materials being used.
A much smarter approach is to do a antique faux’ finish that makes your bed look as if you got lucky and it naturally blends with, not completely matches, your bedding. That’s when an bed stands out the best. If you’ll notice the green and red rose material with the iron sample in front of it…..this is more of a “don’t do” when trying to match colors and materials to the finish on your bed. A better example is the small checkered material swatch with slight pink and green tones. The client on this bed gave us a little more “artistic license ” to develop a antique faux’ finish that first and foremost looked original, and then blended with her material swatch. As you can see……they work together beautifully without looking trending and contrived.
Silly as it sounds……Try and respect the antiquity and character of your bed. It’s been around for nearly 200 years. It’s served countless generations and has probably gone through numerous refinishing’s. Your bed will give you the same sturdy use and beauty it did when it was first made. So think twice before you slap on a white coat of paint or some modern neon color. Keep in mind…….you’re only the temporary caretaker of that bed you’re about to refinish. It will be here long after you’re gone.
If you’re considering buying a bed or just refinishing the one you already have, give me a call……I’ll talk you through the process.
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 the multiple “Before & After” photo’s on our company Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/ – %21/pages/Cathouse-Antique-Iron-Beds/126838177398
