apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a black Iron Canopy bed from Charles P. Rogers. I bought it 12 years ago for $1700. It looks like I purchased it yesterday. Very strong and well made. The rails are one solid piece of Iron. It's a good investment and will stand the test of time. The only dent in my bed was made by my drunk friend who decided to swing from the canopy rails like a monkey. So it's bent just a bit. LOL I've out grown it some, I'm not nearly as frilly I used to be. Make sure the style you choose is versatile and the bed is well constructed solid pieces not too man nuts and bolts. Do this and you should enjoy the bed for a long time.

One more thing. I don't find Foot boards very practicle, if you bump you head or feet anywhere it's likely on a foot board. But they do provide a finished look so it's up to you. The Claudio Reyes Bed above is beautiful, very romantic.

Thanks, DeeDee.

We have a footboard now, on a wooden panel bed, so we don't mind that and do like the finished look.

One big pro in my book is that these look light and airy, since a bed takes up so much real estate in a room anyway, I'd rather have a light-looking frame. The panel bed is massively big and wooden and BROWN, and my husband is set on some kind of canopy (though we're not going to drape anything over it.)

That's a great idea. In my frilly days I had lace curtains hanging from my bed. Very Doily! I took the lace down, replaced the flowered spread with a chocolate brown duvet and crisp white linens and the bed transitioned nicely. Without curtains or drapes it doesn't take up as much visual space. Quite light and Airy.

I used to have a white wrought iron bed which I loved, but it *did* hurt when I banged my head on it! (I've got an upholstered bed now.) To me, the white ones seem very girly while the black ones look rather gothic. I guess it's all just a matter of taste. Good luck with your decision :)

i have an iron bed. it's really gothic looking. it was made to look like the gates of a cathedral. i usually go for a minimal modern look, but in my bedroom i wanted things to bit a bit more lux.


it's been about 9 years now & it still looks brand new!!


& not to be weird, but they can be nice for tying someone up. the minimal beds don't allow for much of that. :P

shh, minimal beds can have concealed d-rings under the frame ;)

That said, I do have an iron bed that I love. It hasn't aged a bit. And it does provide plenty of tie-down points.

Re: the two comments above- this is part of why I love this site :)

Post.errr.beds(posterbeds)were provided to keep a collasping structure from disturbing the infidelity affairs from affecting image.(history of kings and queens)

a weathered tent only adds another layer of comfort.

antfarm.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ewa+paraglider

The real thing with iron beds is the quality of the welds. I owned one for years that was excellent, but when I got married, had to give it up due to my husband being 6'6. He had a cheap iron bed that looked pretty when he bought it, but 6 years later, at least half of the welds have snapped. The main cube that holds the mattress is still ok, because it is reinforced with bolts, but all the decorative elements have become unrecognizeable. It also squeaks like you wouldn't believe.

In short, quality matters. If it was under 600$ for a king size, it probably isn't going to last.

should have mention many slave were persecuted for not 'pitching' the royalties tent securely.
when the sunrise shone that the kings tent had collasped, he emerged from under a fabric of weathered skin, embareassed, placing blame on structure.

the poster bed was invented...along with the poster child.

where was the queen?

I have an iron bed, which I love. One thing, though, is that you do need a lot of pillows to make reading in bed comfortable if you want to sit up - the frame can dig in a bit, otherwise.

Yep, no danger of finding an iron bed for under $600 - the Rayes comes in at $1900 but that includes delivery, which is not too bad. I think it's fairly plain, too, and not too girly. The finish is a natural iron, so neither black or white.

I think I'm going to go for it, and save myself the labor sewing on the D-rings. :D

I can make you a sensational Iron Bed for under $600. The only catch is you would have to pick it up at my shop in Durham NC

Fritz,

Can you also repair/widen/paint iron beds?

yes. I am lucky to have a local friend a mile away with a commercial sandblaster and prof paint booth

Fritz,

May I contact you through your blog? I'm 99% certain I'll need an iron bed painted in about 5-6 months.

sure go ahead

I have an iron bed from Claudio Reyes, and it's wonderful. Mine doesn't have a canopy, though. I debated and decided that I'm too fickle to have a canopy. Anyway, the finish is great, looks as good now as when I got it 4 years ago. Moved houses once with no problems. I love it.

