If everyone wanted the same thing, life would be very boring, so it's good that we all have different tastes. A mattress on the floor could serve as a bed, and in many parts of the world, this would be considered a luxury. Any culture that can read this has evolved past this stage, but it would be great if poverty didn't exist anymore. People want more than just a plain bed frame. They want a focal point for the room, which is probably where they spend the most time in the house, even if they are sleeping. The four-poster bed has been seen as the best bed for many generations, and many people think it is the best thing you can own. Four-poster beds made of wood or metal, with or without canopies, are still very popular. History plays a big role in how we feel about them.
When it comes to the four-poster bed, there are two schools of thought: the British and the American. In the U.K. and Europe, a four-poster bed is a bed with four posts, a cornice, a high headboard, and a roof. However, I've heard that this type of bed is called a four-poster canopy bed in the U.S. In the United States, a four-poster bed is just a bed with four posts, no cornice or roof. The tall, long posts rise above the rest of the bed like spires and often end in finials. This style is often called a pencil bed, which makes sense. We've seen and made different kinds of posts for these beds, like thin ones for a Shaker look and big ones for a country feel. The posts can be made round, square but tapering or octagonal. They can have twists, flutes, reeds, or even inlaid wood all the way down the length of the post. The list of traditional-looking posts is long, but if you start to move away from what's been done before, you can open up a whole new world. It all depends on what the public will accept.
Traditional British four-poster or canopy beds had posts that were turned, reeded, fluted, or twisted. In fact, many of them were made more fancy by adding a lot of carving. In the past, only wealthy noblemen could afford such a bed, and when one of them died, the four-poster bed was one of his most valuable possessions.
It's amazing how many people love or have always wanted a four-poster bed with a full canopy. When they finally get one, many feel like they've reached their goal or dream. People will say things like, "I saw one once" or "I slept in one and ever since then I've always wanted one." Many people think that the four-poster bed is very romantic, but it may be because it reminds them of fairy tales with beautiful maidens, white horses, and shiny knights, or were they white knights? Many of us have been taught by tradition that we should try to get an old four-poster bed. If that isn't possible, reproduction is a good alternative because it is often less expensive and you get exactly what you want when you order a piece of furniture. People at furniture auctions either give up on what they want or wait until the next time, but if you ask a furniture maker to make you something, you can choose the size, style, wood, colour, and carving.
The more beds you have, the more you can make them your own, and by the time you're done, you'd be hard-pressed to find two that are exactly the same. So, a four-poster bed is the best choice. You can choose from different types of wood, post and panel designs, carvings, colours (including paint), and sizes and heights, so each four-poster bed is very unique. When you add in the different fabrics, patterns, and colours that can be used to make drapes, the possibilities are endless. It's not just how the bed looks that matters, but also how it feels. The sheets are a big part of how good your bed feels, and since you spend a third of your life in bed, you might as well make it comfortable. Buy nice sheets.
The four-poster bed will be around for many more centuries. It can have anything from heavy tapestries draped over deeply carved posts with linenfold panels and a fully enclosed oak roof to light silks and lace covering an American-style pencil bed with no footboard and fine rope twists ending in a finial that looks like a chess pawn or bishop. It is up to us to start thinking about the future, changing with the times, coming up with new styles, and dragging the bed by its posts into the 21st century, where it will be seen as the ultimate dream for another 600 years.
