A famous proverb says “if you only buy two things in life buy a good bed and a good pair of shoes. If you are not in one you will be in the other”. When it comes to sleeping nothing compares to antique and vintage beds. Not only do they offer the charm and appeal of years of loving use and beautiful timeless designs, but as one of the most important pieces of furniture in any home they were made of a lasting quality rarely seen today. Indeed, in the Middle Ages the bed was such an important status symbol that the King would regularly see guests while sitting in his bed chamber.
From Four Poster Beds or Brass Beds to French Lit en Bateau or Baby Cribs, there are plenty of antique bed designs to choose from. Although we are used to very standardized sizes today this was not always the case in the past. Most will conform to regular mattress sizes such as King Sized, Queen Sized or Double (or can be easily adapted to fit), but sometimes an antique bed can also be the perfect thing to fit those unusual spaces as well. Alongside regular beds for night-time sleeping are Sofa Beds, Day Beds and Chaise Longues intended for quick naps or just slumbering. Half Sofa and half bed these variations have been around since Classical times and offer just another way to relax around the home. As these items were far more numerous in the past you will always find a far better selection from antique and vintage examples than modern ones.
At LoveAntiques you will find a great selection of Antique and Vintage beds for all your resting needs.
Tony Youll Antiques
King-size Carved Bed
£ 1,450
Knight Fine Antiques & Collectables
Pair of Walnut 1930s Single Bed Frames
£ 295
London City Antiques
Magnificent Exhibition Quality Antique Victorian Gilded Solid Brass Half Tester Double Bed
£ 8,845
Magnificent Exhibition Quality Antique Victorian Gilded Solid Brass Half Tester Double Bed
£ 8,845
London City Antiques
The Vintage Interiors
Carved Walnut King Size Bed & Matching Bedside Cabinets
£ 4,950
Kernow Furniture
Antique French Walnut Bed
£ 595
£ 1,595
Antique Furniture Direct
Edwardian Mahogany & Inlaid Double Bed
£ 395
£ 2,250
£ 1,550
£ 3,250
Paul Watson Antiques & Interiors Norfolk
19th Century French Faux Bamboo & Pine Bed
£ 850
Rams Head Antiques
Pretty Victorian Cast Double Bed
£ 875
Rams Head Antiques
Victorian Cast & Brass Half Tester Double Bed
£ 1,150
Paul Watson Antiques & Interiors Norfolk
Queen Anne Style Walnut Double Bed c.1930
£ 500
Beau French Boutique
Vintage French Demi Corbeille Upholstered Double Bed Frame
£ 695
£ 1,195
£ 1,195
Debenham Antiques Ltd
Pair of 19th Century French Empire Mahogany & Walnut Beds
£ 2,750
Beau French Boutique
Vintage French Scroll End Upholstered Bed Frame Double XL
£ 795
£ 1,495
£ 1,550
£ 190
Original Painted 1920s Childrens Wooden Cot, Display Cot For Dolls & Bears
£ 190
Mid Wales Antiques
Beau French Boutique
Vintage French Demi Corbeille Upholstered Double Bed Frame
£ 695
Beau French Boutique
Original French Carved Wooden Bed Frame XL Double
£ 795
Beau French Boutique
Original Antique French Cane Bed Frame ‘Valentin Blin Paris’
£ 1,495
Vintage World
Vintage French Oak Double Bed
£ 399
£ 3,950
Georgian Antiques
French Walnut Louis IV Style Bed
£ 1,500
Vintage House
Handmade Pine Double Bed Frame
£ 245
Beau French Boutique
French Carved Wooden Bed Frame Breton Double Whitewashed
£ 1,295
Bedsteads
Very Nice All Brass Single Bed
£ 550
£ 1,150
£ 1,250
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Early 18th Century Oak Cradle on Rockers
£ 845
London City Antiques
Outstanding Quality King Size Antique Victorian Figured Walnut Floral Marquetry Inlaid Bed
£ 5,750
Outstanding Quality King Size Antique Victorian Figured Walnut Floral Marquetry Inlaid Bed
£ 5,750
London City Antiques
Alain Michel Antiques
Louis Philippe Bed in Walnut - 19th Century
€ 900
Sunnyside Antiques
Pine Cradle / Crib
£ 295
£ 1,395
£ 2,250
£ 2,500
Are antique beds valuable?
Beds have always been one of the most prized and used items in any home. Antique and Vintage examples were usually very well constructed and thus expensive to purchase. Today these old beds remain just as desirable and useful as ever. Like any item they can be quite valuable costing many thousands of pounds for larger sized quality examples such as four poster or half tester beds, but you can also pick up great examples from al sizes at a fraction of that cost also.
What is a half-tester bed?
Traditional four poster beds or canopy beds were originally called ‘tester’ beds as derived from the Latin word ‘testa’ meaning ‘head’. Over time the fashion and need for fully enclosed beds changed with a desire for more open airy beds instead. Often the two tall bed posts by the head were retained with a small pediment above and purely decorative drapes to create a visually elegant look. This form of bed with only two tall posts and small pediment are called ‘half-tester’ beds.
What are common antique bed sizes?
Although people have always slept on different sized beds from small to very large, popular terms such as Queen, King and Empire did not become universally recognised until the middle of the 20th Century. Instead, most antique beds were created in very similar proportions to our modern terms such as single, double and larger, but were not all exactly the same to the millimetre. Indeed, it was the invention of uniform sprung mattresses in the mid 19th Century which made a universally recognised scale useful. Today, most antique beds can either accept modern mattresses directly or bases can easily be made to fit.
What is a French Style Bed?
Naturally a French Bed will relate to those beds made originally in France, but it is also a term to describe certain classic styles of bed originally made popular in France. These include the very traditional ‘Lit Bateau‘ with tall or Sleigh style ends and box sides, as well as elegant 18th and 19th Century designs with head and footboards finished in a variety of materials including cane work, upholstery and carved from Walnut or Oak. These French designs remain extremely popular today.