I have an iron bed, although it's a "sleigh" type with everything rounded off except of course the edges of the flat pieces. I've never injured myself on it and believe me, I'm the type to break a toe on a piece of furniture! Plus my cats love it because they can easily get on and off the bed in the gaps of the metal's design. I give a thumbs-up to a metal bed.

My iron bed was under $600. It was $400 from Room & Board and has held up to what many would term "wanton abuse" for the last six years or so. All welds have held just fine.

Often times iron is confused with steel. It's probably not worth getting into the differences, we make steel beds, and our beds will certainly last at least a lifetime. And we can make to your, or our design.

You can see them here: www.johnbecksteel.com

We have a metal bed (steel?) from Room & Board, which is sturdy and sort of Arts & Crafts looking, rather than the more common romantic style. In our tiny tiny bedroom it does add an airiness, plus it sits well off the floor, allowing storage underneath. I got it without a footboard, since our room is barely wider than a bed, and one person has to enter and exit the bed by climbing over the bottom.

Some welded steel beds are just that welded steel, Some beds could be classified as wrought iron and would have more curves etc. Easy to understand

I have a Claudio Reyes bed. It's number 20 in the catalog. We love the bed. We did not like how they handled the delviery. They didn't bother to tell us that they would only be bringing it to the curb, not upstairs to the bedroom or even to the front door. My Fiance had to carry the bed himself. Had we known that was the poilicy, he would have gotten someone to help. We couldn't exactly leave it on the curb till the weekend when his buddy's could come. I don't know where you live (apt. or house) but make sure you understand exactly what "delivery included" means no matter what company you choose. Good Luck.

Thanks for the feedback!

John and Fritz - your work looks great. I LOVE that console table especially, Fritz.

g. - thanks for letting me know about the makers' quality.

Wendy - I'm aware they don't do inside delivery. We have no stairs, thankfully!

Jessie, good points. I actually love the Room & Board Architecture bed, but my husband has a real aversion to straight lines for some reason. If he comes home with piece of furniture, it will be French, and probably handpainted, too. He can't hang with modern looks, so this is kind of a compromise.

Thankyou for nice comments Valerie.

I am working on a coffee table version of the
small end table with the four figures holding the rods. I will try and get a good picture taken of it and maybe Apartment Therapy might post it...

Valerie-
I would check out the Canopy beds at Charles Rogers before buying. I purchased an iron bed from them and it looks great after 8 years, and no squeaky metal sounds and my husbands a bit of a heavy weight! As Dee Dee said above don't buy one with lots of nuts and bolts either, more potential for squeaking. Good Luck.

I strongly second (third?) the comments about the welding quality. I love the look of my iron bed, but almost every point of welding has detached over the past five years! I'm so disappointed. Granted, I went for the under $600 bed, so that's probably a case of price indicating quality, at least in a mass-market bed rather than custom-made.
My next bedframe will be subject to much abuse on the showroom floor before I even consider the purchase.

Thanks again everyone... I decided to order the Claudio Rayes bed because it's solid through and through, and I really don't want to have to buy another bed. Ever.

Best thing is... the catalog came today and I also got two free side tables and free shipping. Bonus!

- Val

I bought a Wesley Allen iron bed in old copper finish in Sept 2006 for $1600 with tax/delivery (hb, fb & frame). A month or so ago, I noticed a squeak at one end of the headboard, but it seemed to go away. But then within the past few days it has started squeaking horribly. You can barely lay down on the bed without hearing a squeak. There's nothing to adjust -- it's all internal welds. I found out the mfr warranty is 1 year, and since I didn't complain in time, I'm out of luck. I wrote to Wesley Allen just in case they choose to stand by their product anyway, but am not holding my breath. I don't know what to do to get rid of the squeak, so if anyone has encountered this & has suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I don't think I'll ever buy an iron bed again, and especially not one from Wesley Allen, which is supposed to have great quality, but obviously not in my case!

Lorna in IL

I'm ordering Claudio too!