If you dismiss wrought iron beds as old-fashioned and stodgy, you may want to consider the oldest — and the newest — versions of this kind of bed frame.

Iron beds were hugely popular in the mid-1880s when they were hand-made by artisans by American iron, which was considered superior to European iron. Until World War I, when production ceased because metal was needed for armaments, not beds. Then, in the 1960s and 1970s iron beds came back in fashion, often with pretty cheesy results because artisans had been replaced by factory assembly lines and aluminum replaced iron. But today, furniture makers are blending old with new and creating beautiful iron beds, some modern minimalist and others dramatic and ornate.

If you find an old bed and can't determine if it's a factory made reproduction or the real thing, you can find some tips here. One interesting fact is that antique iron beds were built into the frame; If your bed has a separate frame, it may be a reproduction.

FIRST ROW
• 1 Zsa Zsa Bellagio.
• 2 From the Right Bank.
• 3 Tilly & Fran
• 4 Tilly & Fran.
• 5 Department of the Interior.

SECOND ROW
• 6 A Life's Design.
• 7 A Life's Design.
• 8 Max Rollitt.
• 9 Delight by Design.

Images: As credited above.

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