Antique Beds: 4 Things to Know

More time is spent in the bedroom than any room in the home. The mood of the room sets the tone of your day when you wake up, and lets you unwind as you go to sleep. With that in mind, it's important to go all-out on this space's decor! Purchasing an antique bed is an investment to say the least.

Quality bedroom furniture can cost a pretty penny, especially when it comes to the centerpiece: a bed. To avoid the buyer's remorse that can come with such a large purchase, it's important to know what to look for. Fortunately, by the end of this guide, you'll be much better prepared to pick your next favorite piece of bedroom furniture.

1.How to Make Sure Your Antique Bed is Actually Antique

Unfortunately, you can't believe everything you read on the internet. The internet is plagued with bad information and false advertising. Many "antique style" beds are incorrectly listed as antique furniture.

Not that imitations can't be lovely additions to your home, but you want the real thing! There are a few ways you can make sure that your potential bed is an actual antique, and not a fake.

Look for Imperfections

Part of the appeal of antique furniture is that it was made by hand, and not in a factory. The human element behind beautiful craftsmanship is part of the charm. After all, furniture is an art. Whether or not a piece has these human touches can tell you about its history.

Modern and factory made furniture will have perfectly straight edges and virtually no blemishes. We would expect nothing less from a piece made by a robot!

Look for slight curves in the solid wood. If there is variation/inconsistency in the joints of the the furniture, chances are it was made by hand! We always recommend taking a look in person before ordering online, if possible.

A piece that is perfectly symmetrical is also likely to be more recent. Humans are not perfect creatures! Slight asymmetry is generally a dead giveaway that a piece of furniture was crafted by hand.

Varied Wood is Good

It is highly, highly unusual for an antique bed, or any piece of antique furniture for that matter, to be made out of solely one type of wood. Even if a majority of an antique piece is crafted from a solid wood such as mahogany, chances are some joint or support will be crafted from a different type. If you notice that there are multiple woods used, that's a good indicator that you're looking at a genuine antique.

Check the Label

Another good way to determine a piece's age is by a maker's mark. Generally speaking, antique craftsmen would carve some form of signature or number into the wood. Usually, these carvings or stamps are fairly discrete.

Check on the underside or lower edge of the furniture in question. It's also important to remember that these can also be faked, so it's a good idea to check for signs of aging.

2.You Might Need a Custom Mattress

This may come as a surprise, but the standardization of bed sizes is a relatively new development in home decor. Back in the old days, there were no king beds, queen beds, or double beds- there were just beds of all different shapes and sizes. The sizes we're familiar with today originated in the mid-late 20th century.

This makes finding the right mattress more of a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. There are many companies that can provide you with a custom fitted mattress that will suit your specific needs.

3.Match Your Styles

It seems intuitive to match your furniture styles. However, this doesn't mean that every piece of furniture in your bedroom has to be the exact same style in order to provide a cohesive look. This doesn't mean you should randomly try to mix Victorian with Mid-Century Modern furniture, of course. But if you have some Gothic pieces in your bedroom set, you can probably get away with a Chippendale centerpiece, as the 2 are stylistically similar.

You may also need a custom headboard. To learn more about these, you can check out our post about them here!

It's also important to make sure your antique bed's finish matches with the color scheme of the room. Once again, this doesn't need to be a perfect match right down to the color code, but it should at least complement the room's layout.

It's also worth noting that not every piece of furniture in your scheme has to be antique in order to create a cohesive look. There are a wide variety of antique style (not antique) pieces that can blend well with older decor.

4.Take Your Time When Looking for an Antique Bed!

As a final piece of general advice, it's important to remember that the process of buying an antique bed is just that - a process. It's the type of decision that can and should take hours of careful consideration. Whether you're in the market for an antique queen bed frame or a vintage poster bed, patience is a virtue.

Investments of this size deserve caution and research. Take the steps needed to make sure that the bed in question is an actual antique. Look into custom mattresses so that you aren't blindsided by the lack of standardized sizes. Make sure to take into account how one style blends with another.

Remember, not every piece has to be of the exact same style, but it should be pretty close for best results.

Hopefully, with these tips in mind, you'll be on your way to creating the perfect bedroom!