For many years people that went out and bought antique iron beds, felt as though they should completely refinish them so they looked brand new…….. preferably in glossy white. When reproduction beds came on the scene, people who still wanted to get the better and more collectible bed, now wanted to make the distinction between the authentic antique old bed they had with the reproductions that started flooding the market and had little value. So what better way to make the distinction between the two than give your old antique iron beds a distressed antique faux’ finishes. One of the major draws an iron bed has with decorators and interior designers is their flexibility to blend with any color scheme by the finish that’s applied. It’s also very easy to apply a neutral , yet distressed, finish to help achieve the antique look. Old iron beds have something reproductions never will have……character and a past. For that reason alone, they should be honored with an old vintage antique faux’ finish.
The bed in this photo is one I’d gotten in with a beautiful old blue finish tha had been the original finish from the iron bed manufacturer way back in the early 1800’s. But my client who bought the bed wanted a very distressed, yet neutral finish. So we did an antique off white distressed crackle finish with rust tones for authenticity. 
